Caligula and Agrippina have sex for months, but she fails to become pregnant, so Caligula seduces first Drusilla and then Julia Livilla. Gnaeus, who hailed from a prominent family of consular rank and served as consul in AD 32, was infamous for his despicable and dishonest character described by Roman historian Suetonius as "a man who was in every aspect of his life detestable". VENUE FEE: 850. They didnt have those in the ancient world, which means, if Caligula really had fallen into a complete coma, he would have most likely died of dehydration or starvation after about a week or two at most. Essentially, Suetonius is recycling an age-old folktale about profligacy and turning it into a story about Caligula. This is a story that is actually found in some ancient sources. Nonetheless, we should take all these descriptions with a grain of salt, since all of these sources are biased and it is common for people to describe political leaders they dont like as insane, even though those leaders rarely ever meet the clinical definition of insanity. Since Gaius wore little versions of these boots, the soldiers nicknamed him Caligula, which is a diminutive form of the word caliga. [5] After the death of Gemellus in 37, Lepidus was publicly marked by Caligula as his heir. His biographies read like modern gossip tabloids. In chapter 37, he famously writes: In reckless extravagance he outdid the prodigals of all times in ingenuity, inventing a new sort of baths and unnatural varieties of food and feasts; for he would bathe in hot or cold perfumed oils, drink pearls of great price dissolved in vinegar, and set before his guests loaves and meats of gold, declaring that a man ought either to be frugal or Caesar. His fortune worth two hundred million sestertii went to Nero. The Caligula Effect 2: Battle of Three Machinas Visual Novelty 5.49K subscribers Subscribe 1 6 views 1 hour ago The legendary battle with three Level 112 Machinas! 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. Claudius humors him, paying obeisance to him and telling him that he can see his divine radiance. Suetonius does, however, claim that Caligula lavished an unusual amount of attention on Incitatus and that he was alleged to have talked about making him a consul. Caligula was many thingsincluding a jerk, a narcissist, a sadist, and a tyrantbut he probably wasnt really insane. "Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula. It is probably true that Caligula was something of a sadist. He a kills his heir and forces his praetorian prefect to commit suicide. All of this is completely made up. Their similar cruel nature, depravity and debauchery has led some fans and historians to name him ''the Joffrey of the Ancient world''. It is entirely possible that the real reason why Caligula honored his sisters so highly is simply because he wanted to emphasize the importance of the Augustan bloodline. We see his ambition, his scheming, his perversion and decadence, his brutality and his lunacy. In I, Claudius, episode nine (Zeus, by Jove!), Caligula is portrayed as impregnating Drusilla. Agrippinas efforts achieved her many privileges and honours, but her power-hungry nature drove her to even greater extremes. Furthermore, not only is the whole thing about the three-month-long coma not in the ancient sources, but I genuinely dont think it would be possible for a person in the ancient world to survive in a complete coma for three months. He even scattered large sums of money among the commons from the roof of the basilica Julia for several days in succession.. Farm Shop. The way this is presented makes it seem like something that we know really happened and that is recorded in the ancient sources. 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. ABOVE: Screenshot of Caligulas soldiers pouring out the loot from old Neptune in the 1976 television series I, Claudius. From very early on, it is evident that Agrippina was utilising her sexuality to not only influence Caligula, but in an effort to consolidate her own power, in a failed conspiracy to over throw her brother. Although she failed and was reduced to nothing, Agrippina had proven the lengths to which she would go to, in her quest for power. [4] Cassius Dio and Suetonius both suggest that the emperor and his brother-in-law were lovers. More recently, the Netflix series Roman Empire has become another major source of misconceptions about Caligula. Kitchen Opening times . Although I have taken the form of Caius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man and, therefore, I am a god.. With Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Guido Mannari, John Gielgud. She joins forces with another visitor to Sorrento to investigate for herself when it becomes clear the Italian police are looking no further than the English family in order to solve the crime. (Plunkett 2013, Hayes 2013). Caligula had Lepidus executed while Agrippina and Livilla were exiled to the Pontine Islands. Afterwards, the assassins murdered his wife Milonia Caesonia and their one-year-old daughter Julia Drusilla. Agrippina and her sisters appearance on Roman coins during his reign, seen in Figure 1, has them portrayed as having the divine attributes of Goddesses (Hbert 2011). Gnaeus had two sisters Domitia Lepida the Elder and Domitia Lepida the Younger and was also maternal cousin of Claudius. Sallie and Jo are both Library Assistants who have recently been made redundant. 