Was Caligula Really Rome's Worst Emperor? | History Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2024
- The Emperor Caligula is one of history's most puzzling and controversial figures. His brief and bloody reign was marked by such extravagance, cruelty, bizarre behaviour and general immorality that it has led to posterity condemning him as a madman.
Born into the entitled and murderously competitive ruling dysnasty of the Roman Empire, Caligula spent his entire life luxuriating in the pleasures and privileges of power, but was under an ever-present threat of it being violently taken away at any moment.
He called himself a God, had temples built in his name and terrorised half the world with his callous disregard for human life.
This documentary explores the mind of Ancient Rome’s most notorious Emperor, Caligula, from the perspective of modern psychiatry, to find out if all the stories about him are true - did he have an inappropriate relationship with his sisters, did he appoint his horse to the senate, was he as unhinged as everyone said? And if so, what was wrong with him.
Finding Out More:
There is no better starting point than the histories of Suetonius (The 12 Caesars) and Cassio Dio (Roman History) and Philo of Alexandria (Embassy to Gaius). These are available as free downloads. The best book is Caligula: The Abuse of Power by Anthony Barrett. There is of course the 1979 movie Caligula, but I wouldn’t recommend it, much better is the classic BBC series I, Claudius. It is looking a little dated now, but for anyone wanting a little nostalgia of 1970s TV, I have added this to my Amazon store page: www.amazon.com/shop/professor...
Academic References;
Charry-Sánchez, J. D., Velez-VAN-Meerbeke, A., and Palacios-Sánchez, L. (2021). Caligula: a neuropsychiatric explanation of his madness. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 79, 343-345.
Di Vito, A., Donato, A., Bria, J., Donato, F., and Donato, G. (2023). Encephalitis lethargica. What is still wrong?. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, 37, 03946320231154997.
Sandison, A. T. (1958). The madness of the emperor Caligula. Medical History, 2(3), 202-209.
Sidwell, B. (2010). Gaius Caligula's mental illness. Classical World, 183-206.
Copyright Disclaimer:
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.
Images:
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
My own images and videos taken at the Villa Jovis and in the Archaeological Museum in Naples
Music (via Wikimedia commons)
Gustav Holst - The Planets, op. 32 - Mars, the bringer of war. Skidmore College Orchestra. Musopen. CC0
Kevin MacLeod Mourning Song CC3.0
Modest Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Skidmore College Orchestra CC0
Mark Gustavson A Fool’s Journey CC3.0
Mozart String Quartet No. 15 In C Major "Les Dissonances" K465. Quatuor Mosaïques CC0
Camille Saint-Saëns Danse macabre. Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Colonne, Louis Fourestier (conductor). Public Domain
Camille Saint-Saëns Rondo capriccioso. Musicians: Elias Goldstein with the Depaul Symphony in Chicago. CC2.0
George Handel Suite No 1. No 2. Public domain
Gabriel Faure Flute Fantasie. Alex Murray (flute) and Martha Goldstein (piano)
Anton Bruckner Symphony No 3. Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Paavo Järvi. CC4.0
Mark Gustavson: Quintet for clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello. CC3.0
Kevin MacLeod: Winter Reflections. CC3.0
Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4; United States Army Band. Public Domain.
Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.
So nice to have a human voice. Tired of AI already.
Yes. Nice accent and tone 🤩🤩
Sick of AI too.
The relief.
Amen
I thought it was I alone unmoved by AI, @@Rambletambleforever. I prefer sentient beings with Netyral Intelligence. Who gave books and learning a bad review?
You don't have to look back all the way to Ancient Rome to see the ghastly consequences of having deranged psychopaths' and mental cases being invested with absolute power. We've had plenty of Caligulas' in our own times.
Very true, but people get upset when I have suggested a few!
LET'S GO BRANDON!and
Like right now??? Our orange Caligula?
@@deborahmulkey1627I knew there had to be ONE in the crowd ..Please flush the propaganda out of you head . People trying to TAKE OUT political opponents rather then depend on the vote of the people is much closer to a dictator that you can imagine
He's doing his best. Let's hope he doesn't get elected again@@deborahmulkey1627
Among most of Documentaries about life of Emporer Caligula, this was most balanced and well researched. I particularly liked that Researcher didn't try persuade us that Caligula was madman but that his environment and upbringing could definitely had impact upon his Behavior after becoming Emporer.
