World History Research Paper: Caligula 9/22/2012 9:43:00 PM

Chronicle of the Roman Empire by Chris Scarre

Promising Start
o In the early months of his reign, Caligula abolished treason
trials, paid generous bequeaths to the people of Rome and a
large bonus to the praetorian guard who had helped him to
power. It was a time of hope and relief. (p. 37)
Honeymoon Ends
o Caligula fell ill 6 months after becoming emperor
o He possibly had a nervous breakdown, however a physical
ailment seems more likely
o Said to have suffered epilepsy in his youth and had insomnia
in later life
o According to Suetonius, he only slept 3 hours a night and was
troubled by terrifying nightmares
o He would wander through palace colonnades, calling out for
dawn and daylight
o Recovered on October or November 37 (p. 38)
o Some argue that the illness caused serious mental
deterioration
o More likely, he realized that he was not indispensable and
that others were waiting to take his crown
o Gemellus and Macro were suspected of plotting against him
and Caligula had them killed
Wives and Sisters
o In the year 38, Caligulas favorite sister, Drusilla died and he
had her deified
o Caligula had four wives
Junia Claudia in 33- died after childbirth
Livia Orestilla in 37- stepped in on her wedding day and
took her for himself
Lollia Paulina in 38- divorced quickly
Milonia Caesonia in 39- the older woman had a trial
period as his mistress and they had a daughter named
Julia Drusilla; Caligula was very devoted to
Caesonia and their daughter
Shows and Spectacles
o Incitatus was his favorite racehorse
Horse lived in luxury and was even invited to dine with
Caligula
Bridge of boats built at Baiae during summer of 39
Merchant ships requisitioned and new ships built
on the spot, to form a continuous double line
across Bay of Naples from Bauli to Puteoli, a
distance over 2 miles
Road was built on top to serve as stage for a 2
day spectacle
Caligula rode as fast as he could across the bridge
and back on a chariot
Was extremely costly
Caligula was very devoted to chariot racing and just
passionate about spectacles in general (p. 39)
He even participated, appearing in the arena as a
Thracian gladiator
The circus was a great outlet for his cruelty and WIT
He enjoyed drinking pearls dissolved in vinegar and
building gem entrusted pleasure boats for coasting
along Campania
Slides Toward Tyranny
o The lavish expenditures of his early years exhausted the
legacy of about 3000 million sesterces left to him by Tiberius
o He turned to confiscation and extortion to make up the deficit
o Raised new taxes, including one on prostitutes
o Auctioned off gladiators to wealthy senators
o Relations to senate rapidly deteriorated
German Expedition
o Left Rome for the north in September 39
o His goal was to conquer Britain
o He had no great ability as a soldier (p. 40)
o Rhine army incompetent
o One last testimony to his ambitions was the lighthouse built
at Boulogne
o He was bitter and disappointed when he arrived back in Rome
in May 40
The Living God
o Caligula built a temple to himself on the Palatine, and forced
leading citizens to pay enormous sums for the honor of
becoming his priests
Impersonating the Gods (p. 41)
o He loved to play dress up and impersonate gods
o Transvestism was not an issue and he often wore feminine
clothing, which outraged conservatives
Assassination
o Caligula had lost support everywhere by the end of 40
because of his capriciousness and cruelty
Officers from the praetorian guard, several senators, and
palace officials were involved in the plot that killed him
o Assassination date 24 January 41, when Caligula was
attending the palatine games in an auditorium in front of the
imperial palace
o His custom was to retire for a lunch and bath before returning
for the afternoon, so the plan was to ambush him in one of
the narrow passageways
o He was stabbed many times, even in the privates according
to some accounts
o The murder of his wife and daughter completed the deed
Caligula by Sam Wilkinson 9/22/2012 9:43:00 PM
Domestic Policy
Finance
o Did Caligula bankrupt Rome? (p.11)
o Evidence to the contrary:
The early reign of Claudius, Caligulas successor, shows
significant affluence.
