ABOVE: Photograph of a Roman marble sculpture in the British Museum depicting a nude young man riding on horseback, widely suspected to represent the notorious emperor Caligula on his horse Incitatus. Even though it wasnt his actual name, I do think the name Caligula is useful for historical purposes because it is unique and can only refer to one specific individual. Suetonius writes in his Life of Caligula 55, as translated by Rolfe: He used to send his soldiers on the day before the games and order silence in the neighbourhood, to prevent the horse Incitatus from being disturbed. She was bestowed with the Roman imperial honorific title Augusta in AD 50. Although he left 1/3 of his estate to his son Nero through a will, the latters inheritance was taken away by Caligula who sent Nero to live with his paternal aunt Domitia Lepida, mother of Claudius' third wife, Valeria Messalina. In the 1976 television series I, Claudius, episode nine (Zeus, by Jove!), when Caligula awakens from his coma, he immediately demands to see his uncle Claudius, threatening to kill him if he doesnt come. In I, Claudius, episode ten (Hail Who?), Caligula turns the imperial palace into a brothel, where he pimps the wives of wealthy senators to the highest bidders. Basically all we really know about the supposed plot is that Agrippina, Julia Livilla, and Aemilius Lepidus were accused of adultery and conspiracy, Lepidus was executed, and the emperors sisters were sent into exile. For the emperor, a man of the highest possible office, to literally act as a pimp would have been the utmost scandal. The doctor who is caring for him tells Macro, the prefect of the Praetorian Guard, that he is probably going to die. What Do Angels Really Look Like According to the Bible? A group of volunteers have taken over the running of the village library where they used to work and when one of them is the victim of a prank, the Library Ladies are immediately suspected and find themselves shunned by most of the village. His wife, Milonia Caesonia, and daughter, Julia Drusilla, were also murdered just hours after his assassination. Then he sent his pages about the fora and basilicas, to invite young men and old to enjoy themselves, lending money on interest to those who came and having clerks openly take down their names, as contributors to Caesars revenues.. This was the first appearance of living women, identified by name, on an imperial coin. He was so beside himself with grief that suddenly fleeing the city by night and traversing Campania, he went to Syracuse and hurriedly returned from there without cutting his hair or shaving his beard. Monday to Saturday from 12 noon - 3pm & from 6pm - 9pm . In search of a new heir to solidify his place as Emperor, Caligula begins affairs with his three sisters in order to have a Paulina was sent into exile in Italy on orders of Agrippina and was compelled to commit suicide. Mr.McDaniel, In the Netflix series Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor, episode two (A New Hope), Caligula is portrayed as initially a good emperor. The latter became heir and recognised successor of Claudius after such adoption and came to be known as Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus. He describes how this was seen as shocking and sacrilegious. spear bearer, that sceptre is much too long and his posture not correct Gnaeus had two sisters Domitia Lepida the Elder and Domitia Lepida the Younger and was also maternal cousin of Claudius. The fact that his sisters appear on his coins is highly unusual and seems to confirm what Suetonius says about him giving them unusually prominent positions ahead of his own wife. Caligula is famously alleged to have had sex with all three of his own sisters and to have treated his sister Drusilla as his wife. Philon does not record Caligula as having regularly called himself Zeus and his sister Drusilla Juno, nor does he record him as having dressed up as Zeus, nor does he record him as having renovated the imperial palace to make it look more like Mount Olympos. What I have heard from him, then, I state positively and plainly, so help him!. Against all odds, Caligula finally wakes up, but, as a result of his illness, he swiftly transforms into a depraved psychopath. this blog post titled What did Caligula think of his nickname?, as translated by Earnest Cary for the Loeb Classical Library, a Roman marble sculpture in the British Museum, Jesus Had a Vagina (According to Medieval Christian Mysticism). In 1979, the notorious pornographic film Caligula, starring Malcolm McDowell as the titular character, was released. In sharp contrast to I, Claudius, this film quickly won a reputation as one of the worst films ever made. After her own life is threatened, Kate is joined by her partner, Steve Bartorelli, a recently retired Detective Chief Inspector of Italian descent, who helps her solve the crime. Stay connected with WiFi in public areas (surcharge). I graduated with high distinction from Indiana University Bloomington in May 2022 with a BA in history and classical studies (Ancient Greek and Latin languages), with departmental honors in history. It is entirely possible that this whole account