Caligula and The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

“Let them hate me, so they but fear me.” ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)

Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did he decree that his horse was a Roman consul, but he also marched his troops all the way to the English Channel only to have them pick up seashells, and he’s also said to have committed incest with all three of his sisters. Was he a madman or a victim of an undiagnosed medical condition? Here in Episode 45, we take an in-depth look at not only Caligula, but all five of the emperors who reigned during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, including Claudius and the famed Nero.

Books:

• From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68 by H.H. Scullard
• History of Rome by Michael Grant
• The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
• Roman History by Dio Cassius

Film:

• I, Claudius (1976) 12 Episodes by BBC
• Caligula (1979) terrible cult film, but incredible cast including Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren & Malcolm McDowell