7 Things You May Not Know About Caligula - History Lists History Lists October 9, 2012 By Jennie Cohen Share this: 7 Things You May Not Know About Caligula Author 7 Things You May Not Know About Caligula URL Google One of history’s most iconic bad guys, Caligula ruled Rome for just four years but exhibited enough cruelty and lunacy during his brief reign to live in infamy. Or did he? Turns out that most of what we know about the notorious emperor comes from highly suspect sources. That’s because Suetonius and Dio, who wrote the most scathing accounts of Caligula’s madness, lived decades after their subject’s time and based their works on legend. Below, explore seven facts about Caligula that are (probably or possibly, at least) true. Caligula wasn’t his real name. Think of it as the ancient equivalent of miniature Nikes and tuxedo-imprinted onesies: Even in Roman times, parents liked to proudly dress their progeny in tiny versions of grownup gear.

And so, when the respected general Germanicus brought his son Gaius on campaign, the tyke sported soldier’s footwear, or caligae, scaled down to his size. (Some scholars think his wife Agrippina, granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus, chose the getup to emphasize her family’s imperial pedigree.) Either affectionately or mockingly, Germanicus’ troops called the boy “Caligula,” meaning “Little Boots” or “Booties.” The nickname stuck, but Gaius reportedly hated it. His mother was one tough lady. Growing up, Agrippina the Elder had a close relationship with her grandfather, the Emperor Augustus, who personally oversaw her education. After marrying Germanicus, she defied tradition by accompanying him on his military campaigns in Germania, reportedly acting as an adviser and diplomat. When Germanicus died under suspicious circumstances, Agrippina boldly accused one of his rivals of poisoning him. A prominent figure in political circles, she also spoke out against Augustus’ successor Tiberius, whom she hated. All this rabble-rousing didn’t sit well with the emperor, who had Agrippina flogged—supposedly until she lost an eye.

She then starved herself to death while in prison, four years before her son Caligula came into power. Reports of his incest were greatly exaggerated. It was Suetonius who first published claims that Caligula committed incest with his three sisters. (The Roman historian added that these trysts even occurred during banquets, as guests and Caligula’s wife gathered around.) But Suetonius wrote “The Lives of the Caesars” in 121 A.D., 80 years after Caligula was assassinated at age 28 by members of the Praetorian Guard. Earlier chroniclers who actually lived under Caligula, namely Seneca and Philo, make no mention of this type of behavior despite their harsh criticism of the emperor. And Tacitus, during a lengthy diatribe in which he accuses Caligula’s sister Agrippina—wife of the Emperor Claudius—of incest with her son, never implicates her brother. He may not have built his famous floating bridge, but he did launch pleasure barges in Lake Nemi.

According to Suetonius, Caligula in his infinite profligacy once constructed a temporary floating bridge across the Bay of Baiae just so he could ride triumphantly from one end to the other. No traces of the stunt have ever materialized, so most historians dismiss it as myth. However, evidence of the emperor’s extravagant lifestyle has surfaced at Lake Nemi, where workers salvaged two massive pleasure barges—complete with marble décor, mosaic floors and statues—in the late 1920s and early 1930s. One of the wrecks included a lead pipe bearing the inscription “Property of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.” A fire caused by Allied shells largely destroyed the ships in 1944. He set in motion the conquest of Britain. Caligula is often remembered as a selfish and capricious ruler whose ineptitude weakened the Roman empire during his four-year reign. But if his leadership skills were so abysmal, some scholars have argued, how did he wind up annexing new provinces, expanding westward and formulating a feasible plan to take over Britain?

Although Caligula got no further than the English Channel and was murdered soon after, his preparations for the invasion would allow Claudius to begin Rome’s successful conquest of Britain in 43 A.D. If Caligula was indeed crazy, a physical ailment might have been to blame. These days, many historians reject the notion that Caligula terrorized Rome with his unbridled madness, talking to the moon, ordering arbitrary executions and trying to make his horse a consul. For one thing, his fellow lawmakers would likely have whisked him out of power for such conduct. But assuming the much-maligned emperor was the loon his chroniclers describe, some scholars have suggested that an illness made him come unhinged—possibly temporal lobe epilepsy, hyperthyroidism or Wilson’s disease, an inherited disorder that can cause mental instability. The most (in)famous depiction of Caligula’s life is still banned in Canada and Iceland. In 1979 the film “Caligula,” directed by Tinto Brass and starring Malcolm McDowell, shocked the world with its explicit portrayal of the emperor’s cruel and salacious escapades.

It was the first major motion picture that juxtaposed segments featuring respected, mainstream actors with scenes that were essentially pornographic. To this day, the highly controversial movie remains banned in some countries. Tags Tiberius | Roman emperor | Britannica.com Roman emperor Alternative Titles: Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Tiberius Claudius Nero, Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Augustus, Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus Tiberius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Augustus Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus Marcus Claudius Marcellus Tiberius, in full Tiberius Caesar Augustus or Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, original name Tiberius Claudius Nero (born Nov. 16, 42 bc—died March 16, ad 37, Capreae [Capri], near Naples), second Roman emperor (ad 14–37), adopted son of Augustus , whose imperial institutions and imperial boundaries he sought to preserve. In his last years he became a tyrannical recluse, inflicting a reign of terror against the major personages of Rome . Marble bust of Tiberius.

© kmiragaya/Fotolia Background and youth Tiberius’s father, also named Tiberius Claudius Nero, a high priest and magistrate, was a former fleet captain for Julius Caesar . His mother, the beautiful Livia Drusilla , was her husband’s cousin and may have been only 13 years old when Tiberius was born. In the civil wars following the assassination of Julius Caesar , the elder Tiberius gave his allegiance to Mark Antony , Caesar’s protégé. When Augustus , Caesar’s grandnephew and heir, fell out with Antony and defeated him in the ensuing power struggle, the elder Tiberius and his family became fugitives. They fled first to Sicily and then to Greece, but by the time Tiberius was three years old an amnesty was granted and the family was able to return to Rome. Tiberius as a young man, marble bust found in Egypt in 1896; in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, … Courtesy of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen In 39 bc Augustus had the power, if not yet the title, of emperor.

Attracted by the beauty of Livia, who was at that time pregnant with a second son, Augustus divorced his own wife, who was also pregnant, and, forcing the elder Tiberius to give up Livia, married her. The infant Tiberius remained with his father, and, when the younger brother, Drusus , was born a few months later, he was sent to join them. At the death of his father, Tiberius was nine years old, and, with Drusus, he went to live with Livia and the emperor. The two boys and the emperor’s daughter, Julia , between them in age, studied together, played together, and took part in the obligatory ceremonials of temple dedication and celebration of victories. They were joined by their cousin Marcellus , the son of Augustus’s sister, Octavia. In the absence of a clear law designating Augustus’s successor as emperor, all three boys were trained accordingly. They were instructed in rhetoric , literature, diplomacy , and military skills, and soon they also began taking a ceremonial role in the affairs of state. As oldest, Tiberius was the first to do so.

