I, Caesar
by Lee Burnett, Germantown
Academy, PA
Claudius
10 B.C.-54 A.D.
Claudius is one of the more bizarre figures in Roman Imperial history. Because he was born with a variety of minor birth defects, he was considered a fool and kept out of public life until his insane nephew, Caligula, became emperor and appointed him consul as a joke. Before that he had spent his life as a historian. When Caligula was assassinated in 41 A.D., Claudius was the only member of the imperial family still alive. The Praetorian guard, interested in keeping their job as the Emperor's body guard, declared Claudius emperor and forced the Senate to do the same. Claudius ruled for thirteen years, and on the whole his administration was a good one, though full of bloody executions and treacherous wives, including his neice Agrippina, the mother of Nero.
Student Research: Don
Ancient Source: Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Vita Divi Claudii), Speech of Claudius, Letter of Claudius
|
|
|
|
Complementary
Resources
CTCWeb Resources
Unearthing
the Lost City of ABurbe-Suburbe
Catullus: Tuffy the Tugboat meets the Brave Little Toaster
Ancient Weddings
Maecenas: Images of Ancient Greece and Rome
Sport & Daily Life in the Roman World
Scratch, Glue, Foil & Paint: Connecting Classics and the Art Curriculum
Knowledge Builders
Athena, Hera,
Demeter, Poseidon,
and Zeus, more.
Teachers' Companions
Athena, Hera,
Demeter, Poseidon,
and Zeus, and more.
Other Resources
Eusebius' Life of Constantine
Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Vita Divi Augusti)
The Histories of Tacitus
Global Glossary Terms
- Caesar
- Augustus
- Claudius
- Nero
- Caligula
© 2001
AbleMedia.
All rights reserved. |
|
|
