Caligula

May 30, 2011
In this lively biography of Rome's infamous third emperor, readers will not find the wild-eyed dictator the public has, for nearly two millennia, come to expect. Offering not an apology for the "mad" emperor but a thoughtful argument for his sanity, Winterling, ancient history professor at the University of Basel, Switzerland (Aula Caesaris), debunks Caligula's most grotesque and oft repeated crimes. Accounts of his incestuous relationship with his sisters and his creation of a brothel on palace grounds (with senators' wives as prostitutes) were slander by biased historical sources such as Suetonius. Caligula's supposed plan to appoint his favorite race horse as consul (the highest ranking position below emperor) and his claim to be in direct contact with various gods, says Winterling, were cruel jokes misinterpreted over time. The emperor's crossing of the Bay of Baiae on a bridge of ships was not an expensive folly but an unprecedented display of power to the Germanic tribes he was targeting. Like a police interrogator, Winterling plays his ancient sources off each other, identifying holes in their accounts, "blatant contradictions," and conflicts of interest. In this brisk and well-measured biography, Caligula emerges a troubled and cruel man, but not a crazy one. Photos.

June 1, 2011
A Swiss professor of ancient history presents Roman emperor Caligula in a new light in this revisionist but concise portrait geared to the general reader. Caligula assumed the imperial mantle at age 24, upon the death of Tiberius, his adopted grandfather. Throughout Roman history, the path to the throne proved a risky business, and on the other side of the slippery slope, removal from the seat of power could happen at any moment and with varying degrees of violence. That usual pattern of rough play was certainly the rule in Caligula's advent to and topple from the throne. Plus, a major element of Caligula's imperial story is the issue of insanity. His uncontrolled nature was extreme even for those immoderate times, and Caligula has borne, from his day onward, the reputation of lunatic despot. Winterling seeks balance and accuracy in his personality assessment. As he explains it, the insanity charge evolved from Caligula's humiliation of the Roman aristocracy in his drive to set aside the myth that the office of emperor did not actually indicate absolute monarchy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)