Caligula
Caligula
12 — 41
Rome antique
The third Roman emperor, Caligula ruled from 37 to 41 AD. After a promising start, his reign descended into tyranny and extravagance. He was assassinated by officers of the Praetorian Guard.
Key Facts
- Born in 12 AD, son of Germanicus, a popular general
- Came to power in 37 AD, succeeding Tiberius
- Reign marked by cruelty, executions, and extravagant spending
- Assassinated in 41 AD by officers of the Praetorian Guard
- His nickname 'Caligula' (little boot) was given to him by soldiers during his childhood
Works & Achievements
Caligula initiated the first studies to expand the port of Ostia, a project later taken up and completed under Claudius. This initiative reflects a genuine concern for Rome's grain supply.
Caligula had the temple dedicated to his great-great-grandfather Augustus completed and consecrated, thereby affirming the dynastic continuity of the Julio-Claudian line and his own imperial legitimacy.
A floating bridge stretching over five kilometers was built across the Bay of Baiae — a remarkable feat of engineering, even if it served only a single spectacular crossing. It illustrates Roman engineering's ability to carry out large-scale temporary constructions.
Caligula had the Circus Maximus enlarged and adorned with new ornaments, continuing the imperial tradition of grand beautification projects in Rome and of popular entertainment.
He had the Egyptian obelisk moved from Heliopolis to the circus on the Vatican Hill, on the very site where St. Peter's Square stands today. This obelisk is still visible in Rome to this day.
Anecdotes
Caligula's nickname comes from the small military sandals (caligae) he wore as a child in the legionary camps of his father Germanicus. The soldiers adored him and affectionately called him by this name — a nickname that stuck with him for life, even though it annoyed him once he became emperor.
During a campaign in Germania and Britain, Caligula allegedly ordered his soldiers to collect seashells on the shore of the English Channel as 'spoils of the Ocean' — symbolic plunder from a victory over the sea itself. This episode, recorded by Suetonius, illustrates the growing eccentricity of his reign.
Caligula had a floating bridge more than five kilometers long built across the Bay of Baiae, between Puteoli and Baiae, so he could cross it in a chariot while wearing the breastplate of Alexander the Great. According to Suetonius, he staged this feat to defy the astrologer Thrasyllus, who had predicted he had as much chance of becoming emperor as of riding a horse across the bay.
Several ancient sources report that Caligula appointed his horse Incitatus as a priest and was considering making him a consul — a sign, to his contemporaries, of his utter contempt for republican institutions. Modern historians tend to see it instead as a deliberate provocation aimed at the Senate.
After a serious illness in 37 AD, which struck only a few months after he came to power, Caligula's behavior changed radically according to ancient sources. He began to believe himself a living god, demanded worship in his honor, and had his statue installed in temples — including the Temple in Jerusalem, triggering a major crisis in Judea.
Primary Sources
He had lived at first in poverty and restraint; then, having become emperor, he changed so completely that people said of him there had never been a better slave nor a worse master.
Germanicus was of singular beauty, of proven valor, and though he died in the flower of his age, he was celebrated for his glory, and even more celebrated for his untimely death.
He did all manner of senseless and cruel things, whether out of pride, anger, natural desire for pleasure, or mere chance.
He was convinced he was a god and relied upon his own divinity, despising all other human beings as infinitely inferior to him.
Key Places
Coastal town in Latium where Caligula was born in 12 AD and where he owned an imperial villa. He returned there regularly and held a particular fondness for the place.
The hill in Rome where the imperial palace (Domus Caesaris) stood, Caligula's primary residence. It was here that he was assassinated during the Palatine Games on January 24, 41 AD.
A famous seaside resort on the Bay of Naples where Caligula had his renowned pontoon bridge constructed — stretching over three miles — which he crossed in a chariot. The site stands as a symbol of the extravagance and eccentricities of his reign.
A volcanic lake in the Castelli Romani hills where Caligula had two enormous pleasure barges built, rediscovered in the 20th century. These ships, destroyed during World War II, stand as testament to the extraordinary luxury of his building projects.
The Rhine region where Caligula spent his childhood in the military camps of Germanicus, growing up among the legions. It was here that soldiers gave him his nickname, a sign of the deep affection they felt for him.
Gallery
Mummy portrait of a young woman named Eirene from Egypt - Stuttgart LMW AS 7.2 (02)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — ArchaiOptix
Cyclopedia of painters and paintings
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Champlin, John Denison, 1834-1915 Perkins, Charles C. (Charles Callahan), 1823-1886
Mural painting
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Jackson, F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton), 1848-1923
Emperor Tiberius, painting by Bernardino Campi
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Burkhard Mücke
Portrait of Emperor Caligula after Titian, by Bernardino Campi c. 1562
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Bernardino Campi
Technique of sculpture
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Partridge, William Ordway, 1861-1930
Tombs in and near Rome ; Sculpture among the Greeks and Romans, mythology in funereal sculpture, and early Christian sculpture
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Parker, John Henry, 1806-1884 Parker, John Henry, 1806-1884. Sculpture among the Greeks and Romans, mythology in fu
Bronze Equestrian Statue 01 (49344871278)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — Jamie Heath
Bronze Equestrian Statue 03 (49345545832)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — Jamie Heath
The Baths of Caracalla by Virgilio Mattoni de la Fuente Spanish 1881
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Virgilio Mattoni del la Fuente