Thank you.
There's still plenty of that about. You're never short of punters at bare fist fighting. Humanity never changes.
Seer 😊blood}
They declare DAMNATIO MEMORIAE,, to Caligula, so we don't know if everything they wrote about him was completely true. Senators had to lie to the people and portrayed Caligula as the worse human being, a deprived who did orgies, to justify the conspiracy to kill him, we only know what the killers wrote, we don't know nothing about Caligula, neither Nero, or Dormitian, or Commodus .
EmperOR......thats a PTSD type mistake.....some analysis may be of benefit.
I always wondered what effect the "games" in Ancient Rome had on the general population. I feel like in modern times such things would cause psychological trauma for most people, but back then the people seemed to enjoy watching brutality. I'm sure there were plenty of folks who were opposed to it, but somehow history seems to show that the majority enjoyed it. I can't wrap my head around this.
I agree it is a puzzle. Modern scholars seem to think that far fewer gladiator fights ended in death than was previously thought, but there is no explaining away that they watched criminals being eaten by animals for entertainment.
MMA fights, WWE wrestling, the NFL etc., , all modern versions of Gladitorial Games designed to distract the masses.
@@professorgraemeyorston: If they televised criminals being eaten alive by animals today in a reality show it would attract 😮a huge audience of. People love specracle, violence, punishment and revenge. It’s s in our r😮reptilian brain DNA.
@@djquinn11was just about to say the same thing. We still have gladiator games in all but name. Only difference now is the government doesn’t put on these blood sports. Imagine the corruption if they did. 😬
It twists my melon too.
Thank you very much for calm and clear sound, and for interesting story to 🙂
Thank you for another excellent video Dr Yorston, I am always on the lookout for your next one. Background music is very discreet,” La Dance Macabre”, good choice!
Thank you.
You're an excellent narrator, Professor Yorston, along with the work of your research assistant. Thank you. I believe that Caligula was a witness to the horrors of the palace and adopted the same behaviour. With the history of a prolonged seizure made him into an unpredictable and cruel man.
Thank you.
The best RUclips video on Caligula I’ve seen.
Thank you!
I find your videos so very interesting. Thank you for creating them for us.
Our pleasure.
I second the previous comment . Thankyou that was well put and interesting !
This was fascinating. Im so happy that you explained more about his family and his early life. Most present the madness of his reign. Thank you so much for these wonderful insights into historical events and people.❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you!!! I have been curious about the story of Caligula for a long time. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Wonderful documentary Prof Yorston and thank you for sharing this with us.
As someone who is very serious about the accuracy of history to the extent possible, I must say this was very well done and presented very well. New subscriber now.
Well aboard.
How accurate is your assessment of historians accuracy ?
What do you base that accuracy on, how do you know how accurate your assessment is...?
How accurate is your presumption of accuracy.....?
Are you content to say that your assessment of historical accuracy, as assessed by those whose accuracy you assess, is accurate..?
None of this really convinces me that the accounts were accurate. I think most of the claims about Caligula were embellished. The writers were simply giving the prospective readers what they expected to believe about Roman Emperors. These people were the celebs of their day and people would have been disappointed fi they were told that a figure like Caligula was actually a relatively dull, quiet person.
@@davestang5454
Maybe you're projecting, you're "being given what you want to believe about Roman Emperors and you'd be disappointed if you weren't".... The choice of whether a Writer's embellishments of historical accounts has merit and accuracy or not, is made by the observer, that a knowledge of those historical accounts goes a long way in making that decision, is hardly lost on anyone....
Found your video fascinating. Thank you so much!
Our pleasure.
Your story telling is fantastic.
Glad you think so!
Whew! Excellently accomplished and thanks for sharing and the very best of luck!
Thanks so much!
Wow!!! I'm very interested in the roman empire history. I have watched a few movies about the Roman empire but sometimes it's not always accurate, you doing a great job 👍👍👍I love watching your video about the history in our pastime.
Thank you, any suggestions for who I should do next?
Thank you for the interesting and very detailed way of explanation👌
Thank you.
Thank you, your videos are always so interesting!
My pleasure.
I like Gaius Julius Casear Germanius very much.
I really do think that he has been given a bad press throughout the centuries to portray him as a nasty piece of works.
