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An AS of Caligula, the last coin I needed to have the 12 Caesars
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<p>[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4111748, member: 101855"]Earlier in the week I said that I had ordered an AS of Caligula, which was last Caesar I needed to have one coin from each of the first 12 Caesars. The concept of the 12 Caesars is inspired by <i>De Vita Caesarum (The Lives of the Caesars)</i> by Suetonius who was secretary to the Emperor Hadrian.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I did with the British kings, I have started a "bullet book" to help me remember at least of fraction of the history. Here is my new coin along with the text of that book.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is not overly rare, but almost all of them are ugly. This one is no exception, but the price was right. When another $1,000 doesn't add that much to the esthetics, the time has come to buy consider buying something that is half way decent.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067239[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1067240[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper AS of Caligula, Obverse, “C CAESAR AVG GERMANICUS PON M TR POT” Reverse, VESTA S C, Vesta seated holding a patera and scepter. Sear variety # 1803. The “S C” on the revers stands for “Senatus Consulto” by the consent of the Senate. The Caligula denarius is a scarce and expensive coin, which why I placed this AS in my collection instead.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Caligula’s real name was Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus. While his father was conducting his military campaigns in Germany, he acquired the nickname, Caligula, from the soldiers because of the small military boots he wore that were called “caligae.”</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067241[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>· Caligula was the great-grand son of both Mark Antony and Octavian. He was the youngest son of Germanicus and Agrippina Senior.</p><p><br /></p><p>· After his father died, his mother and his two older brothers moved to Rome. There they fell victim to the political ambitions of the praetorian prefect Sejanus. His mother and brothers were exiled and put to death, but he was spared because of his young age.</p><p><br /></p><p>· In 32 AD, he moved to Capreae where he became the constant companion of his great-uncle, Tiberius. He became the heir to the throne and became emperor when Tiberius died in 37 AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He showed promise of becoming a worthy emperor during the early months of his reign perhaps because of the influence of his grandmother, Antonia. Then he fell gravely ill. After he recovered, it seemed that he took on a different personality.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Caligula was odd, both mentally and physically. As a boy he suffered from “the falling sickness” which could have been epilepsy. As an adult he was very tall and thin and extremely pale. His neck and legs were very thin. His eyes and temples were hollow, and his forehead was broad and grim. He was nearly bald, but he had a great deal of body hair. Some said that he looked like goat. If he happened to hear that, it was a capital offense.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He manner was moody and inconsistent. He could jovial one minute and became petulant and angry the next. Speculations about his condition range from schizoid, schizophrenic or just a common alcoholic. Some have speculated that he suffered from lead poisoning caused by the lead water pipes that were used in Rome. He slept poorly and often had nightmares. He was known to wonder the halls of his residences at night seeking relief from his demons.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He was, however, a gifted speaker who knew Greek and Latin. It was said that he could compose erudite speeches almost off the cuff that required others spend hours compiling.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Caligula became a cruel and paranoid leader. Those who were around him feared for their lives. He disagreed sharply with the Senate and made many enemies.</p><p><br /></p><p>· The story that he once considered appointing his favorite horse to position in the government was probably more of a joke than reality.</p><p><br /></p><p>· His sexual appetites were said to perverse and violent. He was into homosexuality and sadomasochism.</p><p><br /></p><p>· The praetorian guard formed a plot to assassinate Caligula. On January 24, 41 AD, he was assassinated before guards loyal to him could intervene.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Much of the contemporary history that was written about Caligula was destroyed after his death. Most of what we know of his rule was written 80 to 180 years after his rule. Those histories emphasized the worst of his behavior. Still it is more than likely that Caligula was a deranged and violent person.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4111748, member: 101855"]Earlier in the week I said that I had ordered an AS of Caligula, which was last Caesar I needed to have one coin from each of the first 12 Caesars. The concept of the 12 Caesars is inspired by [I]De Vita Caesarum (The Lives of the Caesars)[/I] by Suetonius who was secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. As I did with the British kings, I have started a "bullet book" to help me remember at least of fraction of the history. Here is my new coin along with the text of that book. This coin is not overly rare, but almost all of them are ugly. This one is no exception, but the price was right. When another $1,000 doesn't add that much to the esthetics, the time has come to buy consider buying something that is half way decent. [ATTACH=full]1067239[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1067240[/ATTACH] Copper AS of Caligula, Obverse, “C CAESAR AVG GERMANICUS PON M TR POT” Reverse, VESTA S C, Vesta seated holding a patera and scepter. Sear variety # 1803. The “S C” on the revers stands for “Senatus Consulto” by the consent of the Senate. The Caligula denarius is a scarce and expensive coin, which why I placed this AS in my collection instead. · Caligula’s real name was Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus. While his father was conducting his military campaigns in Germany, he acquired the nickname, Caligula, from the soldiers because of the small military boots he wore that were called “caligae.” [ATTACH=full]1067241[/ATTACH] · Caligula was the great-grand son of both Mark Antony and Octavian. He was the youngest son of Germanicus and Agrippina Senior. · After his father died, his mother and his two older brothers moved to Rome. There they fell victim to the political ambitions of the praetorian prefect Sejanus. His mother and brothers were exiled and put to death, but he was spared because of his young age. · In 32 AD, he moved to Capreae where he became the constant companion of his great-uncle, Tiberius. He became the heir to the throne and became emperor when Tiberius died in 37 AD. · He showed promise of becoming a worthy emperor during the early months of his reign perhaps because of the influence of his grandmother, Antonia. Then he fell gravely ill. After he recovered, it seemed that he took on a different personality. · Caligula was odd, both mentally and physically. As a boy he suffered from “the falling sickness” which could have been epilepsy. As an adult he was very tall and thin and extremely pale. His neck and legs were very thin. His eyes and temples were hollow, and his forehead was broad and grim. He was nearly bald, but he had a great deal of body hair. Some said that he looked like goat. If he happened to hear that, it was a capital offense. · He manner was moody and inconsistent. He could jovial one minute and became petulant and angry the next. Speculations about his condition range from schizoid, schizophrenic or just a common alcoholic. Some have speculated that he suffered from lead poisoning caused by the lead water pipes that were used in Rome. He slept poorly and often had nightmares. He was known to wonder the halls of his residences at night seeking relief from his demons. · He was, however, a gifted speaker who knew Greek and Latin. It was said that he could compose erudite speeches almost off the cuff that required others spend hours compiling. · Caligula became a cruel and paranoid leader. Those who were around him feared for their lives. He disagreed sharply with the Senate and made many enemies. · The story that he once considered appointing his favorite horse to position in the government was probably more of a joke than reality. · His sexual appetites were said to perverse and violent. He was into homosexuality and sadomasochism. · The praetorian guard formed a plot to assassinate Caligula. On January 24, 41 AD, he was assassinated before guards loyal to him could intervene. · Much of the contemporary history that was written about Caligula was destroyed after his death. Most of what we know of his rule was written 80 to 180 years after his rule. Those histories emphasized the worst of his behavior. Still it is more than likely that Caligula was a deranged and violent person.[/QUOTE]
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An AS of Caligula, the last coin I needed to have the 12 Caesars
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