Caligula: Emperor of Rome

by Arther Ferrill

Traces the life and brief reign of the tyrannical Emperor Caligula, describing how the dynastic intrigues and constant upheavals of his youth resulted in his unbalanced mental state as an adult

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1991

About the author

Arther Ferrill, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Washington at Seattle, is also a respected expert on Ancient Rome and military history. He has written four books and is a regular contributor to The Quarterly Journal of Military History and other periodicals as an author and in review of other authors. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1964.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As repeatedly noted by the author, the life of Caligula, Roman emperor for just under four years, is much disputed. His approach is to take the classical sources--Suetonius, Philo, Tacitus, Dio, Seneca--seriously while other modern scholars have tended to regard them as untrustworthy, often simply because the ancient descriptions of Caligula's behaviors are too outrageous to be believed. For them, the critics were of the elites in a polity where a popular, but unprepared emperor challenged, ridiculed or ignored conservative traditions. For Ferrill, however, Caligula was simply insane.

Whatever the case, having read one of the modern apologies for Caligula and much of the ancient critique, I found Ferrill's study to be refreshingly direct and contentious. As an introduction to the material it is to be recommended--but then read the sources and some of the contemporary apologetics.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

a well done biography on Caligula the crazy. No, it isn’t penthouse propaganda.

The book has plenty of good commentary on Caligula’s life, including some interesting psychohistory—though in a scholarly manner—and early childhood history indicating where his madness had its origins. I liked learning about his early days as well as his days as Emperor, I think Ferrell did a great job laying out Caligulas life in an honest, unbiased manner.

A good read for those interested in the eccentric history of Imperial Rome

[Massimo Venegoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una lettura decente, basata principalmente sui resoconti di Svetonio e, talvolta, Seneca ed altri.

Ferril dipinge un'immagine di Caligola decisamente negativa, descrivendolo come un megalomane di insignificante importanza storica, ma anche cercando di giustificarne la pazzia considerando i traumi infantili del giovane orincioe.

In questo modo, l'autore rifugge l'idea di altri storici contemporanei di cercare di razionalizzare alcune delle sue azioni. Probabilmente un comportamento non privo di una sua semplice saggezza, applicabile anche al giorno d'oggi.

Stile piuttosto diretto ed elementare, non so se a causa dello stesso autore o dei traduttori di questa edizione.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great history of Caligula. I like how Ferrill took the time to explain other historians points of views and why he did or didn't agree. He did a great job of explaining why he might give weight to an ancient source on one topic but not so much on the other. Caligula is an intriguing figure in history and I think we can all agree that he was not mentally stable. I don't think that he was the nuttiest of the bunch, and there's some good competition, but because he came so close after Julius Caesar and Augustus, a lot of his madness is magnified in comparison.

[Lucas Tamargo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se trata de una reacción a autores como Barrett o Winterling. Ante un supuesto blanqueamiento del personaje por los historiadores actuales (en cierta medida es cierto), Ferrill responde con una crítica conservadora que se apega, en mi opinión excesivamente, a lo que nos dicen Suetonio o Dión Casio, partiendo del principio de que Gaio estaba loco y sus actos no responden a motivos racionales.
A pesar de lo discutible de su postura, es una obra académica ejecutada con rigor y buen conocimiento de las fuentes clásicas y la bibliografía actual.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book on the short reign of Caligula. I had read before that he hated to hear any mention of goats as he was hairy and mocked as "a goat" behind his back. The fact that Jews were allowed their own money as they refused to accept Roman currency due to religious preferences.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather engaging while one reads it; however, I am unsure of the veracity of some of the accounts. Knowing whether or not certain life events of the subject are true is bound to be a problem for any biographer. However, stories about Caligula tend to be so outrageous and so varied that one would want very much to not only get them right, but perhaps err on the conservative side.

That being said, this is not a book for people looking for the most depraved aspects of Caligula; however, while reading the book I found myself wondering whether or not certain happenings in the book were genuine and again, who can verify the accounts with 100% accuracy?

Speaking for stories that emerge from any palace, however, the author points out it is difficult to know if such stories are true. He also points out that some (true?) rumors may have been spread on purpose in order to keep palace life "in the news," so to speak.

[Shea Mastison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caligula, as a totalitarian ruler, in many ways foreshadows the ones who came after him. Political assassinations, capricious application of the law, crony-based economics, etc.; all just part and parcel of a highly centralized and intrusive government with a disturbed or ruthless individual at its helm.

Nowadays, people seem to revel in the sheer indecency of rulers like Caligula. Nearly everyone has heard the rumor about how he appointed his horse to a government post; or how he would force the families of his victims to come to dinner with him, as he taunted them about the agonies that their relatives had to undergo at his pleasure. Sadly, what many people seem incapable of remembering, is that totalitarianism has an almost magnetic ability to sway people with a lot of accumulated social power.

This book is geared less toward scandal, and more toward documented history. If that's your thing, it couldn't hurt to check this out.

[Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (born A.D. 12, died A.D. 41) was more commonly known by his nickname "Caligula". He was the 3rd Emperor (preceded by Augustus, then Tiberius) and was assassinated after a four year reign. "There are few surviving sources on Caligula's reign, and although he is described as a noble and moderate ruler during the first two years...after this, most sources focus upon his cruelty, extravagance, and sexual perversity, presenting him as an insane tyrant."
- an interesting biography