Yet when you find out about his childhood and youth and before he became emperor I understand why he became ruthless.
His family exiled then killed and being the only one to survive must have made him very secretive and wary.
Tiberius had him on the island of Capri to watch him yet never revealed whether he liked him or not.
It taught him a lot!
There are a lot of emperors that were ruthless.
He was made to be brutal, wary, ruthless and tough.
He lived in a very hard world.
He was never going to be happy with reading poetry!
Never seen someone so passionately defend Caligula. I’ll grant you he’s been given bad press but that’s bc the few extant sources we have don’t paint a pretty picture of his rule. Claudius was also raised in basically the same environment, minus one generation, but didn’t turn out anything like Caligula. They were both younger sons no one expected much from.
And is true that he slept with his sisters?
Even if he did we can't equate the ancient world to our modern very PC and labeling world.
I wonder if there is a Latin word for incest?
I shall find out.
More bad press?
As for naming his horse a senator or whatever I very much doubt it.
He was jesting- or taking the piss out of his snobby senators!
It's his way of a joke.
And why is still called " Little Boots"- Caligula- to degrade him!
That's why I defend him.
If he was mean and cruel, so be it!
The Roman's were a savage, cruel and hard people - pragmatic and practical.
Wouldn't you agree, Professor?!
👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks for posting
I really enjoyed this presentation . Thank you for a very engaging presentation of my favourite period of early empirical history
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. I love Roman History. Recently watched I Claudius again which although quite dated was very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed John Hurts portrayal of Caligula. The Romans loved war and violence it was an accepted part of their culture at the time. I do think his experiences as a child and the unknown illness led to some form of insanity.
It must have affected him somehow.
Derek Jacobi should have gotten an academy award for his portrayal of Claudius.
@@Gwaithmir As a British TV show, he wasn't eligible for an Oscar, but he did win the Best Actor BAFTA, equivalent to an Emmy award in the US, so he was awarded the highest available honor for the role.
I finally got I, Claudius! I had seen maybe 3 episodes years ago, always wanted to see it complete and now I have. I will definitely rewatch it many times.
@@BladeStar-uq6xe I first watched it when I was quite young and loved it the second time. I love John Hurt as Caligula and have to admit I did smile when he metamorphosized into Zeus, turned his bed into a chariot and went on to eat his baby.( I don't think Zeus ate all his babies) I also loved his little dance not long before he was murdered. I also loved Livia.
Excellent job Professor, your videos are not only very educational, they are well presented and produced.
Glad you like them!
I really enjoyed this historical documentery, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is a gem of a channel, very interesting videos (opinion only it is your channel and I’ll watch either way: please keep the background music low, or actually just do away with it, your voice carries the narrative and the music is distracting.)
The music was slightly loud on this one! I'll keep it down next time.
Enjoyed this.
Thank you doctor.... That was an excellent documentary !!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great doco thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Dr Yorston. English is not my native language, so sometimes I find it difficult to understand some very specific terms or the pronunciation confuses me. (Like in the Goya video, your pronunciation of Velázquez, which naturally was difficult for you). And your content is not only educational, but innovative in approaching them from mental health. Hooray for your work!!
Thank you, I do my best with pronunciation!
Not much has changed with modern day people in power.
Very true.
Thank you for the most accurate summation of Caligula I've come across to date. I thought he made his sisters Vestal Virgins too. And I think most of your 'probables' are 'actuals', but realise you have to err on the side of caution. And yes, his neurological illness does sound organic. Encephalitis? Well done!
Thank you.
Another great video professor!
Thank you.
i love ancient history and i always wanted to be able to travel back in time to experience life as it was then, wishful thinking, thx for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it - would you go to Caligula's Rome?
Trust me, you probably would NOT like travelling back in time to Caligula's Rome. Suffering and death in public were very common sights.
Really interesting. Great video.
Thank you.
really enjoyed this thankyou
Glad you enjoyed it
Love your content and narration ❤🎉😊
Thank you.
I distinctly remember when XXX rated Caligula was released in certain Arthouse theaters in 1970s. It's so scandalous that local PTA members my neighborhood petitioned have movie removed less than two weeks after release.
It is pretty raunchy. There is a good film in there I think if it were to be re-edited. I know there have been attempts but these have been criticised too.
