Caligula

A Biography

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, History, Ancient History
Cover of the book Caligula by Aloys Winterling, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Aloys Winterling ISBN: 9780520943148
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: September 1, 2011
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Aloys Winterling
ISBN: 9780520943148
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: September 1, 2011
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

The infamous emperor Caligula ruled Rome from A.D. 37 to 41 as a tyrant who ultimately became a monster. An exceptionally smart and cruelly witty man, Caligula made his contemporaries worship him as a god. He drank pearls dissolved in vinegar and ate food covered in gold leaf. He forced men and women of high rank to have sex with him, turned part of his palace into a brothel, and committed incest with his sisters. He wanted to make his horse a consul. Torture and executions were the order of the day. Both modern and ancient interpretations have concluded from this alleged evidence that Caligula was insane. But was he?

This biography tells a different story of the well-known emperor. In a deft account written for a general audience, Aloys Winterling opens a new perspective on the man and his times. Basing Caligula on a thorough new assessment of the ancient sources, he sets the emperor's story into the context of the political system and the changing relations between the senate and the emperor during Caligula's time and finds a new rationality explaining his notorious brutality.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The infamous emperor Caligula ruled Rome from A.D. 37 to 41 as a tyrant who ultimately became a monster. An exceptionally smart and cruelly witty man, Caligula made his contemporaries worship him as a god. He drank pearls dissolved in vinegar and ate food covered in gold leaf. He forced men and women of high rank to have sex with him, turned part of his palace into a brothel, and committed incest with his sisters. He wanted to make his horse a consul. Torture and executions were the order of the day. Both modern and ancient interpretations have concluded from this alleged evidence that Caligula was insane. But was he?

This biography tells a different story of the well-known emperor. In a deft account written for a general audience, Aloys Winterling opens a new perspective on the man and his times. Basing Caligula on a thorough new assessment of the ancient sources, he sets the emperor's story into the context of the political system and the changing relations between the senate and the emperor during Caligula's time and finds a new rationality explaining his notorious brutality.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Working Skin by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Playing to Win by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Life in Mexico by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Postmodern Winemaking by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Breaking Bread by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Trans Kids by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Unsettled by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Cinema's Military Industrial Complex by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Los Angeles in the 1930s by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Race and America's Long War by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Slave Next Door by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book The Animated Man by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Making Los Angeles Home by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Politicking and Emergent Media by Aloys Winterling
Cover of the book Speaking to History by Aloys Winterling
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy