Caligula #9 – The Ships of Nemi
The Nemi ships were two pleasure barges, one larger than the other, built under Caligula at Lake Nemi. Although there were several attempts to recover them from the 15th century onwards, it wasn’t until 1929 that Mussolini ordered the whole of Lake Nemi would be...
Caligula #8 – Shamelessness
According to Suetonius, Caligula was quite proud of his “adiatrepsia” – shamelessness. He lived in habitual incest with all his sisters and was especially fond of Drusilla. He made her divorce her first husband and marry his friend and lover Marcus...
Caligula #7 – Going Back To Cali
How does a 24 year old kid, who’s never even been on a battlefield, let alone lead an army to victory, get declared “imperator”? How would you handle it if you were granted ius arbitriumque omnium rerum (‘power and authority over all things’) and...
Caligula #6 – The Maccabees
One of the other first things Caligula did when he took power was to release Herod Agrippa from jail – King Herod from the New Testament. The grandson of Herod the Great. Which all gives me an excuse to talk about The Maccabean Revolt and a short history on...
Caligula #5 – Caligula’s Popularity
By all accounts, Caligula was extremely popular with the people, as his father, Germanicus, had been. Suetonius reports that Caligula was “the emperor most earnestly desired”. When he entered Rome, the celebrations are said to have gone on for almost three months, and...
Caligula #4 – Monster or Misunderstood?
We all think we know something of the story of Caligula. We have a picture of him as a destructive monster, an insane sadist. But truth is rarely that simple. Let’s take a look at the sources and their individual biases. And let’s keep in mind...
Caligula #3 – The Movie (Part 3)
We continue and finish our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, Caligula is fisting the married couple and he doesn’t even remove his ring. A dark and stormy night leads to night terrors, a super hot threesome...
Caligula #2 – The Movie (Part 2)
We continue our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, still in Tiberius’ sex palace on Capri, with a lady holding a writhing legless lizard that she is apparently about to place inside her woo-hoo. Around the 18...
Caligula #1 – The Movie (Part 1)
To kick off our Caligula series, we are doing a commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Written by Gore Vidal, directed by Tinto Brass, produced by Bob Guccione, starring Malcolm McDowell, Hellen Mirren, Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud, Teresa Ann Savoy,...
#40 – I’M NOT DEAD YET
In March 37 CE, aged seventy-seven years, four months, and nine days, of which time he had been emperor twenty-two years, seven months, and seven days, Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti filius Augustus fell ill and died. OR DID HE? ...
#39 – The Death Of Agrippina
The death of Agrippina came soon after that of her son. There are more majestas trials, trouble with the Parthians, and, despite the assurance from his favourite astrologer that he had many years left, Tiberius addresses his own mortality. With Drusus dead, the only...
#38 – The Crash Of Rome
Tiberius runs amok. Usury runs rampant. Drusus chews the stuffing. http://media.blubrry.com/caesar/p/traffic.libsyn.com/lifeofcaesar/Tibbo_38.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:08 — 91.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google...
#37 – Secret Orgies
We go into more detail about Tiberius’ sex palace than you ever wanted or needed to know. Honestly, you’ll probably regret listening to this episode. Maybe skip this one if you have a sensitive disposition. Who am I kidding? We weeded out the pussies a...
The Papa Bear Beat
When Ray’s away, the Cam doth play. http://media.blubrry.com/caesar/p/traffic.libsyn.com/lifeofcaesar/Papa_Bear.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:11 — 2.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS |...
#36 – The Fall Of Sejanus
Sejanus decided to remove the next in line of Germanicus’ heirs, Drusus, and finally married Livia Julia, the widow of the other Drusus, son of Tiberius. He also became Tiberius’ official partner in power – in 31CE Tiberius took his fifth consulship, with...
#35 – Unnatural Passions
Shortly after Livia’s death, Tibbo wrote a letter to the senate attacking both Agrippina and Nero. They were prosecuted by Aulus Avillius Flaccus – the future prefect of Egypt, which leads Cam into a sidenote about Flaccus’ treatment of the Jews in...
#34 – Vale Livia
With Tiberius safely ensconced in his sex dungeon on Capri, Sejanus goes after more friends of Agrippina, starting with one of Germanicus’ generals, Titius Sabinus. About the same time, Julia The Younger, Augustus’ grand-daughter, finally died, after being in...
#33 – Tibbo Out! – Tiberius
In the year 26, Sejanus went after Agrippina again, this time by attacking her close friend and cousin, Claudia Pulchra, who was accused of adultery and treason. Agrippina loses her shit and gets all up in Tiberius’ face in public. In the same year, Tibbo...
#32 – The C*ck Bl*ck – Tiberius
Even as late as 24 CE, Tiberius seems to be mostly rational, although his view on majestas was hardening. He refused to allow Further Spain to erect a temple to himself and his mother. And when Sejanus asked for permission to marry Livia Julia, Drusus’ widow,...
Guess who?
“Yet, being the sort of man I was, I did not hesitate to brave the wildest storms and almost the very thunderbolts themselves to protect my countrymen, and, by risking my own life, to win peace and security for the rest.”