Caligula and Nero

 

by

 Damien F. Mackey

  

“Despite the debate over the precise details of their reigns, there’s no denying

that Caligula and Nero left an indelible mark on Roman history and

popular imagination. Their names have become synonymous with

the worst excesses of power and the corrupting influence of absolute rule”.

 

History Tools

 

Having recently drawn some startling comparisons between:

 

Caligula and Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’

 

(2) Caligula and Antiochus 'Epiphanes'

 

and the Grecophilic:

 

Nero like an Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’

 

(2) Nero like an Antiochus 'Epiphanes'

 

the stage is now set, so to speak, to consider, together, Caligula and Nero.

 

History Tools has already taken that step in its 2024 article (I do not accept the AD dates given here):

The Tyrannical Reigns of Caligula and Nero: A Historian‘s Perspective - History Tools

 

The Tyrannical Reigns of Caligula and Nero:

A Historian’s Perspective

 

Introduction

 

The Roman emperors Caligula (r. 37-41 AD) and Nero (r. 54-68 AD) are two of the most notorious and reviled figures in ancient history. Both are remembered as cruel, depraved tyrants who terrorized their subjects and indulged their every perverse whim. But how much of their terrible reputations is fact, and how much is exaggeration or fabrication by hostile ancient historians? Let’s take a closer look at the lives and legacies of these infamous rulers.

 

The Rise and Fall of Caligula

 

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known by his childhood nickname Caligula ("little boot"), was born in 12 AD, the son of the renowned general Germanicus. After his father‘s suspicious death, Caligula lived in fear of his great-uncle, the Emperor Tiberius, who nevertheless named him as his heir. ….

 

When Tiberius died in 37 AD, the 24-year-old Caligula was proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard.

 

His reign began promisingly, with public celebrations and generous bonuses for the military. …. But according to ancient historians like Suetonius and Cassius Dio, Caligula’s rule quickly devolved into displays of madness and excess.

 

Suetonius describes Caligula’s reign as "a monster," full of "cruelty, profligacy, and almost maniacal behavior." …. He accuses Caligula of horrific crimes and perversions, including:

 

• Having incestuous relations with each of his three sisters ….
• Prostituting his own sisters to other men ….
• Gleefully watching executions over dinner ….
• Forcing parents to attend the executions of their sons ….
• Having men thrown into the arena to be eaten by wild animals ….
• Wishing that "the Roman people had a single neck" so he could cut it ….

 

Caligula is also said to have squandered Rome’s treasury on lavish spectacles and his own luxurious lifestyle. Suetonius reports that he once built temporary floating bridges across the Bay of Naples just so he could ride his horse across in triumph. ….

 

Perhaps most bizarrely, Suetonius and Cassius Dio claim that Caligula planned to make his beloved horse Incitatus a consul, the highest political office in Rome. …. While likely exaggerated, the story underscores the emperor’s reputation for shocking, erratic behavior.

 

After just four years, Caligula’s turbulent reign came to an abrupt end in January 41 AD when he was brutally assassinated by his own Praetorian Guard. His murder marked the first time a Roman emperor had been killed by his own troops.

….

 

Nero’s Descent Into Tyranny

 

Born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in 37 AD, Nero became emperor in 54 AD at age 16 after the suspicious death of his stepfather Claudius, the successor of Caligula’s uncle Claudius. …. Nero’s mother Agrippina, who may have poisoned Claudius, dominated the early years of his reign.

 

At first, guided by his tutor Seneca the Younger and the Praetorian prefect Burrus, Nero was a relatively enlightened ruler. …. But in 59 AD, Nero had his mother murdered, a shocking act of matricide that began his descent into tyranny. ….

 

Ancient historians depict Nero as a depraved megalomaniac who brutally suppressed rivals and indulged his artistic pretensions at Rome’s expense. Suetonius and Tacitus, though prone to exaggeration and rumor, paint a picture of a ruler drunk on power. Crimes and excesses they attribute to Nero include:

 

• Kicking his pregnant wife Poppaea to death ….
• "Marrying" a male freedman in a public ceremony ….
• Forcing the suicide of his former advisor Seneca ….
• Castrating and "marrying" a young freedman who resembled his dead wife ….
• Covering Christians in wild animal skins and setting dogs on them ….
• Dipping Christians in oil and using them as human torches ….
• Frequently performing in public as an actor and singer ….

 

One of the defining events of Nero’s reign was the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, which destroyed much of the city. Rumors abounded that Nero himself had started the fire as an excuse to rebuild Rome to his liking. Tacitus reports that Nero used the Christians as scapegoats, initiating the empire’s first persecution against them:

"Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace ….

 

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired." ….

 

In the fire’s aftermath, Nero built his lavish Domus Aurea (Golden House) palace complex, a sprawling estate in the heart of the city with artificial lakes, gardens, and a 120-foot-tall statue of himself. …. Such extravagant spending, coupled with military defeats in Parthia and Britain, led to growing opposition.

 

In 68 AD, faced with rebellions across the empire, the Senate declared Nero a public enemy and he committed suicide at age 30. ….

 

His death marked the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ushering in a period of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

 

Separating Fact from Fiction

 

While there‘s little doubt that Caligula and Nero perpetrated shocking crimes and ruled as cruel tyrants, modern historians caution that many of the most salacious stories about them likely contain significant fabrications or exaggerations.

 

Ancient historians like Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio wrote decades or even centuries after Caligula and Nero’s reigns, relying on secondhand accounts, rumors, and politically motivated sources. They also had their own biases, moral agendas, and literary-rhetorical aims that shaped their narratives. ….

 

For example, many outrageous stories about Caligula and Nero seem to conform to ancient stereotypes about "bad emperors" as sexually depraved, extravagantly wasteful, and sadistically cruel. …. Such lurid tales served to titillate readers and underscore the emperors’ unfitness to rule.

 

Additionally, after their deaths both Caligula and Nero were officially condemned by the Senate in the damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory), leading to the destruction of their statues and images. …. This likely motivated the circulation of even more negative stories about them.

 

So while the core facts of their tyrannical reigns are not really in doubt, many of the most shocking anecdotes are probably at least exaggerated, if not invented entirely. As one historian puts it:

 

"The picture of Caligula that emerges from the pages of Suetonius and Dio is an incoherent one … the product of scandal, innuendo, and hostile gossip that have accumulated over time …The ‘real’ Caligula, if he ever existed, is probably lost to us forever, buried beneath an accretion of literary topoi and moralizing rhetoric." ….

 

Legacy and Impact

 

Despite the debate over the precise details of their reigns, there’s no denying that Caligula and Nero left an indelible mark on Roman history and popular imagination. Their names have become synonymous with the worst excesses of power and the corrupting influence of absolute rule.

 

The reigns of Caligula and Nero marked a turning point in the early Roman Empire, exposing the dangers of relying on dynastic succession and vesting total authority in often unstable individuals. …. Their outrageous behavior and cruelty undermined the legitimacy of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, setting the stage for its downfall.

 

In many ways, Caligula and Nero have become the quintessential examples of the decadent, perverted Roman tyrant in popular culture. They have been depicted numerous times in film, television, literature, and art as the ultimate villains and cautionary tales about unchecked power. ….