about Caligula planning to make his horse a consul is fabricated. Gnaeus was the only son of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 16 BC) and Antonia Major, niece of Augustus thus making him the great-nephew of Augustus. Around AD 57, Nero expelled her from the palace following which she lived in a riverside estate in Misenum and made short visits to Rome. Most of them are definitely or probably false; others are based on historical facts but have been greatly misrepresented. There are no sources earlier than Suetonius that mention anything about this alleged incident and it is entirely possible that Suetonius may have just made it up. As Peter Gainsford argues in this blog post titled What did Caligula think of his nickname? the name that Caligula most likely preferred to be called by was actually Germanicus. You claim to be a history guru. Have a nice day ! The last part of the third episode of Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor focuses extensively on the so-called Plot of the Three Daggers, which it turns into a elaborate conspiracy by Agrippina, Julia Livilla, and Aemilus Lepidus to murder Caligula and seize the throne. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (639) was the husband of the emperor Caligula's younger sister Julia Drusilla. There is no evidence that this ever happened. In other words, if Caligula really did have sex with his sisters, then it might not have been an act of depraved insanity, but rather a political maneuver that just didnt work out the way he planned it to. (Incidentally, the notorious later emperor Elagabalus, whom I wrote about in this article from November 2019, wasnt generally known by the name Elagabalus during his lifetime either; instead, he was known as Avitus or Marcus Antoninus.). Gnaeus died in January AD 41 due to edema at Pyrgi. Although I have taken the form of Caius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man and, therefore, I am a god.. I am an aspiring historian mainly interested in ancient Greek cultural and social history. Caligula meets Tiberius again, who tells him that the Senate has urged him to name a new heir to the throne, and that he has two options, his grandson, Gemellus, who is a young boy, who has The marriage took place on New Year's Day, AD 49, but it was widely disapproved as marriage between uncle and niece in a Roman society was regarded incestuous and unethical. Thus, it seems that everything Suetonius says about Caligulas relationship with his sisters is confirmed by earlier sourcesexcept for his claim that Caligula was having sex with them. This possibly made the conjugal life of Agrippina and Claudius more combative in the last few months of his life and gave Agrippina a motive to remove him. Agrippina and Claudius betrothed Nero to Claudius daughter, Claudia Octavia, and the marriage took place on June 9, AD 53. He writes in On Anger 3.18, as translated by Aubrey Stewart: Why do I pry into ancient history? Meanwhile, upon death of Tiberius on March 16, AD 37, Caligula became the Roman Emperor following which he bestowed several honours on his three sisters - Agrippina, Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla. After all, there are plenty of surviving sculptures of other imperial women, such as Livia (the wife of the emperor Augustus and mother of the emperor Tiberius) and Julia the Elder (Augustuss daughter and Caligulas maternal grandmother). She also attempted to murder Nero, as she regarded him a threat to her son, Britannicus position. Ancient authors record that, after he became emperor, Gaius absolutely detested it whenever anyone called him by the nickname Caligula or by his personal name Gaius. The only reason why the supposed conspiracy occupies such a pride of place in the Netflix series is because the makers of the series are desperate to spice things up with a little intrigue. Following the marriage, Gaius became Neros step-father. More recently, the Netflix series Roman Empire has become another major source of misconceptions about Caligula. During Caligulas reign Agrippina began to put the lessons of her childhood into action, turning her back on the Roman ideal of virtue, and using her sexual allure and cunningness, to undermine and influence her brother's reign. Farm Shop. Drusillas posthumous deification is also referenced by Seneca in his Apocolocyntosis Claudii or The Gourdification of Claudius, a satirical work making fun of the emperor Claudius and the Roman tradition of posthumously deifying emperors. Now that we know where some of the misconceptions about Caligula come from, lets talk about what those misconceptions are. Their inclusion in the public oath of alliance incontrovertibly displayed their importance in his reign, with members of the Roman public being required to pledge, I will not value my life or that of my children less highly than I do the safety of the Emperor and his sister. (Betty 2012, Rutter 2013) Among other things they were also granted the rites of the Vestigal Virgins, which permitted them to travel in the carpentum, originally reserved for priests only, as well as a reserved seat of honour for the public games. The Ancient Greek Woman