Caligula
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These Roman Emperors Were the Worst November 02, 2022
Emperors could be elevated with high political, legal and eventually religious offices, but control of the army and the senate was what really mattered.Julius Caesar, the last republican ruler, and Gaius Octavius or Augustus, the first emperor, threw...
Discovering Caligula's Garden Reveals More Mistruths June 03, 2022
When workers broke ground on an underground parking lot in the heart of Rome 15n years ago, they had no idea what their backhoes were about to unearth. The site turned out to be what Italian archeologists believe was once "the pleasure gardens" of th...
Trash or Treasure? Artifacts Founds in Odd Places May 24, 2022
In 2018, at a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, a marble bust of a dour-looking man caught antique dealer Laura Young’s eye. She liked the look of him and bought the bust for $34.99, dubbing it “Dennis” after the self-obsessed character Dennis Reynold...
Why Ancient Rome Kept Picking Crazy Emperors May 13, 2022
Some of the most famous Roman emperors were perverted, megalomaniacal, or just plain crazy. The weird fixations of Caligula and Nero made them household names.But these stories have always raised a difficult question: If these emperors were really so...
Fort By Caligula Found Near Amsterdam December 30, 2021
A large Roman fort believed to have played a key role in the successful invasion of Britain in AD43 has been discovered on the Dutch coast.A Roman legion of “several thousand” battle-ready soldiers was stationed in Velsen, 20 miles from Amsterdam, on...
Incredible Lives, Dramatic Deaths of 12 Caesars December 20, 2021
Vitellius had the worst death of the Twelve Caesars. In terms of execution, location, and people involved, Vitellius’s death borrowed elements from several other emperors’ deaths. That it did is appropriate, if not slightly ironic, especially conside...
7 Crazy Leaders of the Ancient World January 06, 2021
Our understanding and treatment of mental illness has come a long way over the centuries – and it’s just as well! In medieval times, people suffering a bout of ‘melancholia’ or those deemed ‘mad’ were seen as a great embarrassment to their families a...
Explaining Why So Many of Rome's Emperors Were Nuts March 18, 2020
Some of the most famous Roman emperors were perverted, megalomaniacal, or just plain crazy. The weird fixations of Caligula and Nero made them household names.But these stories have always raised a difficult question: If these emperors were really so...
Caligula and His Descent Into Madness March 13, 2020
Gaius Caesar, son of the popular general and dynastic heir, Germanicus, and great grand-son of Augustus through his mother, was born AD 12 shortly before the death of Augustus. Evidence for the life of the 3rd Roman emperor is sparse, as the work o...
Caligula: Rome's Crazy, Cruel Emperor January 24, 2020
Though the reign of Gaius 'Caligula' Caesar began with much promise, some early actions foretold of more uncommon behavior to come. Soon after his ascension Caligula showed signs of future 'madness' and Suetonius gives evidence even through a certain...