It was just a crappy movie with some porn thrown in to attract attention.
It was almost two movies made in tandem - a more serious one with a great cast, including Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren and Peter O’Toole - and a hard core porn version which I think the thespian cast were unaware of. It was spliced together for distribution.
Excellent Video, Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fascinating and fresh. History would be complicated enough if we knew with perfect accuracy what actually happened and why. As it is, we wonder. Thanks for the questioning approach.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent, balanced documentary. Subscribing.
Welcome aboard!
I’ve always said Caligula was completely (not misunderstood) but lied about. I believe he actually was trying to clear the shit out and didn’t make any friends. Augustus was a sadistic bastard but he was a politician. He set this up. Then came Tiberius who was essentially an emperor in exile fearing for his own safety while simultaneously committing his own purges. Then came Caligula. He wanted to stop the trend. He never was aware enough to either be hands off or to make key allies before making his move. He called things as he saw them and didn’t worry about the ramifications. Unlike Nero who obviously wasn’t fit to rule and the stories about him are so detailed and elaborate that they are true. Trying to be an actor, dressing up in drag etc. the stories about Caligula amount to unsubstantiated slander. He wanted his horse console… Ir did he actual I might as well make my horse console over you? The things given to show how „mad“ he was don’t really hold up.
I think you have to simply choose which version you like best - there is no way of knowing what actually heppened.
@@professorgraemeyorston no I haven’t chosen which I like best. I’ve chosen what can actually be supported by fact and what is circumstantial. I’ve taken into consideration the state of the empire and the situation each was walking into. The things against Nero for instance are solid evidence. He was a lunatic. Now of the only dig against Nero was the he fiddled as Rime burned (which actually wasn’t true) that would be circumstantial heresy. However there’s much more that can be substantiated against Nero. The things against Caligula are all heresy
Some report that he was killed because he wanted to move the capital to Egypt, which does raise questions about what really was happening.
Another splendid video! I discovered you through your film on George Gershwin. One small request: Can you do away with the background music? It is very distracting - especially if one is, like me, quite keen on some of the works played and finds myself struggling to make a connection.
Gréât documentaire 👌
That was fantastic. Thank you
You're very welcome.
Very interesting indeed, many thanks 🩰
Glad you enjoyed it
@@professorgraemeyorston very much
👍🏾 well done
Thank you.
I really enjoyed this. Could you make one about the different inventions the Romans made or improved that changed things for the better?
Cruelty cannot be misunderstood.
What completely moot response.
But madness can, and do we really know whether he was cruel or not? We have so few sources, we can't be sure of anything.
Cruelty may not be "misunderstood", but humans and their psyches can be.
I loved the drama "I, Claudius" or as I thought at the time ( not out loud lol) I, ClaVDiVs, as it was written in the titles, I think it was Derek Jacobi, played Claudius, great stuff, also the film Caligula with, I keep thinking Anthony Andrews, but it was Malcolm McDowell.
Yes, I Claudius was the highlight of the week on British TV in the 1970s.
Very cool effect with the "flies" imagery, Doctor. "Lord of the Flies," indeed. Or are those embers? Still, or maybe especially, fitting.
Embers, perhaps in anticipation of Nero's burning of Rome!
Caligula's behaviour to other members of the Aristocracy was similar to how they would treat their slaves or prisoners, so presumably if he'd restricted his antisocial behaviour to those groups it would have been considered ok? + I really like the way he declared war on Britain or the Sea(?), it would be lovely if more territorial disputes were decided by collecting a few sea shells and then going home.
Good point - Ancient Rome was a pretty diseased society.
Very true.
It is likely that all of these claims are exaggerations.
The big temple of Isis at Rome was founded under the rule of Caligula, so considering how merging with various Gods and being married to very close relatives was considered normal ,reasonable behaviour in Egyptian Royal families ,perhaps it was becoming acceptable in Rome as well? I'll have to read up about this.@@davestang5454
Great narration ❤
Thank you.
Another great video. Idea for another one..Have you considered the life, Military career, & state of mind of Pontius Pilate? A secular perspective on him would be very interesting. Thank you for the work you put into these.
Interesting suggestion, I'll look into him.
