Sick Caesars: Madness and Malady in Imperial Rome

by Michael Grant

From the ascension of Augustus to the division of the eastern and western empires in 364, Sick Caesars investigates the illnesses that led to the rise and fall of the Roman emperors-and, to some extent, the Roman Empire itself. Continually plagued by plots and intrigues, the Caesars had every reason to live in fear and suspicion.

Michael Grant discusses how, aside from emotional anxieties, the emperors were visited by any number of diseases which the stress of their position seemed only to exacerbate. Alcoholism and epilepsy were two illnesses commonly shared by the Caesars, and the list of maladies goes on to include schizophrenia, hyperthyroidism, acute encephalitis, and congenital cerebral paralysis, to name just a few.

Their illnesses, both psychological and physical, helped shape the course of history: Aurelius probably would have invaded Germany had he not suffered from bad health, and Septimius Severus likely would have conquered the whole of Britain had his health not prevented him. The emotional disorders of the emperors run the gamut, from the mildly sadistic (Domitian was in the habit, in his free time, of pulling the wings off flies) to the bizarre (Caracalla was known to frequent brothels, driving out the prostitutes and prostituting himself in their place) to the frighteningly homicidal (Caligula stored the corpses of murdered women under his floorboards). Sick Caesars is an account, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, of men transformed, and more often deranged, by absolute power. Included are:

Julius Caesar Trajan Augustus Hadrian Tiberius MarcusAurelius Caligula Commodus Claudius Caracalla Domitian Diocletian Nerva Constantine

About the Author:
Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, Michael Grant is the author of dozens of books on the ancient and classical worlds, including: Guide to the Ancient World, The Twelve Caesars, Saint Peter, and The Ancient Historians.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Roman History, Ancient History, Biography

178 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2000

About the author

Michael Grant was an English classisist, numismatist, and author of numerous popular books on ancient history. His 1956 translation of Tacitus’s Annals of Imperial Rome remains a standard of the work. He once described himself as "one of the very few freelances in the field of ancient history: a rare phenomenon". As a popularizer, his hallmarks were his prolific output and his unwillingness to oversimplify or talk down to his readership.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Laura Leilani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Grant’s other books have been phenomenal, so I am perplexed as to why this one is so bad. It was repetitive, amateurish, poorly organized, and just an altogether terrible book.

There were so few facts! I understand that there isn’t much to go on, but at least make an effort! Claudius had a twitch, a limp and a few other symptoms. Tiberius had a skin disease. Wouldn’t you think there would be some medical opinions as to what the diagnosis could have been? Nope!

This could have been a good book. As it is, it’s 95 pages of the author rambling. I wonder if he tried writing this when he was retired? Some people lose mental clarity past a certain age. That’s the only reason I can come up with that would explain this disaster of a book from such a previously brilliant historian.

[Melisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the information that the author had about the medical conditions of the different Caesars. Yet, the book felt like it was lacking. I wanted to know more about each one. The actual life of each Caesar was just glazed over, I know this wasn't a history of their lives, but I was left feeling unsatisfied.

[CASPER HILEMAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief look at a cross-section of Roman rulers and their health. A very interesting survey of Caesars.

[Thomas Fortenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy fun. Can't beat the insanity of imperial life. Also good for a lot of hmmmm moments of modern recognition.

[Kyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

A small and strange book. It has far too many block quotes, to the degree that it is only vaguely "written." It feels more compiled. As a result, it does not make strong arguments, although it hints at some it might make.

It reads as a collection of very short essays collecting quotes about and offering some speculation on the health and sanity of Roman emperors. There are some wild and undefended claims, including a lot of confident commentary on minute aspects of personalities. My favorite among these is the claim that Augustus' worst affliction was his belief in the "pseudoscience" - a phrase that I think has no business in commentary about the ancient world - of astrology.

I like the idea of this book, and it would be exceptionally useful as a guide through the primary sources to study the health of emperors.