In the triumph following Augustus’s victory over Cleopatra and Antony at Actium, the 13-year-old Tiberius rode the right-hand horse of Augustus’s chariot in the procession. Though not a striking figure, he conducted himself well. Britannica Stories Leap Second Serious by nature, he had become a shy youth, though he was sometimes called sullen. His great talent was application. With the best teachers in the empire at his disposal and, above all, as a participant in life at the palace, the centre of the civilized Western world, he learned rapidly. By age 14, Tiberius was used to dining with kings of the empire, to conducting religious services over the heads of powerful men five times his age, and even to seeing his own form in marble statues. Years in the shadow of Augustus Tiberius was not handsome. As a teenager he was tall and broad-shouldered, but his complexion was bad. His nose had a pronounced hook, but that was typically Roman. His manner was disconcerting. He had a slow, methodical way of speaking that seemed intended to conceal his meaning rather than make it plain. But he was diligent.

He may not have known he would be emperor, but he cannot have doubted that he would be at least a general at a rather early age and thereafter he would be a high official in the government of Rome. In 27 bc, when Tiberius was 15 years old, Augustus took him and Marcellus to Gaul to inspect outposts. They experienced no fighting, but they learned a great deal about how to rule the marches, keep fortifications intact, and keep garrisons alert. When they returned, Augustus gave Marcellus his daughter Julia as wife. Structures of Government: Fact or Fiction? Then Tiberius himself married. Love matches were infrequent in imperial Rome, but Tiberius’s marriage to Vipsania Agrippina was one. She was the daughter of Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s son-in-law and lieutenant. Besides his love for his wife, and for his brother, Drusus, now growing into manhood, he was occupied with important work. His first military command at age 22, resulting in the recovery of standards of some Roman legions that had been lost decades before in Parthia, brought him great acclaim.

As a reward he asked for another active command and was given the assignment of pacifying the province of Pannonia on the Adriatic Sea . Tiberius not only conquered the enemy but so distinguished himself by his care for his men that he found himself popular and even loved. When he returned to Rome, he was awarded a triumph. Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Tiberius’s happy years were coming to an end, however. His beloved brother, Drusus, broke his leg in falling from a horse while campaigning in Germany. Tiberius was at Ticinum, on the Po River , south of what is now Milan, 400 miles away. Riding day and night to be with his brother, he arrived just in time to see Drusus die. Tiberius escorted the body back to Rome, walking in front of it on foot all the way. He also had to give up his wife, Vipsania, the other person he loved. Augustus’s daughter Julia had become a widow for the second time.

Her first husband, Marcellus, had died, and the emperor had married her to Agrippa (who, as Vipsania’s father, was Tiberius’s father-in-law). When Agrippa died in 12 bc, Augustus wanted her suitably married at once and chose Tiberius as her third husband. Tiberius had no more choice than his father had had when Augustus decided to marry Livia. Tiberius was as obedient as his father. He divorced Vipsania and married Julia. Tiberius’s new wife has come down in history with a reputation for licentiousness. It is not certain how much of the reputation she deserved. Roman historians often dealt in gossip, inventing scandal when there was none; but in Julia’s case they had good reason for their opinion. When Julia married Tiberius, he was 30. She was 27, twice a widow, the mother of five children (not all surviving). She was pretty and light-minded and liked the society of men. She did not get along with her mother-in-law (who was also her stepmother), Livia, and after the first few months she tired of Tiberius.

It is certain that she committed adultery, and this presented Tiberius with an immense problem, not only personal but also political. A law of Augustus himself required a husband to denounce a wife who committed adultery. But Julia was the emperor’s beloved child, and, as Augustus knew nothing of her vices, to denounce her would be to wound him, and that was dangerous. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest With no good course of action to follow, Tiberius asked for and received fighting commands away from Rome. When once in Rome between battles, he chanced to see Vipsania at the home of a friend. She had, at Augustus’s orders, been remarried to a senator. Tiberius was so overcome with sorrow that he followed her through the streets, weeping. Augustus heard of it and ordered Tiberius never to see her again. Although Augustus heaped honours on Tiberius, they did not compensate for Julia’s behaviour. In 6 bc Tiberius was granted the powers of a tribune and shortly thereafter went into a self-imposed exile on the island of Rhodes , leaving Julia in Rome.

Tiberius was now 36 years old and at the pinnacle of his power. He was capable of ruling an empire, conducting a great war , or governing a province of barbarians. In Rhodes he had nothing to do, and all of his ability and strength appear to have turned inward, into strange and unpleasant behaviour. Although the histories of Tiberius’s reign—written either by flatterers, like his old war comrade Velleius Paterculus , or by enemies—are not wholly trustworthy, there can be no question that a change took place in Tiberius at this time. What emerged was a man who seemed interested only in his own satisfactions and the increasingly perverse ways to find them. On Rhodes Tiberius became a recluse—unassuming and amiable at first, resentful and angry later on. Though Tiberius had left Rome of his own free will, daring the emperor’s wrath, he could not return without Augustus’s permission. Augustus withheld that permission for the better part of a decade. Eventually, Livia secured proofs of Julia’s many adulteries and took them to Augustus, who was furious.

Under his own law she should have been executed, but he did not have the heart for that; instead, he exiled her for life to the tiny island of Pandateria. But even then Tiberius was not recalled. There were three young men whom the emperor appeared to favour as heirs, all sons of Julia. One of them, Postumus, reportedly no more than a boor, fell into disfavour with Augustus and was sent into exile with his mother. The other two, Lucius and Gaius, were clearly candidates to succeed. But in 2 bc Lucius died in Massilia (Marseille), and the emperor relented. He called Tiberius back to Rome. By ad 4 Tiberius was in possession of all his honours again, and in that year Gaius was killed in a war in Lycia. Tiberius had become the second man in Rome. Augustus did not like him, but he adopted him as his son. He had no choice, and he was growing old. Tiberius was the least objectionable successor left. Trending Topics World War II Tiberius became proud and powerful. His statues had been torn down and defaced while he was in Rhodes.

Now they were rebuilt. He was given command of an army to quell Arminius , who had destroyed three Roman legions in Germany in ad 9; he succeeded wholly. He was succeeding at everything now, and in ad 14, on August 19, Augustus died. Tiberius, now supreme, played politics with the Senate and did not allow it to name him emperor for almost a month, but on September 17 he succeeded to the principate. He was 54 years old. Reign as emperor Although the opening years of Tiberius’s reign seem almost a model of wise and temperate rule, they were not without displays of force and violence, of a kind calculated to secure his power. The one remaining possible contender for the throne, Postumus, was murdered, probably at Tiberius’s orders. The only real threat to his power, the Roman Senate , was intimidated by the concentration of the Praetorian Guard , normally dispersed all over Italy , within marching distance of Rome. Tiberius, statue in the Louvre, Paris. Giraudon/Art Resource, New York Apart from acts such as these, Tiberius’s laws and policies were both patient and far-seeing.