47 Westbury Road, BA13 4PG Wiltshire . Afterwards, he becomes increasingly paranoid, believing that the child developing in her womb will overthrow him and become the new king of the gods. Seneca is probably exaggerating a bit here, but hes probably not lying through his teeth; Caligula probably was a very brutal ruler. The problem is that the Romans werent ready for that yet, so it backfired on him politically. Gnaeus and Agrippina chose to live between Rome and Antium (present-day Anzio and Nettuno). Not only Paulina, Agrippina had many others executed who she regarded as a potential threat to her and Neros position. The Roman colony, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis, was also founded by Claudius that year marking the first and only Roman colony in the name of a Roman lady. Ancient Historian Suetonius (1914) offers us insight into their relationship suggesting, "Caligula lived in habitual incest with all his sisters." These are all stories that have accumulated over the years. While the circumstances and reason surrounding her death vary, the source of conflict between mother and son is considered to be Neros affair with Poppaea Sabina by many. The exact same story is told about both Cleopatra and Caligula and, in all likelihood, never happened with either of them. Ancient Roman writers often focus on profligate spending as an indication that a ruler is foolish and morally degenerate. When he finally awakens from the coma, he is portrayed completely delusional, believing that he is the god Zeus and that his sister Drusilla is the goddess Hera. There is definitely some. Upon ascending to the throne, Caligula took the official name Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. The fact that Caligula had Drusilla deified does not prove that he had sex with her, but it does demonstrate the extent of his attachment to her. Fascinating stories from each day of the year about the people and events that have shaped the culture and history of Italy. 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. Unknown: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus - Conspirator in the Plot of Three Daggers (d. 39 CE) He states that both the elder Gaius Julius Caesar (Julius Caesar) and the (Hbert 2011, Hickman 2010) The definitive opinion is given by modern professor of Ancient History, R. Mellor (2005), who suggests, Agrippina was sleeping her way to the pinnacle of power. (Ginsburg 2009, Freisenbruch 2012) This would be the first of many debaucherous acts Agrippina would take part in to maintain her power. 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. Dion was writing around a hundred years after Suetonius, however, and most likely used Suetoniuss Life of Caligula as a source, so he probably cant be considered an independent witness. 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. Thats it. The Praetorians declared Claudius, uncle of Caligula as the next Roman Emperor on the very day of the latters assassination. Did Gore Vidal disown the film because Bob Guccione and Tinto Brass added explicit sex and gore to the film. He was possibly the son of consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. Lepidus was executed and Caligula's sisters were exiled. For instance, Suetonius really does claim that Caligula had sex with his sisters, that he talked about making his horse a consul, and that he made war on the sea and collected seashells as loot. This merely proves that Caligula was not very attuned to the political climate in which he livednot that he was insane. Hello! (Ginsburg 2009)Tacitus (AD 81-96) criticises her efforts to gain power, writing, Agrippina committed adultery with Lepidus in hope of gaining power. (Tacitus, Annals, 1.34) Although Tacitus is biased against her, its fair to suggest Agrippinas only motivation behind this plot, was the hope of further increasing her power. 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). As Ive noted a few times already, one of the best-attested facts about Caligulas reign is that he held the Senate in total disdain. She also attempted to murder Nero, as she regarded him a threat to her son, Britannicus position. Their alleged divinity was part of what gave them legitimacy. In I, Claudius, episode nine (Zeus, by Jove!), Gemellus is portrayed as a young child with a cough and Caligula is portrayed as having him murdered because he cant get the sound of him coughing out of his head. According to Suetonius, while responding to friends congratulating him on his sons birth, Gnaeus said "I don't think anything produced by me and Agrippina could possibly be good for the state or the people". Besides a stall of marble, a manger of ivory, purple blankets and a collar of precious stones, he even gave this horse a house, a troop of slaves and furniture, for the more elegant entertainment of the guests invited in his name; and it is also said that he planned to make him consul.. Claudius asked wealthy, intelligent and powerful Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus to divorce his wife, Domitia Lepida the Elder, Neros first paternal aunt, and marry Agrippina. She was bestowed with the Roman imperial honorific title Augusta in AD 50. It was again re-released by a 'no name' video label in the late 1990's. Exaggerated and colorful stories have piled on top of exaggerated and colorful stories and, as a result, Caligula seems to have grown even more insane with each passing generation. