4/26/12 Gaius “Caligula” (reigns 37-­‐41 AD) •  Son of popular Germanicus and Elder Agrippina •  Direct descendant of Livia, Aug., Agrippa & Antony •  Sources tell of catastrophic reign marked by unrestrained shows of autocraNc power and humiliaNon of senate Goodbye Caligula, Hello Claudius! •  Jan. 4 of 41 AD: praetorian guards kill Caligula, his wife, & baby daughter •  Senate meets and debates –  Restore Republic? Name another princeps? •  But real power lies with Praetorian Guard, who proclaim Claudius princeps (41-­‐54 AD) –  DonaNve to the praetorian guard secures power –  Claudius the fool vs. Claudius the genius? Caligula supposedly insane, but take w/grain of salt: –  Young & inexperienced (sickly) –  Executes Tiberius’ grandson, Tiberius Gemellus –  Sings, performs, races chariots, & fights in spectacles –  Conquers Neptune during non-­‐invasion of Britain?? –  Race-­‐horse as consul? –  Dresses as gods & goddesses; living god! –  Drives chariot over Bay of Naples –  Alexander the Great breastplate –  Shuts granaries for no reason? Claudius •  treats senate with respect (a`er purges) –  but adds Gauls •  centralizes imperial administraNon: –  new treasury –  revamped courts –  Restructured grain supply –  adds imperial offices for freedmen as bureaucrats •  conquest of Britain (AD 43-­‐4) 1 4/26/12 A new “New Golden Age”? •  wives and kids: –  Messalina (takes 2nd husband) –  2 kids: Octavia & Brieanicus –  Marries niece Younger Agrippina (mother of Nero) –  Claudius’ step-­‐son Nero becomes son-­‐in-­‐law: Once Nero designated successor, Claudius dies… –  Poisoned mushrooms (food of the gods)? •  16 year old Nero succeeds Claudius as princeps in 54 AD •  promises a new “Augustan” age of peace, prosperity, & culture •  $$ to senators •  lowers taxes •  Bread and Circuses •  Agrippina, Seneca, & Burrus •  Seneca's Apocolocyntosis: PumpkinificaNon of Divine Claudius Nero and Seneca, Eduardo Barrón, 1904 Supposedly: Extravagance growing out of control •  Sumptuous banquets last night (someNmes on floaNng EgypNan barges with noblewomen posing as prosNtutes along shore??) •  Bankrupts Roman Empire with his spending •  Rumored sexual escapades break all norms: –  Incest with mother Agrippina –  Both acNve and passive in the bedroom –  defiling Vestals –  Worse than adultery: while married to his various wives, stages two different marriage ceremonies to freedmen (one as bride; one as groom) 2 4/26/12 Notable Murders and execuNons: • 
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Nero’s theatrical obsession: confusion of reality and role-­‐play Nero is poet, singer, actor, lyre-­‐player, charioteer, dancer –  Neronia 60 & 65 (Greek style art and sport compeNNon) –  Senate upset at emperor’s display; but public delighted! –  Acts in tragedies of Orestes, Oedipus, AnNgone, & Thyestes (mask w/his own face or Poppea’s)! –  Goes to Greece: wins all fesNvals, incl. Olympics, 66-­‐67AD –  triumph at Rome for his “victories” in Greek fesNvals; uses Augustus’ triumphal chariot! –  Anxiety about singing voice = refusal to address troops, even in last days when truly in danger -­‐-­‐ Qualis ar5fex pereo! Brieanicus 54 AD His mother, Agrippina 59 AD First wife, Octavia 62 AD Second wife, Poppaea Sabina and his stepson Burrus 63 AD Seneca, Lucan, Petronius et al. forced to commit suicide in wake of Pisonian conspiracy 65 AD Great Fire of Rome: July 19, 64 AD •  Did Nero do it? Praetorian guard accuses him of arson –  All 3 ancient sources (Dio, Suetonius, Tacitus) report the current rumor that Nero had burned Rome. Only Tacitus qualifies it as rumor. –  Coincidence? July 19 = sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 BC (418 days, months, and years have gone by) –  Wanted to rename city Neropolis (Hellenizing) –  Builds Domus Aurea: Golden Palace, taking up most of downtown Rome, which had burned –  What do we make of the rumor that Nero sang of Troy while Rome burned? –  Scapegoat? The ChrisNans are persecuted (inc. Peter and Paul) 3 4/26/12 Domus Aurea Golden Palace The end for Nero •  SNll, Nero loved by many people (though hated by senate) •  The loss of the army’s support is last straw –  Revolts in Gaul and Judea while Nero on Greek tour; Nero ignores it. Revolt spreads to Spain; Nero ignores it & refuses to address soldiers or senate –  When he finally convenes leaders and senate, it is to test out sound of new water-­‐organ –  Eventually, senate feels secure enough to declare him a public enemy; Nero’s slave helps him commit suicide –  BUT: SighNngs of Nero conNnue and men claiming to be Nero turned up now and then for next 20 years Nero as anN-­‐Christ •  In apocalypNc RevelaNon of John, Nero is the “second beast”: “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the [second] beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (13:18) •  “Neron Caesar” in Hebrew is wrieen in leeers whose numerical values equal 666 (nrwn qsr, 50 + 200 + 6 + 50 + 100 + 60 + 200) •  If the LaNn (rather than the Greek) spelling "Nero Caesar" is transliterated into Hebrew (nrw qsr), the final "n" in Neron being omieed (and its value of 50), the name = 616, which is number indicated in oldest surviving copy of the New Testament QuesNon to Think About: •  Legends of bad emperors become powerful myth. •  When we cannot determine the exact reality behind the myth, we can sNll ask how the story itself makes sense and works in the cultural discourse – analyze it as though it were myth •  What aspects keep turning up in the “myth” of every bad emperor? Do any of them surprise you? 4