He did not attempt great new conquests. He did not move armies about or change governors of provinces without reason. He stopped the waste of the imperial treasury, so that when he died he left behind 20 times the wealth he had inherited, and the power of Rome was never more secure. He strengthened the Roman navy. He abandoned the practice of providing gladiatorial games. He forbade some of the more outlandish forms of respect to his office, such as naming a month of the calendar after him, as had been done for Julius Caesar and Augustus. There were, to be sure, occasional wars and acts of savage repression. Tiberius’s legions put down a provincial rebellion with considerable bloodshed. In Rome itself, on the pretext that four Jews had conspired to steal a woman’s treasure, Tiberius exiled the entire Jewish community . The most ominous and least defensible aspect of Tiberius’s first years as emperor was the growth of the practice called “ delation .” Most crimes committed by well-to-do citizens were, under Roman law, punished in part by heavy fines and confiscations.

These fines contributed in large part to the growth of the imperial treasury, but the money did not all go to the fiscus. Because there were no paid prosecutors, any citizen could act as a volunteer prosecutor, and, if the person he accused was convicted, he could collect a share of the confiscated property. These volunteers, called delatores, made a profitable career of seeking out or inventing crime. Many of the prosecutions were based on rumour or falsified evidence, and there were few Romans who were so honoured or so powerful that they did not need to fear the attack of the delatores on any suspicion, or on none at all. In ad 23 Tiberius’s son Drusus died. He had not been particularly loved by his father, but his death saddened Tiberius. From then on he spared less and less thought to the work of empire. More and more he delegated his authority in the actual running of affairs over to the man he had entrusted with the important command of the Praetorian Guard, Sejanus . Before long Tiberius was emperor only in name.

Ironically, the death of Drusus, the event that brought Sejanus to power, may have been Sejanus’s own doing. Apparently Sejanus had seduced the wife of the younger Drusus, Livilla, and induced her to become his accomplice in murdering her husband. The evidence is not absolute and has been questioned by many historians, but it was not questioned by Tiberius. In ad 27, at age 67, Tiberius left Rome to visit some of the southern parts of Italy. En route he paused to go to the island of Capri . His intention appears to have been only to stay for a time, but he never returned to Rome. It is the remaining decade or so of Tiberius’s life that has given rise to the legend of Tiberius the monster. It seems probable, to begin with, that Tiberius, never handsome, had become repulsively ugly. First his skin broke out in blotches, and then his complexion became covered with pus-filled eruptions, exuding a bad smell and causing a good deal of pain. He built himself a dozen villas ringing Capri, with prisons, underground dungeons, torture chambers, and places of execution.

He filled his villas with treasure and art objects of every kind and with the enormous retinue appropriate to a Caesar: servants, guards, entertainers, philosophers, astrologers, musicians, and seekers after favour. If the near-contemporary historians are to be believed, his favourite entertainments were cruel and obscene. Even under the most favourable interpretation, he killed ferociously and almost at random. It is probable that by then his mind was disordered. Tiberius had not, however, lost touch with the real world. He came to realize just how strong he had made Sejanus and how weak he had left himself. In ad 31 he allowed himself to be elected consul of Rome for a fifth time and chose Sejanus as his co-consul. He gave Sejanus permission to marry Livilla, the widow of Tiberius’s son. Now Sejanus not only had the substance of power but its forms as well. Golden statues were erected to him, and his birthday was declared a holiday. But Tiberius had come to fear and mistrust him.

With the aid of Macro, Sejanus’s successor as commander of the Praetorians, Tiberius smuggled a letter to the Senate denouncing Sejanus and calling for his execution. The Senate was shocked and taken aback by the swift change, but it complied instantly—perhaps moved by the justice of Tiberius’s charges or by the strength of the Praetorian Guard. Apparently Tiberius now reached a peak of denunciation and torture and execution that lasted for the remaining six years of his life. In the course of this reign of terror his delatores and torturers found evidence for him of the murder of his son, Drusus, by Livilla and Sejanus. Many great Roman names were implicated, falsely or not, and while that inquisition lasted no one on Capri was safe. Tiberius’s chief remaining concern for the empire was who would rule it when he was gone. There were few living successors with any real claim, and Tiberius settled, as Augustus had done before him, on the least offensive of an undesirable lot.

His choice was Gaius Caesar, still a young boy and known by the nickname the Roman legions had given him when he was a camp mascot, Caligula , or Little Boots. Caligula, a great-grandson of Augustus through Julia and her daughter, had a claim to the throne as good as any. If his morals and habits were less than attractive, Tiberius did not seem to mind. “I am nursing a viper in Rome’s bosom,” Tiberius observed, and named Caligula his adopted son and successor. In the spring of ad 37, Tiberius took part in a ceremonial game that required him to throw a javelin. He wrenched his shoulder, took to his bed, became ill, and lapsed into a coma. His physicians, who had not been allowed to examine him for nearly half a century, now studied his emaciated body and declared that he would die within the day. The successor, Caligula, was sent for. The Praetorian Guard declared their support for the new emperor. The news of the succession was proclaimed to the world. Then Tiberius recovered consciousness , sat up, and asked for something to eat.

The notables of Rome were thrown into confusion. Only the Praetorian commander, Macro , kept his head, and on the next day he hurried to Tiberius’s bed, caught up a heap of blankets, and smothered Tiberius with them. Assessment As an infant Tiberius had been a fugitive and then a pawn. As a man he had been a popular and victorious general and then an exile. He came to supreme power already growing old. When he died, he left the Roman Empire prosperous and stable, and the institution of the principate was so strong that for a long time it was able to survive the excesses of his successors. Without him the later history of Rome might have been less colourful, but probably it would also have been far shorter. Augustus and Roman Emperor Caligula Essay - 1694 Words Hollywood vs. History in the 1979 movie Caligula The third Roman Emperor was Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, most commonly known by the nickname Caligula. The nickname Caligula, meaning "Little boots," was given to him as a child while accompanying his father's army on military campaigns.

Caligula became Emperor of Rome at the age of 24, after the death of his great-uncle in 37 AD, the second Roman Emperor Tiberius. Throughout his reign, Caligula was famous for his cruelty and bizarre behavior, marked by wild extravagance and brutality. After the death of Caligula in 41 AD, his uncle Claudius was appointed the new Emperor of Rome. The movie Caligula depicts the rise and fall of Caligula from 37-41 AD. This paper will analyze key facts of the movie and compare them to facts in history. The key facts that will be analyzed are: the portrayal of Caligula's sister Drusilla; Caligula's accession to the throne; the portrayal of Caligula's wife Caesonia; the charge of treason by Gemellus; and the assassination of Caligula. In the movie, Caligula is portrayed as having only one sibling, a sister. The accounts of Caligula and sister Drusilla throughout the movie are that of an unnatural bond between siblings.