He gave massive donations, including 15,000
sesterces to each praetorian alone;
He returned the fines Gaius had charged
dishonest road contractors and
He cancelled Caligulas taxes
He undertook expensive military campaigns,
namely Britain and Germany
He clearly had no financial problems in AD 41
Gaius was still coining metals in January of AD 41, and
Claudius continued, which is not a sign of an empty
treasury
Caligula supposedly brought in new taxes in late
AD 40 to compensate and they were said to be
unpopular, but they couldnt have possibly
replenished an empty treasury by the time of
Claudias reign, even with the addition of his
auctions in Gaul
He was undoubtedly lavish in his spending, however
this does not mean that he actually bankrupt Rome. Its
simply an exaggeration by Suetonius and Dio, the
people who wrote about him and praising Caligula was
not at all on their agenda
o Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero were a lot more generous in their
donations to the citizens (p.12)
o Gaius left a healthy treasury so his fiscal policies were sound
(p.14)
o He innovated
In order to avoid a crisis like that of AD 33 under
Tiberius, which occurred because of Tiberiuss hoarding
of coinage, Caligula attempted to bring in a heavier
dupondius to differentiate that coin from the as,
although the coin was phased out under Claudius. This
was at least an attempt to solve a problem, however
small
He was probably responsible for moving the mint from
Lyons to Rome and closed down mints away from
Rome, which meant that the quantity and type of
coinage could be monitored by the emperor himself
He forced the centurions to change Tiberius name in
their wills to that of Gaius. This paved way for
inheritances left not to the emperor as an individual but
to the princeps as an institution (p.15)
Entertainment (p.18)
o Though he is often criticized for holding an excessive amount
of games and shows, Gaius increased the statutory number of
gladiators allowed and recalled the actors whom Tiberius had
banished
Claudius forced equestrians who had performed under
Gaius to perform once more so that he could shame
them, suggesting they had wanted and liked to perform
under Gaius (p.19)
Gaius was the first emperor to flout the rules preventing
performances by senatorial charioteers, who had been
exiled by Tiberius
Gaius supposedly scattered tickets so that the plebs
could take equestrian seats, whereas the seating was
strictly regulated under Augustus (p.20)
Gaius revived the Augustan tradition of aiding people
giving games, which Tiberius had cancelled
Caligulas hectic schedule of entertainment put a strain
on the wealthy senators who put on the games
Caligula went out of his way to gain popularity with the
common people but was resented by the senate for this
and financially burdening and pressuring them to put on
good shows all the time (p.21)
Building Works
o Caligula started building projects for practical use
He supposedly began an aqueduct project near Tibur
and an amphitheatre beside the Saepta. There mustve
been a need for more than the existing 7 aqueducts, so
Gaius started 2 new ones, which would become Aqua
Claudia and the Anio Novus
He also seems to have started a harbor near Rhegium,
which was intended to alleviate the continued grain
supply that had troubled Tiberius
The aqueducts, amphitheatre, and dedications of both
the Temple of Augustus and Theatre of Pompey were
meant to be used by all of Romes peoples
Although he also started many lavish building projects
for personal enjoyment, such as the extension of his
palace to build a private racecourse, his other projects
were general public amenities and created jobs that
fueled the economy (p.22)
Public Administration
o Caligula made many changes to governmental procedure,
generally showing a liberal and practical attitude
Early move to publish the accounts of the Empire. Hed
be the last empire to do so (honesty)
If Gaius had been bankrupt, why did he publish
his accounts?
