On This Day In Roman History, January 24
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, is attacked and assassinated while walking in a cryptoporticus located beneath the imperial palaces on January 24, 41 CE. The act was perpetrated by Cassius Chaerea, who along with an accompanying band of guardsmen, were successful in disposing of this controversial Emperor after a set of games held in his honor. These events were spurred on by Caligula's decision a year prior, which was to move from Rome to Alexandria in order to be worshiped as a living God. This was viewed as unacceptable by the Roman elite, who worried about what this loss of power from Rome meant for them.
Did you know?
The Roman historian Suetonius wrote to compare the similarities of Julius Caesar's and Caligula's death. They were both named Gaius Julius Caesar, and both stabbed 30 times as reported by Suetonius. Both assassinations and conspiracies were carried out by a man named Cassius (Cassius Longinus for the plot against Caesar), and both Cassius Longinus and Cassius Chaerea were the first to stab during the attack.
Pictured: The hull of one of two ships recovered from Lake Nemi during the 1930s. This massive vessel served as an elaborate floating palace to the Emperor. via Wikimedia Commons.
Suetonius also gives us a good description of these ships in their prime: "...they were filled with ample baths, galleries, and saloons, and supplied with a great variety of vines and fruit trees." These ships had no visible means of propulsion and were most likely towed out, either by ship or from ashore.
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! I couldn't get enough of these super yachts that Caligula had. They were essentially floating palaces, complete with gardens and baths. The Italians of the 1930's who found these vessels must have been in awe. The sheer scope of the ships can't be fully realized without seeing what immaculate structures surely arose from its decks. Someone should open a business and re-create one of these ships, and give little tours on it. I know I would pay big $ to see that.
Sources
Caligula's Nemi Ships. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2017, from https://www.abc.se/~pa/mar/nemships.htm
S., Thomson, A., & Forester, T. (1887). The lives of twelve Caesars: to which are added his Lives of the grammarians, rhetoricians, and poets. London: George Bell and Sons.
Further Reading:
Also on this day:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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