In the beginning of the movie before the opening credits, Caligula and Drusilla are frolicking in the forest and concluded with an act of incest. Incest does not seem to be an accepted act due to a scene where Macro walks in on him and Drusilla. Drusilla hides as Macro walks in and Caligula pretends to be asleep. This also seems the case when Tiberius asks about the relationship of him and Drusilla and he claims that she is only his sister. Though they did not marry in the movie, Drusilla lived with Caligula as if they were. According to history, Caligula had in fact eight siblings. He had four brothers (Tiberius, Gaius Julius, Nero and Drusus) and three sisters (Drusilla, Agrippina, and Julia Livilla).i Caligula did in fact live in incest with Drusilla as well as Agrippina and Julia Livilla. Of the three sisters, he is believed to have been caught with Drusilla while still a minor. Drusilla married Longinus, but was taken away from him by Caligula.

She then lived with him and was treated as his lawful wife and made heir to his throne. Caligula's accession to the throne was quite dramatic in the movie. Caligula was summoned by Tiberius to join him in his villa. He gets his first taste of power, after watching Tiberius approve and sign laws, by using Tiberius' seal to sign law himself. During their meeting, Tiberius talked down to Caligula and attempted to poison him. His hatred, along with his hunger for power, fueled his urge to become emperor. While Tiberius was ill in bed, Caligula took his ring and modeled it on his own hand. With the ring on his hand, Caligula became consumed with the feeling of power. Tiberius then awoke and demanded back his ring. Caligula then attempted to strike Tiberius with a mirror but was stopped by Macro. Macro then wrapped a cloth around the neck of Tiberius and strangled him. Macro then reported that he had died in his sleep. At the funeral, Caligula dismisses the will of Tiberius and claims sole heir of the throne.

One story of Caligula's accession to the throne is quite different from the movie. The story claims that Caligula took the ring of Tiberius and was greeted as emperor by the crowd. News of Tiberius' recovery made him terrified of revenge. Macro then rushed inside and suffocated him with a pillow. While historians of modern time treat the death of Tiberius as being of natural causes, there is another story in history which is different as well. It is claimed that while Tiberius was ill, in a weakened condition and approaching his end, he took the ring off himself. As he lay in bed, he held the ring in his hand for a long period of time, seemingly to give it to someone. He then put the... Emperor Caligula Essay ...Caligula was originally called Gaius. He grew up in a camp as a favorite of his father's soldiers. The troops nicknamed him "Caligula" after the small military boots he wore in camp. His childhood was not a happy one, spent in an atmosphere of paranoia, suspicion, and murder. Uncertainty over the succession of power from the aging Tiberius, led to a series of personal tragedies.

His famous father Germanicus, his mother Agrippina the elder and all his brothers were... 690 Words | 2 Pages roman emperors Research Paper ...﻿Name: Tiberius Year reigned: 18 September 14 AD – 16 March 37 AD Cause of Death: Caligula and Macro had smothered him.This is not recorded by other ancient historians and is most likely apocryphal. Description: Of the four Julian emperors who succeeded Augustus, Tiberius was perhaps the ablest. his personal character he presented a strong contrast to his predecessor. Instead of being generous and conciliatory, he was cruel and tyrannical to those... 1941 Words | 7 Pages Caligula Essay ...An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors mapDIR Atlas Gaius (Caligula) (A.D. 37-41) Garrett G. Fagan Pennsylvania State University A Bust of theEmperor Caligula Introduction Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (b. A.D. 12, d. A.D. 41, emperor A.D. 37-41) represents a turning point in the early history of the Principate.

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Octavian took reign over Rome and obtained the name Augustus Caesar. Mark Anthony and Augustus became enemies and war broke out between Rome and Egypt. This is one reason for why I believe that Augustus was such a beloved leader. The main change that Augustus brought to Rome that made him so powerful was the change in government. He changed Rome from being a Roman Republic with a senate to a dictatorship... 972 Words | 3 Pages Caligula | Romapedia | Fandom powered by Wikia January 24, 41 Do you have something to say about this emperor or his impact, in Imperial times or even today? Then visit the FORUM page for this emperor. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41 ), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41 . Known for his extreme extravagance, eccentricity, depravity and cruelty, he is remembered as a despot. He was assassinated in 41 by several of his own guards.

The Roman historian Suetonius referred to Caligula as a "monster", and the surviving sources are universal in their condemnation. One popular tale, often cited as an example of his insanity and tyranny, is that Caligula appointed his favourite horse, Incitatus, to a seat on the senate and attempted to appoint it to the position of consul. The story, however, owes its unrelenting currency to its charm: it is based on a single misunderstood near-contemporary reference, in which Suetonius merely repeats an unattributed rumour that Caligula was thinking about doing it [ (Suet. Cal. 55.3) ]. Caligula is often alleged to have had incestuous relationships with his sisters, most notably his younger sister Drusilla, but there is no credible evidence to support such claims either. In short, the surviving sources are filled with anecdotes of Caligula's cruelty and insanity rather than an actual account of his reign, making any reconstruction of his time as Princeps nearly impossible.

What does survive is the picture of a depraved, hedonistic ruler, an image that has made Caligula one of the most widely recognizable, if poorly documented, of all the Roman Emperors; the name "Caligula" itself has become synonymous with wanton hedonism, cruelty, tyranny, and insanity. Contents Edit Dat boi was here.Caligula was born as Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus on August 31, 12 , at the resort of Antium, the third of six surviving children born to Augustus's adopted grandson, Germanicus, and Augustus's granddaughter, Agrippina the Elder. Germanicus was son to Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was nephew to Claudius (the future emperor). Agrippina was daughter to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. They had four other sons (Tiberius and Gaius Julius, who died young; Nero, Drusus), and three daughters (Julia Livilla, Drusilla and Agrippina the younger). Gaius' life started out promisingly, as he was the son of extremely famous parents.

Germanicus was a grandson to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia, Augustus's second wife, as well as an adoptive grandson of Augustus himself. He was thus a prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was revered as son of the most beloved general of the Roman Empire. Agrippina was herself a granddaughter of Augustus and Scribonia. She was considered a model of the perfect Roman woman. As a boy of just two or three, he accompanied his parents on military campaigns in the north of Germania and became the mascot of his father's army. The soldiers were amused whenever Agrippina would put a miniature soldier costume on young Gaius, and he was soon given his nickname Caligula, meaning "Little (Soldier's) boot", after the small boots he wore as part of his costume.[1] He would end up hating this name, but he also hated the name "Gaius". The question of succession had arisen several times during the life of Augustus, leading to accusations of intrigue within the family.

