Mad Kings & Queens: Raving Royals and How To Survive Them (Wednesday, 2nd Period)

[atreideslioness]

When class started today, Ghanima did a quick count to see who was back, and who may have dropped. Once that was accomplished, she gave them all a bright smile.

"Today, we start near the beginning," she said. "Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more commonly known by his nickname Caligula, was the third emperor of the Roman Empire, and a

Comments

Discussion: Mentally Ill, Physically Ill, or Propoganda?

[atreideslioness]

"All surviving sources, except Pliny the Elder, characterize Caligula as insane," Ghanima said crisply. "However it is not known whether they are speaking figuratively or literally. Additionally, given Caligula's unpopularity among the surviving sources, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Recent sources are divided in attempting to ascribe a medical reason for Caligula's behavior, citing as possibilities encephalitis, epilepsy or meningitis. The question of whether or not Caligula was insane remains unanswered."

"Suetonius said that Caligula suffered from "falling sickness" when he was young, and modern historians have theorized that Caligula lived with a daily fear of seizures. One 'proof' of this is that despite swimming being a part of imperial education, Caligula could not swim. Epileptics are encouraged not to swim because light reflecting off water can induce seizures. Additionally, Caligula reportedly talked to the full moon, and epilepsy was also long associated with the moon.

"Yet other modern historians think that Caligula suffered from hyperthyroidism. This diagnosis is mainly attributed to Caligula's irritability and his "stare" as described by Pliny the Elder."

"I'd like you to discuss if you think Caligula's 'insanity' was propaganda or actual illness."

[Let chaos reign! Ping to whomever, whenever, wherever!]

Re: Discussion: Mentally Ill, Physically Ill, or Propoganda?

[not_called_icky]

At least Ichabod was familiar with the story, having read some of the original texts in Latin. "I am inclined to say he was insane. A ruler can be quite cruel and unjust before even coming close to the excesses of Caligula. The other possibility I can see is that he behaved irrationally in order to instill more fear in his subjects."

Re: Discussion: Mentally Ill, Physically Ill, or Propoganda?

[spin_kick_snap]

"I think it might depend on your definition of insanity there," Kathy said softly. "I mean, if you mean that he acted far outside the boundaries of normal, rational behavior, then yes. But if you mean that he must have had some kind of mental of physical imbalance to make him act the way he did...I'm not so sure that's true. I mean, the things he did or the histories say he did are pretty beyond the pale, but that doesn't necessarily prove insanity. Not to Godwin or anything, but one could easily assume that Hitler or Pol Pot were insane from their actions and there's not a shred of proof that either man suffered from any actual delusions or chemical imbalances. They're just...horrible."

Re: Discussion: Mentally Ill, Physically Ill, or Propoganda?

[not_every_mage]

"There's no way of knowing, is there?" Anders asked rhetorically. "Maybe he was mad. Maybe the scribes hated him. Maybe he was a little mad and the scribes exaggerated. I don't think trying to diagnose someone who's shards of bone now does any good."

Re: Discussion: Mentally Ill, Physically Ill, or Propoganda?

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy chewed on her lip. "It's hard to say for certain. History is written by the winners, as they say, and there were a lot of people who would be only too happy to write stories about how crazy Caligula was. I mean, look at how we talk about presidents and other world leaders today. Backing this up almost two thousand years ago, over a territory that spanned, how many thousands of miles? Word of mouth is a powerful thing, even without the propaganda spin."

Tapping her pencil against her notebook, she added, "Do we know where he's buried? A lot can be determined from DNA evidence. They figured out that the body found in that carpark was Richard III because it shared mitochondrial DNA with some of his sister's descendants. Maybe some of those diseased might leave trace evidence in his bones or written in his DNA?" She didn't know for sure, but it was a possibility for proof.