Who Dressed as a Man to Seduce Men, May Be Having My First Ever Guest Post Sometime in the Near Future, 28 November 2022. Caligula: Directed by Tinto Brass. An equally bizarre take on Caligulas divinity appears in the 1979 film Caligula, which contains a scene in which Caligula appears before the Senate to make the following declaration: I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night sky! As for the rest of your, as usual very good, post it is yet another example of why one should not take Holywood too seriously gor historical accuracy. Caligulas contemporary, the Jewish writer Philon of Alexandria, writes in his Embassy to Gaius 14, as translated by F. H. Colson for the Loeb Classical Library: But in the eighth month Gaius was struck down by severe sickness. Its a fitting name. Not only Paulina, Agrippina had many others executed who she regarded as a potential threat to her and Neros position. In no time she charged Paulina with sorcery and had her property confiscated without a hearing. Thus, when Suetonius talks about Caligula wasting money, the point is to convey that he was a bad emperor. Willy-nilly, he has to see everything that happens in heaven; for he is the superintendent of the Appian road, by which you know both the divine Augustus and Tiberius Caesar went to join the gods., If you ask this man he will tell you privately; in presence of more than one hell never speak a word. Sallie and Jo are both Library Assistants who have recently been made redundant. Dating back to the mid-18th century, The Three Daggers is in the heart of the village of Edington. Primary evidence too supports the indisputable influence and privileges of Caligula's sisters. These are all stories that have accumulated over the years. Her Sunday from 12pm - 10pm. Agrippina was given Lepidus bones in an urn and bidden to carry it back to Rome, keeping it in her bosom during the whole journey. Its possible he may have really done it, but its also possible that it is simply a rumor invented by some senator who was annoyed that Caligula was showering extraordinary honors on his sisters while holding the Senate in the uttermost contempt. Naturally, though, this has not stopped popular culture from inventing all kinds of stories about the alleged relationships between him and his sisters. Gnaeus and Agrippina chose to live between Rome and Antium (present-day Anzio and Nettuno). quite lately Gaius Caesar flogged and tortured Sextus Papinius, whose father was a consular, Betilienas Bassus, his own quaestor, and several others, both senators and knights, on the same day, not to carry out any judicial inquiry, but merely to amuse himself., Indeed, so impatient was he of any delay in receiving the pleasure which his monstrous cruelty never delayed in asking, that when walking with some ladies and senators in his mothers gardens, along the walk between the colonnade and the river, he struck off some of their heads by lamplight.. All he says is that Caligula was very sick, that the sickness was brought on by an unhealthy hedonistic lifestyle, and that there were fears that Caligula might die. Caligula (/kljl/),[1] properly Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August AD 12 24 January AD 41) was Roman emperor from AD 3741. Born Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (not to be confused with Julius Caesar), Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. A huge thank you to Bragan Thomas, the Provincetown Library, the Provincetown Theater, and all the fantastic actors who brought the staged reading of CALIGULA and the THREE DAGGERS to life! The Three Daggers is a traditional, cosy and oak-beamed British pub nestled in the beautiful Wiltshire village of Edington, a mere few miles from the Westbury White Horse. Notice that Suetonius seems to doubt that there was ever a conspiracy among Caligulas sisters at all and instead seems to believe that Caligula just made the whole thing up as an excuse to send his sisters into exile. In fairness, though, most of the most famous stories Ive investigated in this article actually are in the sources. He a kills his heir and forces his praetorian prefect to commit suicide. Caligulas full name before he became emperor was Gaius Julius Caesar (which is, incidentally, the exact same full name as the more famous Gaius Julius Caesar who conquered Gaul and was assassinated on 15 March 44 BC). In the Netflix series Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor, Caligula is portrayed as unwilling to engage in incest until his sister Agrippina actually comes to him in his bedchamber and seduces him, telling him that she will bear him a son who will serve as his heir. Some such victims of Agrippina included the praetor Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus; Britannicus' tutor, Sosibius; and Messalinas mother, Domitia Lepida the Younger. The Roman emperor Caligula, who ruled from 16 March 37 AD until his assassination on 24 January 41 AD, is undoubtedly one of the most notorious Roman Fascinating stories from each day of the year about the people and events that have shaped the culture and history of Italy. 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