Caligula's father, Germanicus, was believed by many to have been Augustus's preferred successor, though at the time of Augustus's death he was too young to assume the office of Princeps. As a result, Augustus had promoted Tiberius, with the caveat that Tiberus in turn adopt Germanicus. After a successful campaign in Germany and a Triumph in Rome, Germanicus was sent east to distance him from Roman politics, and died on October 10, 19 , claiming to have been poisoned by agents of Tiberius. Relations between his mother and Tiberius deteriorated rapidly amid accusations of murder and conspiracy. The adolescent Caligula Edit The adolescent Caligula was sent to live first with his great-grandmother, and Tiberius's mother, Livia in 27, possibly as a hostage. Following Livia's falling-out with Tiberius and her death two years later, he was returned to his Julian relatives and remanded to his grandmother Antonia. During this period Caligula had little outside contact, and his sole companions were his three sisters, Agrippina the Younger, Drusilla, and Julia Livilla.

Later, Caligula's accusers would focus on this close relationship, accusing the Emperor of having engaged in incest with all three, but especially Drusilla. Suetonius in particular writes a great deal about these supposed acts. In 31 , Caligula was as a mother trucker remanded to the personal care of Tiberius on Capri until the death of Tiberius and the ascension of Caligula in 37. By this time, Caligula was already in favor with Tiberius. Suetonius writes of extreme perversions happening on Capri, as Tiberius was without the people who managed to keep him in line (Augustus, Livia, his brother Drusus, and his best friend Nerva), so he felt free to indulge in any perversion he desired. Whether this is true or not is hard to say. Unpopular Emperors such as Tiberius and Caligula may not have had the whole truth written about them, and gossip is common throughout ancient texts.

At this time, Tiberius's Praetorian Prefect, Sejanus, was extremely powerful in Rome, and began forming his own alliances against Tiberius's rule and his possible successors, attempting to court the supporters of the Julian line. Treason trials were commonly practiced, as Tiberius in his old age was growing increasingly paranoid and began to rely increasingly upon his friend Sejanus, who once saved his life. These trials were the main lever Sejanus used to strengthen his position and dispose of any opposition. Caligula had sex with his 3 year old sister when he was a very young age Caligula learned to tread very carefully. According to both Tacitus and Suetonius, he surpassed his brothers in intelligence, and was an excellent natural actor, realizing the danger when other members of his family could not. Caligula survived when most of the other potential candidates to the throne were destroyed. His mother Agrippina was banished to the tiny island of Pandataria, where she starved herself to death. His two oldest brothers, Nero and Drusus, also died.

Nero was banished to the island of Ponza, while Drusus' body was found locked in a dungeon with stuffing from his mattress in his mouth to keep off the hunger pangs. Suetonius writes of Caligula's servile nature towards Tiberius, and his indifferent nature towards his dead mother and brothers. By his own account, Caligula mentioned years later that this servility was a sham in order to stay alive, and on more than one occasion he very nearly killed Tiberius when his anger overwhelmed him. An observer said of Caligula: "Never was there a better servant or a worse master!" Caligula proved to have a flair for administration and won further favor with the ailing Tiberius by carrying out many of his duties for him. At night, Caligula would inflict torture on slaves and watch bloody gladiatorial games with glee. In 33, Tiberius gave Caligula the position of honorary quaestorship, the only form of public service Caligula would hold until his reign.

Early reign Edit When Tiberius died on March 16, 37, his estate and the titles of the Principate were left to Caligula and Tiberius's own grandson, Tiberius Gemellus, who were to serve as joint heirs. Suetonius writes that the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard Naevius Sutorius Macro smothered Tiberius with a pillow to hasten Caligula's accession, much to the joy of the Roman people. Backed by Macro, Caligula had Tiberius’s will with regards to Tiberius Gemellus declared null and void on grounds of insanity, but otherwise carried out Tiberius' wishes. Caligula accepted the powers of the Principate as conferred by the Senate, and entered Rome on March 28 amid a crowd that hailed him as "our baby" and "our star". His first acts were generous in spirit, though more than likely political in nature. He granted bonuses to the Praetorian Guards, destroyed Tiberius's treason papers, declared that treason trials were a thing of the past, recalled exiles, and helped those who had been harmed by the Imperial tax system.

Caligula was loved by many simply by being the beloved son of the popular Germanicus. Moreover, he was, unlike Tiberius, a direct blood descendant of Augustus, and therefore related to Julius Caesar. He was also a great-grandson of Mark Antony. On becoming Emperor, Caligula performed a spectacular stunt. He ordered a temporary floating bridge to be built using ships as pontoons, stretching for over two miles from the resort of Baiae to the neighboring port of Puteoli. He then proceeded to ride Incitatus across, wearing the breastplate of Alexander the Great. This act was in defiance of Tiberius's soothsayer Thrasyllus prediction that he had "no more chance of becoming Emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae". However, following this auspicious start to his reign, Caligula fell seriously ill in October of 37 , and, as Scullard remarks, "emerged as a monster of lust and diabolical cruelty". There is some debate as to the chronology here. Many authors, including Michael Grant (The Twelve Caesars, 1975) and Donna W.

Hurley (An Historical and Historiographical Commentary on Suetonius' "Life of C. Caligula", 1993), state that the real break between Caligula and the Senate, and thereafter his extravagant behaviour, did not occur until 39. Though the exact cause of the argument between the young Caesar and the Senate is unclear, what sources remain seem to indicate that the Emperor had demanded a triumph and had been refused by the Senate. What is clear is that in 39 Caligula removed and replaced the Consuls without consulting the Senate, and publicly humiliated several Senators by forcing them to run alongside his chariot in their full robes. It is from this point on that there is a marked change in the biography of his life; the young man previously hailed as "our star" and "our baby" by the Roman people became a despotic tyrant. Caligula and the Empire Edit During his short reign, Mauretania was annexed and reorganized into two provinces, Herod Agrippa was appointed to a kingdom in Judaea, and severe riots took place in Alexandria between Jews and Greeks.

Though certainly of note, these events are largely ignored by the surviving sources, all of whom unanimously focus on the Emperor as a mentally unstable, homicidal and depraved madman. Examples of his insanity focus on a handful of episodes in his life, notably Caligula's military activities on the northern frontier, and his religious policy. His northern campaigns are derided, with accounts of Gauls dressed up as Germans at his triumph, and Roman troops ordered to collect sea-shells as "spoils of the sea" and indicative of his victory against Neptune. Numerous theories and suggestions have been put forth to attempt to explain these actions as anything other than those of a mad-man, the most reasonable suggestion being that Caligula went north to invade Britain and win where even Julius Caesar had been forced to retreat. His troops seem to have had a different campaign in mind, and upon arriving at the shores of the English Channel, the troops refused to go further, hence Caligula ordered them to collect sea-shells as their reward for the "campaign" that they refused to embark upon. Once again, however, due to the lack of sources, what precisely occurred and why is a matter of debate even among the primary sources for Caligula's reign.