Pontius Pilate is more important from a religious perspective than a historical one. Little to nothing is officially known about his life, how he came to be governor of Judaea, or even what happened when he was sent back to Rome. Considering how big the Roman Empire was, one governor of a province wasn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. The execution of Jesus wouldn’t have been seen as that remarkable by contemporary historians and scholars given the instability of Judaea itself.
That sounds like a great idea.
Is that the dude who had Jesus put to death
Thanks for this fascinating biography. Life among the ruling classes back then……no thanks!
I'm not sure life in any class was that great.
"If Suetonius is to be believed" is carrying a lot of weight there, Prof.
Are there any better sources?
I have studied Art History when I was still at the Gymnasium in Amsterdam Holland, where I was born.
We had a teacher,a big fat old guy with a white beard, and this guy made it fun to learn. Especially the old Gods,Ceasars and Farao s were something like that he was crazy about, telling us stories like he was there with all of us. And in a bloody comical way too! This teacher learned me more about Caligula than all the books and films together. I have no idea where he found his information, but this crazed guy knew everything there is to know about these people. I got a straight A for everything I did in the class.But I must say that the movie with Malcolm mc Dowell was a good representation of Caligula s life.😂
It is wonderful when you have a teacher who truly inspires you. And yes, the movie has some good stuff in between the added on flesh scenes.
Having been picked to be one of Tiberius' "minnows" alone would be enough to secure your ticket on the crazy train.
Very true.
You would have been apt to be killed for Tiberius' amusement. He sometimes had these children thrown from the terrace on the cliff from which he sometimes lounged and took his meals.
Ooh I’m epileptic too no wonder I can relate to that wonderful man
" I,CLAVDIVS " was a great mini series based on the first Roman Emperors.
Augustus to Nero. Patrick Stewart played Sejanus in this series.
It was great at the time - although a little dated now - it could do with an HBO remake!
Experience and environment are key to the making of a person. His tenure with Tiberius at a young age surely influenced him. No flowers for Caligula's wrongs.
Caligula was indeed a very bad sinner /person who cared NOT for anyone else except for himself 😢
Was Pontius pilot born in Scotland? Nice presentation 🏴✌️
8:59 - look at that happy little fellow!
He is in the wonderful Archaeology Museum in Naples - along with some long suppressed erotic frescos from Pompeii.
Wonderful
Thank you
I don’t think we’ll ever know the truth about Caligula. While it’s without a doubt true he was a terrible ruler, we only have like one or two sources of his rule. Those historians wrote after the fact and would have justified why Caligula’s murder was a patriotic act. Supposedly Tiberius himself stated he was raising a “viper in his bosom” to unleash on Rome so he would be held in a higher regard historically. If that’s true, it worked. While Tiberius is remembered for his cruelty, it’s almost a footnote compared to the cruelty and brutality of Caligula.
I'm not sure I'd want to go for dinner with either of them!
if they ever do a re-make of Caligula_ the lead singer of Match Box 20 wud be a good pick since i think he looks like his statue.
People in just 100 years have tried to stain Lincoln's history.
Yeah, and Columbus had a clean history, too?
Dammit, man. Now I have to go watch I, Claudius, and both seasons of HBO's rome. Just to start.
He can't have been that bad, I am sure he loved his Mum (and his sister)....
A little too much!
Thank you for the hard work bringing this to the public. Good lands though, what a monster! Or at least seemly so. All of the above could have contributed to his chaotic rule. Definitely the trauma of his childhood, his intelligence to survive. He obviously knew how to gain favor the 1st 7 months of rule then the awful illness unhinged him it seems...
Thank you.
I watched a documentary once that suggested that most of what we know of Caligula was posthumous senatorial slander. I think that this video lends credence to that suggestion. Especially when you consider that we're referring to him as 'Caligula.''
Just started on the Tiberius vid, and something occured to me. We know about the lead. Was there something else in the Roman palace? Something beside lead, every Roman of any standing had lead pipes and cups and maybe even cutlery. But something peculiar to the palace, that might have induced aberrant behaviour? Something exclusive to the emperor? I’m thinking quicksilver type of thing. The ‘mad hatters’ phenomenon.
Nice idea, but the Roman emperors had lots of different palaces over the years and many of them were pretty aberrant, so it seems unlikely that it was anything in the palace buildings.
The thumbnail did look like Malcolm McDowell,lol if you know you know
Great story but music horrible and distracting, just not necessary, please cut out the music thank you
Like me you might have misophonia, stress from noise.
