Head of Caligula
Head of Caligula
3D
Published 2018-09-12T16:22:24+00:00
This limestone head-portrait sculpture depicts Caligula, Roman emperor from AD 37 to AD 41. The son of Germanicus, a popular Roman general, and Agrippina the Elder(granddaughter of Augustus), Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Two years after Caligula's birth, Germanicus' uncle and adoptive father, Tiberius, succeeded Augustus as emperor of Rome in AD 14.
Although he was born Gaius Caesar, after Julius Caesar, he acquired the nickname "Caligula" (meaning "little soldier's boot", the diminutive form of caliga) from his father's soldiers during their campaign in Germania. When Germanicus died at Antioch in AD 19, Agrippina returned with her six children to Rome, where she became entangled in a bitter feud with Tiberius. The conflict eventually led to the destruction of her family, with Caligula as the sole male survivor. Untouched by the deadly intrigues, Caligula accepted an invitation in AD 31 to join the emperor on the island of Capri, where Tiberius had withdrawn five years earlier. Following the death of Tiberius, Caligula succeeded his adoptive grandfather as emperor in AD 37.
The sculpture was discovered in an unknown provenance
| Date published | 12/09/2018 |
| Title | Head of Caligula |
| Period | Roman |
| Medium | Limestone |
| Artist | Unknown artist |
| Place | Cyprus Archaeological Museum |