Downward spiral Edit Outlandish stories cluster about the raving emperor, illustrating his excessive cruelty, multiple and peculiar sexual escapades (both heterosexual and homosexual, at least as claimed by [ Suetonius, Cal. 36) ], or disrespect toward tradition and the Senate. The sources describe his incestuous relations with his sisters, his disembowelment of his sister (to get to the child he impregnated her with), his selling to the highest bidder of the wives of high ranking Senate members during sexual orgies, his laughable military campaigns in the north, the plan to make Incitatus a consul, and his habit of roaming the halls of his palace at night ordering the sun to rise. He comes across as aloof, arrogant, egotistical, and and is generally portrayed as insane. He is said to have cried "I wish the Roman people had but a single neck" when an arena crowd applauded a faction he opposed. [citations needed] Suetonius wrote that he often uttered "Let them hate me, so long as they fear me", and described this as a familiar line of the tragic poet (Accius); however, Suetonius also attributes the utterance of this line to Tiberius.

What is documented is that he declared himself a living god, and even had a bridge constructed between his palace and Jupiter's Temple. To the Roman people, this was considered nothing less than blasphemy. Caligula was also incredibly self-indulgent, dramatic proof of which has been found with the discovery of two sunken ships at the bottom of Lake Nemi. These two ships were by far the largest vessels in the ancient world; in fact their size was not even rivaled until after the Renaissance. The smaller of the ships was designed as a temple dedicated to Diana (the Roman equivalent of Artemis). The larger ship was essentially an elaborate floating palace that counted marble floors and plumbing among its amenities, the sole role of which was to satisfy Caligula's increasingly hedonistic behavior. Caligula was also known for his terrible morality. One source describes a scene on one of his boats where slaves of both genders were tied to poles and Caligula would jump out and "attack" their genitals like a wild animal. Insanity Edit Recent sources say that Caligula probably had encephalitis. Ancient sources, like Roman biographers Suetonius and Cassius Dio, describe Caligula having a "brain fever".

The symptoms of Caligula's condition as well can be attributed to an attack of meningitis. Philo of Alexandria reports it was nothing more than a nervous breakdown, as Caligula was not used to the pressures of constant attention after being out of the public eye for most of his life. Rome waited in horror, praying that their beloved Emperor would recover. He became better, but his reign took a sharp turn. The death of Gemellus and of Silanus, Caligula's father-in-law, took place right after Caligula recovered. The question of whether or not Caligula was insane remains unanswered. Philo, author of Legatio ad Caium ("embassy to Caius") and leader of a delegation sent to Caligula to seek relief from persecution by Alexandrian Greeks, claimed that the emperor was no more than a vicious jokester. Based on the contemporary reports of his behavior, modern psychology would likely diagnose Caligula as delusional, and possibly suffering from antisocial personality disorder as a result of his traumatic upbringing. However, given Caligula's unpopularity as emperor, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.

There are many famous stories attesting to his bizarre behavior as emperor: that he tried to make his beloved stallion, Incitatus, a consul, though this could have been a political statement indicating that he felt his horse was as well qualified for the position as any of the incumbents. Other stories claim that there existed incestuous relationship between Caligula and his sisters (particularly Drusilla), a brothel he set up at the palace featuring the wives of prominent senators, his abandonment of a campaign in Britain that instead resulted in his soldiers collecting seashells as "spoils of the sea" in his battle with the sea god Neptune, wanting to erect a statue of himself in Jerusalem (his good friend Herod Agrippa stopped it), his amusement with shutting down the granaries and starving the citizens, his hobby of watching executions as he ate, and labeling himself a "god". According to Suetonius he "often sent for men whom he had secretly killed, as though they were still alive, and remark off-handedly a few days later that they must have committed suicide". Regardless of the validity of any of these anecdotes, historians tend to agree on one fact, that Caligula was extremely unqualified and unprepared to be Emperor.

Assassination Edit Caligula was murdered following a conspiracy amongst officers of the Praetorian Guard , apparently for reasons of personal insult and spite. Some have suggested the plot was more extensive than the sources indicate, including many senators, imperial freedmen, and even the support of the next emperor Claudius, but there is little if any evidence to support such claims. What is known is that on January 24, 41 , the praetorian tribune Cassius Chaerea and other guardsmen accosted Caligula while he was addressing an acting troupe of young men during a series of games held for the Divine Augustus. Chaerea had a distinguished record as one of Germanicus's best officers and had known Caligula since infancy. One possible motive provided by Suetonius is that Chaerea had experienced years of abuse by Caligula over his so-called effeminacy, possibly due to a wound to his genitalia; Suetonius records that Caligula commonly gave the watchwords "Priapus" (erection) or "Venus" (Roman slang for a eunuch) when Chaerea was on duty.

Chaerea requested the watchword from the Emperor and, after Caligula's response, struck the first blow. The co-conspirators quickly moved in and stabbed the Emperor to death, according to Josephus's account only a few feet away from his guard and entourage. By the time Caligula's German guard responded in a rage by attacking the co-conspirators and innocent civilians alike, the Emperor was already dead. It is believed that the final blow was to Caligula's genitalia, delivered by Chaerea. Chaerea and another aggrieved tribune, Cornelius Sabinus, also killed Caligula's wife Caesonia and their infant daughter, Julia Drusilla, by smashing her head against a wall. In popular culture Caligula is a controversial 1979 movie starring Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, and Peter O'Toole. Actor Jay Robinson played Caligula in The Robe 1953 and its sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators 1954. John Hurt played Caligula in the TV adaptation of Robert Graves's book I, Claudius.

In Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel I am a Barbarian the main character, the son of a chief of the Britons made captive by the Romans, becomes the personal slave and companion to a four-year-old boy whom he calls "Little Boots." Only ten himself, Britannicus soon realizes that he is serving the grandnephew of the emperor, one who bore a name that would be indelibly recorded on the pages of history -- Caligula.*ERBzine On Adult Swim's The Venture Bros., a 2006 episode (Escape to the House of Mummies Part II) has the family travel through different periods of time picking up various historical figures including Caligula. They had him hold the Hand of Osiris, which he did in his rectum. Also, the group split up and Caligula was to team with Hank Venture, but after sexually embracing him, he was told to go alone. Bibliography Edit Caligula: the corruption of power by Anthony A. Barrett (Batsford 1989) ISBN 0713454873 Ludwig Quidde's essay Caligula.

Eine Studie über römischen Caesarenwahnsinn (Caligula: A Study of Imperial Insanity) (1894), in which Caligula is likened to the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Caligula is the title of a play by Albert Camus, which was the basis for a 1996 Hungarian movie and the 2001 made for TV version. Grant, Michael, The Twelve Caesars. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1975 Hurley, Donna W., An Historical and Historiographical Commentary on Suetonius' "Life of C. Caligula". Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press. 1993. Geranio, Joe, "Portraits of Caligula: The Seated Figure? The Celator Vol. 21, no. 9 (Sep 2007), p. 6-26 : ill. [ Primary sources Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero previous | next Julio-Claudians: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero Tiberius was 56 when he took power as emperor. It was a succession accompanied by a quiet murder.