Maybe caligula was given one of the many hallucinogenic plants back then that caused his bizarre behavior? Like mad honey?
The use of psychoactive plants in the ancient world is an interesting area of research - it's hard to be certain about anything though.
@professorgraemeyorston the only way I can think of is if the substances penetrated bone and marrow and if it left behind traces that can be analyzed. Water treatment did not exist then. Who knows what other contaminated substances he encountered that caused his behavior. There are all kinds of plants used for medications then. And they didn't have any idea of the psychotrophic effects of that or food safety. There are a zillion unanswered variables.
The Roman Empire was almost designed to encourage the advance of debauched tyrants to the highest position. Caligula is nothing more or less than a product of the Roman imperial culture among the highest social ranks. Caligula was little worse than Tiberius or Nero; Claudius was not a saint, but he looks like one when compared to the other Julio-Claudian emperors.
I made this point on another video about the Roman Empire. The content creator replied by quoting Lord Acton: _Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely._ Well, that was the point.
How did it go so quickly from a republic to an empire?
@@professorgraemeyorston: A part of the reason was that the Republic itself showed its imperial ambitions long before its collapse by going to war against Carthage, as though the rest of the Mediterranean couldn't generate enough trade for both. Rome defeated Carthage and seemed to find conquest addictive. Had Rome been content to remain a local power, strong enough to protect nearby farmers from local bandits, perhaps it would have been able to maintain the less centralized political structure of the Republic instead opting for a system of strongman rule preferred by the likes of Sulla and Caesar.
I don't think it is hard to understand how Caligula could have been screwed up given the childhood he had and how dangerous it was to be the emperor.
Heliogabal: Hold my cervisia...
It’s fun to see how many traits and occurences were featured in Gladiator, I keep on recognising bits and pieces and looking for more. That was pure fiction, the makers claimed, the story could never have happened like that. But quite a bit of it was based on truth, apparently. Especially the extra bits in the director’s cut.
And there was that one season series about Jerusalem after Jesus, where Caligula DID try to put his statue up in the temple, leading to Peter and Caiaphas joining hands in opposition. When fantasy and history merge, it’s usually a good movie.
I always like when a character, who we only know as an archetype, is shown to have been just a person. Mentally disturbed, maybe, but still. The Joker was such a one. Caligula, with all that happened to him, and how he was raised, is it any wonder? He’s not some Marvel or DC villain, he was a deranged mental patient. Who happened to be emperor. As a commoner, he’d have been better off. The trappings of fame, fame, fame, fame, faaaame.
That’s the lead motiv of Rome, isn’t it? Once you’re up there, you’re instantly a madman. Lead, yes. Fame. The freedom from accountabilty. The intrigue becoming the index. The severely lacking medical, biological and alchemical knowledge, just look at Elizabeth and Victoria. It’s never just one thing.
I like the idea of Caligula as a Marvel villain!
Yes you do have the question what has been said about him considering what was written about him was written by people who didn't like him very much.
Most history is like that.
I'm not sure anybody liked him very much!
Everybody called him "Little Boots" even when he was an adult. This he perceived to be an insult and demeaning to his adulthood. Caligula was also traumatized by living under Tiberius's crazy lifestyle which was a major impact on his own life. Caligula indulged in some of the same things he learned from Tiberius on Capri and when those made it to his head, he just lost a few marbles. Then his life.
He found out after his illness that people were planning and hoping he'd die to be able to replace him. He became paranoid of plots after that .
Robert Graves' notion that the 'sea-shells' incident was as a result of Caligula 'declaring war' on Neptune is not so very far fetched, and may even be quite an accurate interpretation of events.
If one considers the lives and feats of the ancient heroes, one can pick out certain feats which, I suspect, may have been recognized by the mystery cults to which these heroes invariably belonged, as necessary tasks to be accomplished by the most gifted warriors on what could well be described as a 'path to godhood' (or 'demi-godhood' at least!)
Among the most notable of such tasks are some which may be recognised as feats of hydrology, but which can also be understood as 'defeating a god'... eg. Heracles' diversion of a major river in order to clean out the Augean stables, or the manner in which Cyrus, via a 'feat of hydrology' tamed the river which flowed through Babylon, lowering it to such an extent that he and his men could actually march into the city along its bed, thus capturing the city by surprise. This is also regarded as his having 'tamed' (i.e. 'defeated') the river god. And who can defeat a god, but another god?