[Jordan Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Grant is a well regarded historian of the Roman Empire, but that’s definitely not because of this poorly written afterthought. This is a slapdash collection of half-explored biographies, personal anecdotes, and blatant self plagiarism. Each slight chapter is mostly composed of quotations (his own and other sources) which Grant feels the need to restate almost verbatim, CONSTANTLY. It’s embarrassing and juvenile and reads like a student paper trying to reach a word limit. It’s a shame because these are 2 of my favorite subjects. The combination of Roman history and medicine should be easy money, but Grant flubbed the execution. It does serve as an excellent primary source collection at least, and the maps and genealogy diagrams in the back are a great touch.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is super short, so it merely scratches the surface of what could be a longer study. It is quotation heavy, a combination of ancient and modern sources. It kind of feels like a missed opportunity for something greater, so I do hope that there are better, more extensive books on this subject.

[Lilly Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Interesting topic but I felt as though it fell flat. Astrology as a mental illness? Really? Maybe this book is just a product of its time or something. I did enjoy the illustrations and family trees at the back though.

[Marco Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of the book was fascinating but the execution was lackluster. There were little but vague overviews and the analysis of each ruler varied greatly in quality. Would recommend only as a light read and supplementary to other readings on Rome.

[Ryan Boggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy interesting quick read. Learned a few things, chuckled once or twice.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

See my review here:

https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...

[Troy Ancona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to "like" this book, and there were moments, (sections, or a chapter or two) that I did. That said, the book felt more like a school paper. Numerous quotes from other authors, which in many cases made me want to check out their works on this subject and abandon this one. Not only were there an extraordinary amounts of quotes from others, but the author often was quoting himself... Which to me seemed strange and overdone.

The book, which has 178 pages total, is actually only a little over 90 pages; the rest consist of resources, reference notes, and images as well as an overview of the main Caesars covered in the book. So at 90 pages this is a quick read.

While any lover of history will have strong opinions, this author seems to go overboard, in voicing his, going off on subjects such as astrology, and dreams / God. So as the author will state a few times, "skip the present passage..." If this offends..." So beware if you have strong views of such subjects.

The subject of "sick Caesars" fascinated me, looking back, it seemed rushed and incomplete. It is not without its merits though and was a very easy reading book for the most part. If you want an overview of the Caesars and what ailed them, then pick this up.... But if you have a deep love of history, especially Roman, when done you will probably feel like a rock skipping on the water and be left feeling not quite satisfied.

I could easily give this a three star rating, but dropped a star as I think this author was capable of much more.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, interesting to read. The book reinforced the concept that the peculiarities or sicknesses of people in power have a great effect on the course of history. But the author seems to have no respect for the opinions of his readers; he scorns Roman practices and culture often. Which I personally found annoying. It even seemed like he had written several books on Roman customs and history; was he has snide in his other books? If so, I wouldn't read them.

The illnesses in the Caesars seemed to have been passed on through hereditary. That's plausible. We all know that the royal families are obsessed with keeping their blood line "clean" and therefore genetic diseases are likely to show up. It's disgusting, it is.

[else fine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why it's so satisfying to read about Augustus Caesar's migraines, or the fact that battle so unnerved him that he'd have to lie down nursing his head until the fighting was over. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, this book gives a really fascinating medical history of the Caesars, though in many places Michael Grant is simply quoting himself from one of his other books, which felt somehow cheap. Also, he digresses into a couple of oddly vehement rants about the "disease" of believing in astrology, which seems to irritate him a truly irrational amount, aside from not being an actual medical condition. These minor issues aside, I enjoyed it a great deal.

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 of: Sick Caesars - Madness and Malady in Imperial Rome [Hardcover:]
Condition: Used - Good
Sold by: greatbuybooks_us £1.69

I would urge you to read Suetonius rather than Grant. This is just taking the medical snippets out of Grant's own Suetonius rip off, and he doesn't even have the decency to liven it up at all with a jest or jape.

I bought this as a fun powder room read but it may well go down the pan instead... duh-doh! Take for example Tiberius, a mere four sides took him from cradle to grave and nary a mention of illness.

[Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some accounts were good, however he contradicts himself by admitting that belief in astrology isn't a sickness (he claims probably 10-15 Caesars are sick this way).

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun. Gods of men who were anything but...