The victim was Agrippa Postumus, the slow-witted 26 year-old son of his wife Julia's by a previous marriage, feared as a possible rallying point for disaffected persons. Tiberius let the Senate know that he was he who ruled, but he left the Senate with some duties, saving himself from being overburdened with work. He told the Senate to stop bothering him about every question that came up and to take initiative. But, to his disgust, Senators cringed before him. An amphitheater collapsed killing many, and the Senate took action against the frauds of contractors, including the slackness of authorities responsible for some roads having become impassible. Tiberius dismissed the Senate's desire to crackdown against the idea of freedom for women, but he did suggest it ban those who had come to Rome to put on obscene shows. And he went further than had Augustus by outlawing altogether the Druid religion. Tiberius didn't like crowds and did not appear at the gladiator contests as had Augustus. Rather than appear as a loving father figure to the citizenry, Tiberius was seen as unfriendly and was a disappointment.

At the age of 68, Tiberius left Rome for the island of Capri, where he would spend the rest of his life, ruling, relaxing and bathing with boys he called his minnows. Caligula Emperor Caligula. He wanted to rule well. Tiberius died at 77 and this news was welcomed by the citizenry. He was succeeded by the great grandson of Augustus: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, whose nickname was Caligula. Caligula was a mediocrity. He wanted to rule well but was ill-equipped to handle the challenge of absolute rule. He failed that ingredient needed with power: measure. He had not proven himself with accomplishments and service to Rome. He had merely been born into the right family. It was the emperor's guard, the Praetorian Guard, that selected Caligula – a selection rubber stamped by the Senate. Caligula began by wanting to rule well. He returned to the courts the power to make independent decisions in sentencing people, and he increased the number of jurors. He began publishing a budget and he began more building. But along with good intentions he suffered from vanity.

The godliness that was attributed to his great-grandfather Augustus may have led him to believe not that he was a god but that he should be worshiped as a god. He lacked self-restraint. He indulged his appetites for food and grew fat and irritable. He indulged his sexual appetites. He wanted to be adored, but he made enemies and indulged an appetite for revenge and control. He used his power to have those he saw as enemies executed. A conspiracy against him arose among those who felt their lives endangered, including officers of the Praetorian Guard. In the year 41, at the age of 29, after having been in power three years and ten months, members of his guard assassinated him. Emperor Claudius Claudius, a physical wreck, he was unadmired within the ruling Julio-Claudian family. He survived and became a diligent emperor. But he married poorly. By now, senators had acquired the habit of timidity. There would be no restoration of the Senate's power. Instead, rule passed to Caligula's uncle, Claudius, who had bribed the Praetorian Guard into supporting him.

Claudius stammered and had a disability that made him clumsy. He had been an embarrassment to the imperial family and had spent much of his life secluded, writing books on Roman, Etruscan and Carthaginian history. (He is the last person known to have been able to read Etruscan.) Like historians with any competence, his histories offended. Not taken seriously as a possible heir, he had survived purges during the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula. In addition to an unusually high intelligence, Claudius was genuinely affable. And he cared about the empire. He proved to be an able and efficient administrator. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing many new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. Wanting public support, Claudius tried reviving the image of an expanding empire. A Celtic tribal king fled from southern Britain to Rome and appealed for help against invasion by another tribe in Britain, and this gave Claudius his opportunity in his third year of rule. Britain was a strange place for Romans, and Claudius' 40,000 troops at first refused to disembark from their invasion boats.

But they overcame their first hesitation and that same year with their conquests they created Roman Britain, a new province. An edict by Claudius held that a master who murdered his slave because the slave was no long of use to him could be tried for murder, and Claudius extended freedom to a slave who had been abandoned by his or her master. He was annoyed by Jews and tried to expel them from Rome, but like others who thought of themselves as polytheists he was generally tolerant of the worship of gods that he didn't worship, but not tolerant of Druidism. Druids were known to perform human sacrifices, which the Romans viewed with abhorrence. It was around their Druid religion that Gauls rallied in opposition to Roman rule. With religious diffusion still common, Claudius was on guard against its spread and he had a Roman executed after he noticed a Druidic talisman on his breast. Claudius married four times. The first was to his distant cousin Aemilia Lepida, but it was broken for political reasons. He divorced his second wife, Aelia Paetina. After becoming emperor he married again, when he was fifty and she was about twenty.

She was flagrantly unfaithful and the marriage ended seven years later. His last marriage was on January 1, 49, to one of the few remaining descendants of Augustus, a great-granddaughter, Julia Agrippina (Agrippina the Younger), Caligula's sister. She was 33 and with a 10 year-old son by a previous marriage, a boy named Nero. And rumor has it she had poisoned her previous husband. Empress Agrippina succeeded in getting Claudius to favor Nero as his heir-designate rather than his own son, Britannicus. In an attempt to make Nero eloquent, Agrippina had him schooled in mythology, the classical writers, rhetoric and philosophy. While a boy, Nero developed a liking for art, drama and music, especially singing, and he liked horses. When he was sixteen, Agrippina had him marry Claudius's daughter by a previous marriage: Octavia. Agrippina used her power to destroy people she saw as a threat or who had crossed her. The Roman historian Tacitus was to write that in the year 53 she goaded Claudius "into acts of savagery" against her imagined enemies.

The following year, 54, Claudius died, some believe by Agrippina having poisoned him after he had expressed second thoughts about Nero as his successor. Nero Emperor Nero. He also wanted to rule well. But emotionally and intellectually he was no better than mediocre and therefore unfit for rule. Nero became emperor at seventeen, the day that Claudius died. Like Caligula had wanted when he took power, Nero wanted to rule well. And, like Caligula, he craved public adoration. But he was never able to bear frustrations with patience. His mother became an irritant, and in the year 59 he had her murdered. Following this, Nero became more defensive and by the year 61 he had re-instituted treason trials. His wife, Octavia, grew to hate him, and he feared that she was spreading dislike of him in his household and at court. He had her charged with treason and executed in the year 62. He had a love interest at this time, remarried and exercised this power against his next wife, Poppaea Sabina, one of the many attractive women across history who sought association with men of wealth and fame. She married Nero in 62.