I suspect that there is something of this in the tale of Caligula having his men collect sea-shells from the beach... plundering the 'wealth' of - and thus getting the better of - the god, Neptune. Just sayin'...
Interesting theory, but that's part of the problem with ancient history, we can think of all sorts of plausible explanations to fill in the gaps, but we have no idea which, if any, are true.
Surely, after his murder, there was an exaggeration by historians in the description of his ferocious personality. But that doesn't mean he wasn't ferocious. As far as I can see from history, the common people worshiped him because of his contributions and gifts, but Caligula was merciless towards senators, politicians and the establishment, because he himself spent his childhood in fear for his life,most of his family was killed during the gloomy times of the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
I'm sure you're right.
I was just thinking the same thing yesterday!
Great minds think alike!
Hey captain Pickard - from the star trek series
He was quite a thesp before Star Trek!
Perhaps it’s just me but he looks like Joffrey from game of thrones.
I think the AI picture generator might have come to the same conclusion, but we just asked it to produce a picture of Caligula.
"...but they were not fish." Yikes 😅
I am leaning towards Caligula great deal of influence by how we grew up. His illness, in all likelihood place the final straw in the tenuous sanity of Caligula. It is obvious that his illness as it was referred to, only finished him off. it would not take much to damage the frontal lobe alone about this so-called transformation. to me, I am interpret his generosity and the things he did when he became first emperor, we’re also due to the things he saw as he grew up, but this time it was using this influence as what not to do. He probably wanted to be known as the kind and constructive emperor in history. Which, I believe disappeared after the illness. No argument with your assessment.
Glad you enjoyed it.
James Dean would have been a been good choice to play Caligula in a mid-20th Century film production.
That would have been an interesting film.
If his nickname "little boots" had been twinckle toes the backlash couldn't have been any worse I'm sure lol I'd be a bit grumpy if i was given the life long nickname "Twinckle toes"😂
He hated it and the fact that Suetonius used this name for his chapter rather than Gaius or Caius suggests that he was never going to be writing anything positive about him.
Caligula's invasion of Brittania is more than it seems and he was not mad. Cynical with a cruel and vicious sense of humor? Yes. Stupid or mad or both? No.
Remember that Claudius had a vested interest in framing Caligula in the worst light as he used Caligulas vast and remarkably thorough preparations for the invasion of Brittania, appear his own.
The whole incident with Caligula making the legions collect sea shells eas I believe, punishment for their refusing to cross the channel out of superstitious fear.
He made excellent preparations for the expedition and to believe he abandoned them for a hoax is not credible. Nor that having humiliated the legions, he would not be murdered. Unless they had reason to be ashamed and the story Caligula gave the senate was less humiliating to them than their cowardice.
Julius Caesar too also nearly faced a mutiny at crossing the channel. Claudius with Caligula preparations was able but he himself did not go until the legions were in place. Unwilling to make the same mistake as Julius and Caligula. Even then the fourth crossing again faced a near mutiny. Roman legions had an irrational fear of the British isles.
Caligula, the Roman Emperor from AD 37 to 41, is often overshadowed by his predecessor and uncle, Emperor Tiberius. Tiberius, who reigned from AD 14 to 37, influenced the young Caligula with his notorious indulgence in violence and sexual hedonism. However, Tiberius exercised his vices in relative secrecy by relocating his seat of power to the island of Capri. There, he tightly controlled the populace and all information flowing in and out, maintaining a veil of secrecy over his actions.
In contrast, Caligula's reign was marked by his continuation of many of Tiberius's debauched practices, but his seat of power remained in Rome. This central location exposed his actions to the Roman populace and Senate, making his excesses and cruelties widely known. The transparency of his rule, combined with his erratic behavior and despotic tendencies, ultimately led to widespread dissatisfaction and his eventual assassination in AD 41.
He was born the year 12.man that sounds crazy
Being a Roman Emperor seems like a top buzz.
Fairly high risk profession though - most didn't last long!
"...Although, I didn't see a lot of art."
He didn;t strikee fear into half of the world. He didn;t even hold sway over the whole of Europe.
He was a very naughty boy!
He was indeed!