Emperors of Rome | The Mad Emperor? Caligula (Lecture 10)

Lecture 10. In this lecture, we survey the stories told in the sources about Caligula, which tend to portray him as deranged. But was Caligula insane? We examine different modern approaches to addressing this issue, with particular reference to two stories often reckoned to be key: the bridge at Baiae and the abortive “invasion” of Britain. The testimony of Philo of Alexandria, who went on an embassy to Caligula in 39/40, is pivotal because it is an eyewitness account from a hostile observer. Philo shows us a man both cruel and capricious but not insane.

Essential Reading:
Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 59.
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, books 18–19.
Suetonius, Life of Caligula, Life of Claudius.

Supplementary Reading:
Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power.
DIR, “Gaius Caligula.”
Ferrill, Caligula, Emperor of Rome.