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Caligula - Sex and Sexual Perversions

Abstract

Caligula was sexually active from an early age and according to Suetonius had a strong libido which bordered on perversion. Cassius Dio is not nearly as graphical as Suetonius in his biography of Caligula but makes reference to incest, prostitution and adultery along the way. Did Suetonius sensationalize the sex for his own purposes or was it that Suetonius and Cassius Dio were writing biographies at different times in history, noting that Cassius Dio's version would be more contempreneous than Suetonius'. Other's have suggested that the sexual perversions, although they undoubtedly existed, were more of a metaphor for poor government. Called in those days Invective, it was the practice of libelling others and many prominent Romans besides Caligula were tainted by it. Earlier in his career Julius Caesar had applied to him the epithet The Queen of Bithynia. Cicero charges Publius Clodius Pulcher of incest with his sister and also charges Sextus Cloelius with performing cunnilingus on menstruating women (Dom.10.25) Sexual invective was routinely applied to important people (Seneca, Controv. 1.2.23), as if they were “so powerful that…” they were automatically imagined as trespassing all moral boundaries.Sex in the Ancient World from A-Z - J.G. Younger

Incest is one case in point. Incest was frowned against in Ancient Rome and often charges of incest were made to attack and destabilize a political opponent. Could some of the stories about Caligula be tittle-tattle? Mary Beard thinks so Of course, we can never be sure whether the tales of incest with his sisters are true (it’s hard enough to know what your neighbours get up to in the bedroom; it’s nigh on impossible to know what went on in the Roman imperial bedroom 2,000 years ago [1]. Although, some of the descriptions may have been exaggerated it is possible that he did enjoy sexual relations with his sisters, especially Drusilla and later had his other sisters banished perhaps to hush up the sexual exploits.

We should not forget that, increasingly, Caligula did not see himself like mortal men but that of a divine god. In such a frame of mind he was not subject to the same natural or criminal laws and could point to many examples in mythology where incestuous relationships existed. Even in more contemporary times the Egyptian royal families were rife with inbreeding in order to safeguard the royal Ptolemy lineage falling outside of the family. It also kept potentially warring siblings from murdering each other if they had children as a product of an incestuous sexual relationship.

The pharaohs of Egypt commonly MARRIED their full sister, and the Ptolemies of Egypt continued this custom (Montserrat 1996, 80–105; Ogden 1999). Sex in the Ancient World from A-Z - J.G. Younger


Maybe politics and history did not play as big a part in his incestuous relationships. Just possibly he had a prediliction for it. It is said that he first had sex with his sister whilst still a boy. In his position he may have had an urge and decided to satisfy it knowing that it was unlikely he would be sanctioned for it. Because of our 21st century sensibilities we find incest morally disagreeable, which may lead us to be very skeptical about his incestuous affairs but in other times we may have accepted it without much deliberation. Nevertheless proof proving or disproving incest is not and could never be available so we can make our own minds up.


Incest

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