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. ABOVE: Screenshot from the Netflix series Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Caligula being seduced by his sister Agrippina. These included the rights of the Vestal Virgins and issuing coins portraying his images along with his sisters. As we shall soon see, many of the events portrayed in the series are completely made up. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (639) was the husband of the emperor Caligula's younger sister Julia Drusilla. Agrippina and Julia Livilla] he did not love with so great affection, nor honour so highly, but often prostituted them to his favourites; so that he was the readier at the trial of Aemilius Lepidus to condemn them, as adulteresses and privy to the conspiracies against him; and he not only made public letters in the handwriting of all of them, procured by fraud and seduction, but also dedicated to Mars the Avenger, with an explanatory inscription, three swords designed to take his life.. It is entirely possible that this whole account about Caligula planning to make his horse a consul is fabricated. Also, since many honours had been voted earlier to his sisters manifestly on his act, he forbade the awarding of other distinctions to any of his relatives.. Mr.McDaniel, Her three elder brothers were Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar and Caligula of whom the latter became Roman emperor. He took the name Germanicus from his father, a popular general who had won many great victories in Germania and posthumously been awarded the title Germanicus. In the very first section of the work, Seneca sarcastically remarks that the events he is about to describe may sound incredible, but you have to believe him because he heard it all from the same man who testified to the Senate that he had seen Drusilla ascending into heaven as a goddess. The Roman historian Kassios Dion (lived c. 155 c. 235 AD) records in his Roman History 59.8, as translated by Earnest Cary for the Loeb Classical Library: After this he [i.e. A lot of teachers should check the historical sources. Notice that, in Suetoniuss version, making his horse consul is only something that Caligula talked about doing, not something he ever actually did. What Do Angels Really Look Like According to the Bible? In 1976, Gravess novel was adapted into an award-winning BBC drama, also titled I, Claudius, which is generally regarded as one of the best television shows ever made and is considered the direct precursor to modern shows like Rome and Game of Thrones. Then he falls into a coma, which lasts for an unspecified amount of time. Have you done this with the bible? 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. Dion writes, as translated by Earnest Cary: One of the horses, which he named Incitatus, he used to invite to dinner, where he would offer him golden barley and drink his health in wine from golden goblets; he swore by the animals life and fortune and even promised to appoint him consul, a promise that he would certainly have carried out if he had lived longer.. The only reason why Caligula murders her and devours her fetus in the show is because the writers of the show wanted to show the sheer extent of Caligulas alleged insanity. ABOVE: Screenshot of Caligula waking up from his implausible three-month-long coma in the Netflix series Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor. This drama, however, exaggerates the extent of Caligulas alleged insanity even further than Gravess original novel. The Ptolemaic dynasty needed and wanting to pose as a continuing Suetonius was writing in around the year 121 AD, around eighty years after Caligulas death, and he is a notoriously unreliable sourcepartly because he has a penchant for telling all kinds of crazy stories about the alleged sexual debaucheries of all the emperors he doesnt like, including Caligula. Leave a reply A huge thank you to Bragan Thomas, the Provincetown Library, the Provincetown Theater, and The Ancient Greeks Ate Cicadas and Grasshoppers! We see his ambition, his scheming, his perversion and decadence, A dramatization of the ascent to Caesar and subsequent reign of Caligula, one of the most notorious leaders of ancient Rome. 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). 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