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Edited on Sat Sep-23-06 09:17 AM by autorank
Downward spiral
Outlandish stories cluster about the raving emperor, illustrating his excessive cruelty, and... disrespect toward tradition and the Senate.
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He comes across as aloof, arrogant, egotistical, and is generally portrayed as insane. He is said to have cried "I wish the Roman people had but a single neck" when an arena crowd applauded a faction he opposed. It is also said that when there were not enough convicts to fight lions & tigers in arena, he threw in some spectators ... he often uttered "Let them hate me, so long as they fear me"
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What is documented is that he declared himself a living god
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... Philo, author of Legatio ad Caium ("embassy to Caius") and leader of a delegation sent to Caligula to seek relief from persecution by Alexandrian Greeks, claimed that the emperor was no more than a vicious jokester. Based on the contemporary reports of his behavior, modern psychology would likely diagnose Caligula as delusional, and possibly suffering from antisocial personality disorder as a result of his traumatic upbringing.
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