| @Craig: Yes, that's true, but Caligula was merely his nickname, and more so than the average cognomen. It meant "Baby boots" because his father brought him around the camps as a toddler dressed as a mini-soldier. No one actually called him this to his face while he was in power. Historically, he is known as Gaius. He was known as Caligula mostly after his death, perhaps to further illustrate his insanity. Sometimes, when speaking of the good he did (because he actually did do some good) classicists will call him Gaius, and when talking about his insanity refer to him as Caligula. In one of my graduate classes, there was tension whenever we talked about him. One guy actually said "Well, Caligula...I'm sorry, Gaius, blah blah blah" I think Owen's correct to assert that both answers should be accepted. |
