Of course my final sketch of a less than beloved Roman emperor had to be Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, now better known as Caligula, who ruled from 37-41AD. While he started out as a welcome relief to paranoia driven tyranny of his predecessor, Tiberius, we now know him for having upped the excess marker for royal living...at least we think we have, there are few surviving contemporary sources from his reign, and Romans had something of a habit of excessively denigrating the excess of those rulers they didn't care for. So whether he actually romped in the sack with his sisters or put his horse in public office, we may never know, but we do know that he made enough people to be murdered by his own guards. The name Caligula means "little boot", a nickname he earned from his father Germanicus' soldiers who had him made an unofficial mascot and dressed him in a miniature uniform.
Either later today or this weekend, look for a post on my latest painting which also features a less than beloved Roman emperor.
No comments:
Post a Comment