Early measure to revise the equestrian order, which had
been reduced under Tiberius
Gaius found the best men from the provinces and
let them into the order (innovation) (p.23)
He broadened the equestrian order by bringing in
provincials and gave the order a privilege
Extended the policy by encouraging senators to
join
This promoted Romanization by taking advantage
of the games popularity around the Empire and
also fosters loyalty (by including roman officials)
When rich provincials came to Rome, they
brought their money with them
First African equestrian can be found under Gaius,
which was a sound and progressive move (CITE)
Suetonius says that Gaius added a 5
th
level of jurors to
lighten the loads of other jurors and gave magistrates
unrestricted jurisdiction
5
th
level of jurors sped up cases
Unrestricted jurisdiction put more power into
peoples institutions, which coheres with the
honesty and openness of his reign
Tried to restore voting rights to the comitia (electoral
vote), which didnt work because of the legacy of senate
elections left by Tiberius (p.24)
Gaius eventually returned to senate elections
This was in line with Gaius attempt to involve the
people more (liberal feel)
The move wouldve only angered the senate
Senate (p.26)
o He seems to have gone out of his way to frustrate the Senate
and show them whos boss, which shows he had a clear idea
of how he wanted the Empire to be ruled, and that consisted
of a less and less relevant senate
Social Measures
o Allowed the works of pro-Republicans to be reprinted, which
goes along with his liberal, progressive government
o Recall of exiles, freeing of prisoners and dismissal of untried
gave the roman people a clean slate at the start of his reign
o Gaius reopened guilds, which served social purposes
o He tried to move away from the secret dealings that
characterized Tiberius reign to a more open one
o Just because his policies werent continued after his death
does not mean they were unsound. In fact, when his
successors revoked these acts, they gained more power and
there was less freedom for the people
Religion (p.27)
o Reorganized the college of the Salii and revived the custom of
Nemi by finding a runaway slave to usurp the elderly priest
o His replacing of the priest of Nemi shows his interest in
maintaining religious institutions, as does his reorganization
of the Salii
o He probably tried to deified family members to give himself a
stronger case to rule, being related to gods
Discussion (p.28)
o Through his policies, we can see that he tried to court the
people with many games and antics, turning Rome into a
carnival
o Also tried to return to a more liberal age
o He wanted to be the full and absolute power over Rome
(p.29)
o He tried to prove himself but ended up alienating the senate
(p.30)
o Historical sources are especially biased and hostile towards
him
o Little evidence of political incompetence
o His policies were innovative, popular by the masses, and
mostly economically sound (being that he could afford to be
lavish)
o In the end, the emperor couldnt afford to fall out with the
senate
Foreign Policy
Parthia
o Caligula used the good name of his father to develop a
friendship with Artabanus, king of the Parthians, who had
openly hated Tiberius (p.33)
o Prior to Gaius ascension, Rome and Parthia were constantly
fighting over whod be king in Armernia
o Gaius instantly sought a modus vivendi with Artabanus. By
not sending out a successor to Mithridates, he ensured peace
in the area
o When he conceded Armenia to Parthia, he made sure he still
held the upper hand because it was done at a time where
Rome was thriving and Parthia weak
o He had eliminated the threat in the East at little cost, and
theres certainly no evidence that suggests Armernia was
overrun by the Parthians as a result
o It was the revoking of this policy under Claudius that started
problems, which led to war under Nero (Corbulos campaigns)
o Gaius saw a campaign in Armenia as expensive and
dangerous and achieved peace without the casualties of going
to war (p.34)
o While it wasnt the proud Roman way to admit defeat, it was
the sensible way and saved huge amounts of money and lives
Africa
o He divided Africa Proconsularis into two parts, assigning an
imperial legate, whose imperium was dependent on the
emperor
o Thus, the senate lost its power in this legion (p.35)
o The change in the African province had been seen as both the
first step towards creating Numidia, which was completed
under Severus, and paved the way for cultural developments
of the second century in Africa (CITE)
o Ptolemy, king of Mauretania was executed and Gaius started
reincorporating the region to the Roman empire and set in
motion the old Republican division of Mauretania into two
parts
o This secured the area as there were still roman colonies there
that needed protection and his successors kept the policy
(p.36)
Commagene
o Antiochus IV received his fathers old kingdom of Commagene
from Gaius plus a money reward
o This is an example of Gaius acting kindly towards client kings
(p.37)
o The region had been a Roman province since AD 17 and Gaius
kept this up by keeping Antiochus happy with his generosity
Thrace
o Gaius also treated the three sons of Cotys, the Thracian
princes well
o When the princes received the regions their father reigned
over upon his death, Caligula threw them a lavish ceremony
in the Forum and this sealed his friendship with them
o They had grown up with Gaius and remained loyal to him in
his lifetime, Ptolemy II eventually even helped in Corbulos
campaign against Parthia
o The issues only started when Claudius annexed Thrace in AD
46 despite their loyalty
Gaul (p.38)
o Gaius fostered loyalty by visiting Gaul and holding auctions
and an oratory contest at Lugdunum
o He incorporated them by letting Gauls into the equestrian
order
o He encouraged them to strive for citizenship and for their
elites to move into politics; he even promised certain cities
citizenship (in a letter, which was mentioned by Philo)
o This can be seen as another progressive move and an
advance in the social history of the Empire
Italy
o Gaius took a tour around Campania and Sicily
o His building program continued beyond the Straits of Messina
o A festival was given at Syracuse and the walls and temple
there were repaired
Germany and Britain
o Ancient sources depictions of him unreliable
o Suetonius criticizes his campaign for being spontaneous yet
he also says that Caligula held levies everywhere with the
utmost strictness and Dio states he had gathered anywhere
from 200,000 to 250,000 men, which is a contradiction in
itself because such a huge operation would have required
some sort of planning (p.40)
o Both of these sources agree that the march north was in a
haste, that the campaign was improbable and mention the
punishment of certain people but most importantly, both
claim nothing major was achieved
o Evidence suggests that the legions XV and XXII Primigeniae
were raised during the reign of Gaius; they were used early in
Claudius reign to hold the Rhine frontier while the more
established legions invaded Britain (p.42)
o All of this suggests that there were massive preparations by
Gaius and he definitely had a purpose (reason to the
madness)
o Historical sources avoid talking about the conspiracy of
Lepidus and Gaetucilus, which was probably the reason
Gaius sped up his efforts
o
9/22/2012 9:43:00 PM
Gaul (p.38)
Gaius fostered loyalty by visiting Gaul and holding auctions and an oratory
contest at Lugdunum
He incorporated them by letting Gauls into the equestrian order
He encouraged them to strive for citizenship and for their elites to move into
politics; he even promised certain cities citizenship (in a letter, which was
mentioned by Philo)
This can be seen as another progressive move and an advance in the social
history of the Empire

Public Administration
Caligula made many changes to governmental procedure, generally showing
a liberal and practical attitude
Early move to publish the accounts of the Empire. Hed be the last empire to
do so (honesty)
If Gaius had been bankrupt, why did he publish his accounts?

Suetonius says that Gaius added a 5
th
level of jurors to lighten the loads of
other jurors and gave magistrates unrestricted jurisdiction
5
th
level of jurors sped up cases
Unrestricted jurisdiction put more power into peoples institutions, which
coheres with the honesty and openness of his reign
Tried to restore voting rights to the comitia (electoral vote), which didnt
work because of the legacy of senate elections left by Tiberius (p.24)
Gaius eventually returned to senate elections
This was in line with Gaius attempt to involve the people more (liberal feel)
The move wouldve only angered the senate

Social Measures
Allowed the works of pro-Republicans to be reprinted, which goes along with
his liberal, progressive government
Recall of exiles, freeing of prisoners and dismissal of untried gave the roman
people a clean slate at the start of his reign
Gaius reopened guilds, which served social purposes
He tried to move away from the secret dealings that characterized Tiberius
reign to a more open one
Just because his policies werent continued after his death does not mean
they were unsound. In fact, when his successors revoked these acts, they
gained more power and there was less freedom for the people

Discussion (p.28)
Through his policies, we can see that he tried to court the people with many
games and antics, turning Rome into a carnival
Also tried to return to a more liberal age
He wanted to be the full and absolute power over Rome (p.29)
He tried to prove himself but ended up alienating the senate (p.30)
Historical sources are especially biased and hostile towards him
Little evidence of political incompetence
His policies were innovative, popular by the masses, and mostly
economically sound (being that he could afford to be lavish)
In the end, the emperor couldnt afford to fall out with the senate