Why Caligula Gets It - How This Roman Ruler Got Things Done

Taking a look into ancient writings and accounts gives modern historians the perspectives and traditions of people that allow us to see patterns that cross cultures and geographical boundaries. While the telling of events may be manipulated by a king with a large ego or a religious writer obsessed with pleasing the gods, these accounts still add to the knowledge we have of ancient civilizations and their inner workings. Looking at ancient religious texts from Mesopotamia which provide life account of Roman ruler Caligula, we can discern the similarities to other cultures in other times. We do this through an examination of how these ancient people viewed the worlds around them and how their morality and fears are similar to those of their modern day ancestors.

The ancient people of Mesopotamia, the first ancient city, were looking for an answer to the world around them, much like many of us are today. A simple story they created showing how man came into being is still reflected in many other religions that have survived to this day including Christianity, Judaism and Islamic faiths.

According to early Mesopotamian writings, the old Gods were working night and day, but they were overburdened. In response to this burden, they created the young gods, the Igigi, to help them carry the day to day burden. The Igigi also found the work too much to bear, and decided to confront the Gods over this (Atrahasis 9-10). A decision was made to create a creature to do the gods bidding and let this creature "bear the load of the gods!" (Atrahasis 15). The womb goddess, Mami, decided that she would create man, which was done first killing a god, then taking the blood of the god and mixing it with clay. Thus, man was born (Atrahasis 15). Ilawela was the first god to be killed, who possessed great intelligence.

Then the great gods spit upon the clay. This clay was then divided into 14 pieces, to create 7 men and 7 women (Atrahasis 16). Now that the gods had man, their great work burden could be relieved. The humans that the gods created reproduced in great numbers. Soon, their numbers had grown to numerous proportions and their noise began to annoy the gods. The first step to deal with the problem was to plague the humans with disease.(Atrahasis 18-20). Disease did not prove to be enough and the noise of man still irritated the gods. So, a second measure was taken, this time causing a food and water famine to silence man (Atrahasis 20).

Still, this was not enough to quiet the noise of man. When none of these measures worked, it was decided that a great flood would take place. Here, the reader sees a flood story very similar to that found in the books of Moses. The god Enki decided to warn Atrahasis, who built a boat to protect himself from the great flood. Like the biblical tale, Atrahasis boarded with his family and animals, so as to repopulate the earth after the flood waters had ceased (Atrahasis 29-31).

The god Ellil was furious with Enki for defying him. Enki explains that he defied Ellil because he felt that life should be preserved (Atrahasis 34). Ellil and the other gods eventually decided that controlling mans population numbers based on child birth means would ultimately allow them to live harmoniously with the noise of mankind.

The ancient Egyptians recorded their history with elaborate pictures called hieroglyphs. The finding of the Rosetta Stone would allow historians to discover the meanings of these ancient texts and provided an inside window into Egyptian life. By analyzing the writings on a tomb, we can see how Egyptian eulogies differed slightly from those of today. An individual's triumphs are exaggerated, while their failures and flaws are rarely bought forth.

Harkhuf was a governor of Ancient Egypt. The autobiography of his life was found on the walls of his tomb. Above the entrance to the tomb were hieroglyphs introducing the great governor, followed by a short verse with a warning to anyone who may enter his tomb. This message, written in first person, tells of Harkhuf's achievements, including giving bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, land to the landless, etc (Harkhuf 24).

On the left and right side of the tomb were more praises of Harkhuf's conquest in life. Here we are told of how Harkhuf brought the produce of foreign enemies to Egypt. It also tells of how Harkhuf was sent as a foreign diplomat to Yam, greatly benefiting his country by making diplomatic ties with its neighbor. The second king Harkhuf served, the boy Pepy II, eagerly awaited Harkhuf's return from the Nubian territories, and wanted to see a dancing pygmy that Harkhuf had obtained (Harkhuf 27).

Despite this insight into Harkhuf's life, we are still presented with a very one sided account of his actions. This memorial makes him look flawless, as appears to be common in other Egyptian writings as well.

The ancient writings telling of Ramesses II and the battle of Qadesh show a mighty king, often laid out to the readers as a hero without equal. This ancient account of the battle seems to show Ramesses as the sole brave warrior, while his men were to cowardice to face the enemy. He alone won this battle, according to his own words, where he himself fought like a God (Ramesses 5-7). He takes all the credit for his victories, giving none to his men or any of the others who most likely died in this fight. This account of the battle is full of the pharaohs own egotistical nature. He sees himself incredibly mighty and does not honor the men who probably lost their lives in reality fighting a foreign enemy for his own personal gains, adding to his ego and empire.

The ancient Egyptian account of a royal marriage to unite Hatti and Egypt is written in similar fashion to the account of the Battle of Qadesh. Again Ramesses is shown as ruler with no equal. The writings again resemble that of a propaganda pamphlet. According to this account, the rulers of Hatti felt they had no other way to appease the gods and protect their lands so they offered the kings daughter as a peace offering (Ramesses II 93). Further, their land was destroyed and its people were dying. The account of the tale shows that it was the rulers of Hatti who saw this as a means of resolving their problems with the Egyptians. The problem is that this record of history is written by Egyptians, who again glorify their own graceless in line after line of the text.

Pliny the Elders description of Central Asia and China in The Natural History shows a style that depicts bigotry as an active imagination. In one count, he claims that the Scythian people were cannibals, when this is not known to be true even today (162). He describes the process of refining silk as well, which he thinks is wool. Pliny also takes note that these people are afraid of the Romans and not interested in contact with the outside world. Overall, Pliny's writings ring as historical fiction more than fact. They ring with the tones of Homers Odyssey rather than that of a serious historian.

By the time of the great Roman Empire, we see that writing has become much more democratic. Here the author of the 12 Caesars clearly attacks the legacy of the ruler Caligula. Unlike the Egyptians, the opinions of the people are now more clearly stated. Caligula is described as being "brutal" and "vicious" according to the account in The Twelve Caesars. He is described as taking great pleasure in watching tortures and executions. Also, we are told that he enjoys having sex with many different partners. (12 Caesars 155).

Gladiator competitions were one of Caligula's favorite pastimes, along with theatrical performances and banquets (12 Caesars 159). His sex crazed, bloodthirsty nature is well preserved in this account. Known for a man who would make ones own family attend their execution, Caligula has become a modern figure of decadence and over consumption. Whether Caligula was a monster or not is fit for interpretation. While many of his actions may resemble that of one with little or no moral fiber, Caligula was a ruler in his youth, which may have played some hand in this. His immaturity and great power may have led poor decisions on his behalf. So, while his actions may seem inappropriate to others, to Caligula himself they were probably not out of the realm of ordinary. After all, power corrupts.

Throughout time, man has seen a need for trying to document the world around them. In ancient times pictures were used to convey the events that occurred, or perhaps the reason the sun crossed over the sky each day. As time went on, writing styles changed. As times grew more modern, unique voices began to emerge with competitors to challenge their words with a history of their own. Writing became a more well preserved art and we are able to get a much clearer picture of what has happened before us, and perhaps some foreshadowing on what is to come.