In the year 64 was the great fire in Rome. It burned wooden tenement houses, which were as high as six stories, and it burned the home of the wealthy, including Nero's palace. According to the historian Tacitus, who wrote decades later, many Romans many believed the rumor that Nero had started the fire to make space for his new great mansion, and they pitied Christians who were blamed for the fire , believing that instead of being sacrificed for the welfare of the state, the Christians were being sacrificed as Nero's scapegoats. The popularity Nero had wanted escaped him. Military commanders outside Rome were aware of Nero's unpopularity. Nero didn't realize where the real power was. In 68, he ordered the execution of his military commander in Spain, Servius Galba. With nothing to lose, Galba declared himself a subject of the Senate and Rome's citizens rather than of the emperor. Galba and his army headed for Rome. Realizing that he was powerless, Nero ran through his palace screaming hysterically. The Senate aroused itself, declared Nero a public enemy and ordered his execution. Soldiers closed in on Nero at his villa.

The family dynasty begun by Augustus was at an end 54 years after it had begun. With Senate approval, power passed to Servius Galba. An era of rule by military men had begun. Nero was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian family, a dynasty that had lasted only 54 years following the death of its founder, Augustus – not an ucommon length of time for a ruling dynasty, but much shorter than some other dynasties elsewhere in the world. Romans In Revelation Romans In Revelation Knowing some history about the first century Roman world is helpful in order to properly understand the book of Revelation. To begin with, Rome had been a Republic for about 500 years. During the Republic, the Senate ruled. Then, Julius Caesar led the transition from Republic to Empire. His nephew, Octavian, succeeded him as the second emperor, and changed his name to Augustus.

Luke 2:1 reads: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be registered.” Please note that the same Greek word, Oikoumene, used in Luke 2:1 as the Roman world is also used in Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10. The first century fulfillment of these verses is verified in the scriptures at Romans 1:8, 10:18, 16:26, and at Colossians 1:5-6, and 1:23. The third emperor was Tiberius Caesar. Then after him came Gaius Caesar, who was nicknamed and better known as little boots (Caligula). After Caligula came Claudius, who hoped to restore the Republic. He believed the best strategy was to have Nero succeed him. Claudius hoped that Nero would be such a terrible emperor that the Roman citizens would rebel, overthrow him, and restore the Republic. Sadly, Claudius’ plan failed to materialize. The sixth emperor (Rev 17:10) Nero Caesar reigned from 54 to 68 A.D.

According to the Roman historians Tacticus and Suetonius, Nero’s nickname was “the Beast;” and his reign was far worse than that of Domitian. For three and a half years Nero tried to eliminate the early church. He had the Apostles Paul and Peter murdered, and after boiling the Apostle John in hot oil, exiled him to the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9). People could not buy or sell in the marketplaces without collaborating (right hand = acting / Rev 13:16-17 / forehead = thoughts) with the Beast, by declaring “Caesar is Lord.” Nero declared himself god incarnate. He ordered all statues in the empire to have their heads cut off, and that a sculpture of his head should be put on in all their places. Nero also wanted an idol of himself to be set up in the Holy Place of the Jerusalem Temple. He married his sister, and when she was nine months pregnant, murdered her and their baby. Nero sometimes dressed in nothing but animal hides, and practiced cannibalism. He burnt the city of Rome, blamed the Christians, and fed them to the lions at the Coliseum. He also made living candles out of them.

Furthermore, a cryptogram of Caesar Nero’s name (Rev 13:18) yields a numeric value of 666 in the Hebrew. After attacking the early church for 3 ½ years, Nero then initiated the Judeo-Roman War which lasted another 3 ½ years from 67-70 A.D. Flavius Josephus records a detailed account of this ongoing tribulation (Matt 24:21) in his book; The War of the Jews. In 70 A.D., Titus and three legions sieged and destroyed the Holy City (Matt 22:7), making it and the Holy Land utterly desolate (Matt 23:38 and Rev 17:16). The casualties for the Jewish people in Judea and throughout the Roman empire were enormous. Rome was a city which sat on seven hills (Rev 17:7,9) and had ten provinces (Rev 17:7,12,16). The eagle (Matt 24:28) was the symbol of the Roman war god Mars. It was also the idol of the legions, and was frequently sacrificed to before and after battle.

69 AD was the “Year of the Three Caesars;” Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. They fought it out to see who would become the seventh Caesar. Was this the beginning of the end for the civilized world? A Roman civil war and simultaneous revolts in the provinces with their ensuing deaths, diseases, and famines made it appear so. Was this the beginning of the Dark Ages? The leadership (head) of the Roman empire had received a fatal wound (Rev 13:3), or had it? In 70 A.D., Vespasian healed that seemingly fatal wound by providing stability and by becoming the eighth emperor (Rev 17:11). He established a new line of Caesars; the Flavian dynasty. As a result, Rome, in that form, survived for about another 500 years. A basic understanding of the historical facts in the first century Roman world helps illuminate the book of Revelation. For a more in-depth study of this important time period the following books are highly recommended. When Will These Things Be by Douglas Enick.

Before Jerusalem Fell by Kenneth Gentry The Days of Vengeance by David Chilton The Beast of Revelation by Kenneth Gentry The War of the Jews by Flavius Josephus By Michael E. Day A Brief Biography of Caligula the Mad Roman Emperor | Kibin A Brief Biography of Caligula the Mad Roman Emperor Sign Up & Access Essays Already a member? Login here Pages: 4 This preview is partially blurred. Sign up to view the full document. Sign Up & Access Essays Already a member? Login here End of preview Upgrade to view the full document This is an unformatted preview.

Sign up to view the full document End of preview Upgrade to view the full document Caligula The Madness of a Goat Many studies have been made on the emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Caligula He was professed to be the maddest and cruelest of all Roman emperors As emperor Caligula put the imperial treasury in severe debt performed acts of insanity and committed scandalous sexual acts The ludicrous deeds he participated in and carried out left the Roman Empire in infamy During the reign of Tiberius the captain of his bodyguards Sejanus began a campaign of extreme and devious means He desired the Roman throne and so started to eliminate his competition The first to go was Drusus Tiberiuss heir Sejanus then took out other key contenders for the throne including Germanicus Caesar his wife Agrippina the Elder and three of his four sons The sole survivor was Gaius Caesar more famously or infamously known as Caligula Caligula grew up in a military camp His name stemmed from the soldiers nickname Little Boots for the child size military boots he always wore Gaius Caligula of Rome Being so close to the throne required that he spend his adolescence in Capri with the aging emperor Tiberius

 Though he attempted to play the part of a dutiful and upright young man he could not fool Tiberius Gaius Caligula of Rome The emperor frequently called him a serpent Gaius Caligula of Rome He is Higham 2 also quoted as saying There was never a better slave nor a worse master than Caligula Tiberius tried to draw him out by telling him things which might make him betray resentment but he never gave him a cause for suspicion Caligula appeared to remember nothing of his familys fate Lissner 92 He was frowned upon though by the emperor for his visits to disreputable taverns and brothels Tiberius commented that Gaius has survived to the detriment of myself and everyone else Lissner 92 Tiberius was ill It is believed @Kibin is a lifesaver for my essay right now!!

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Question: The Roman Emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanica was better known by which nickname?
Answer: CALIGULA