Reece Period attributed: Period 1
Member of the Julio-Claudians dynasty.
Coins for this issuer were issued from 37 until 41.
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 - January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41. Known for his extreme extravagance, eccentricity, depravity and cruelty, he is remembered as a despot. He was assassinated in 41 by several of his own guards.
The Roman historian Suetonius referred to Caligula as a "monster", and the surviving sources are universal in their condemnation. One popular tale, often cited as an example of his insanity and tyranny, is that Caligula appointed his favorite horse, Incitatus, to a seat on the senate and attempted to appoint it to the position of consul. The story, however, owes its unrelenting currency to its charm: it is based on a single misunderstood near-contemporary reference, in which Suetonius merely repeats an unattributed rumour that Caligula was thinking about doing it (Suet. Cal. 55.3).
Caligula is often alleged to have had incestuous relationships with his sisters, most notably his younger sister Drusilla, but there is no credible evidence to support such claims either. In short, the surviving sources are filled with anecdotes of Caligula's cruelty and insanity rather than an actual account of his reign, making any reconstruction of his time as Princeps nearly impossible. What does survive is the picture of a depraved, hedonistic ruler, an image that has made Caligula one of the most widely recognizable, if poorly documented, of all the Roman Emperors; the name "Caligula" itself has become synonymous with wanton hedonism, cruelty, tyranny, and insanity.
We have recorded 42 examples.
Record: WILT-53EEE9
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: This coin was found in the same vicinity a…
Workflow: Published
Record: WREX-64F355
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: Silver denarius of Caligula (AD 37-41), da…
Workflow: Published
Record: WMID-DE3FC0
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: A Roman silver denarius of Caligula …
Workflow: Published
Record: IOW-31EDD4
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: A complete and worn Roman copper-alloy as …
Workflow: Published
View all coins recorded by the scheme attributed to Caligula.
This video has been embedded from Adrian Murdoch's series of podcasts on the Emperors of Rome. Many thanks to him for allowing us to use these podcasts.