CALIGULA AND VESTA
Legends:
Reverse: SC
- Latin, expanded: Senatus Consulto
- English translation: (Issued) by decree of the senate.
Obverse: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TRP
- Latin, expanded: Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Pontifex Maximus Tribunicia Potestae
- English translation: Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus (Greatest high chief), with tribunician power.
Caligula:
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, is depicted as one of Rome’s most controversial, scandalous Emperors in ancient sources. Succeeding Tiberius, he ruled between 37AD-41AD. He was first believed by the Roman populace to bring back the Roman Republic and lead Rome into a golden era, due to him being the son of the champion of the Republic, Germanicus. However, his actions in power earned him the reputation for being unnecessarily cruel, mad, and extravagant.
Caligula is notoriously renowned for having incestuous relationships with his sisters, however, how true these rumours are relies on how biased writers (such as Suetonius and Tacitus) were against women receiving power. It could be speculated that writers such as these believed that women could only get power through sleeping with powerful men, ergo incestuous relationships. This was fueled by Caligula generously bestowing honours on women in the Imperial family, an important detail to keep in mind when we turn our attention to the intention of this coin later on.
Through his already-powerful position as Emperor, Caligula seized more control for his office over Roman politics, making an enemy of the Senate in the process. However, through abuse of this power and his non-conformity to the Roman image, he gravely deepened the rift between himself and the Senate, and high ranking officials in the army – one of which would be his ultimate downfall. Caligula was assassinated by a centurion in the Praetorian Guard, Cassius Chaerea, on the ninth day before the Kalends of February at the circus, along with his wife and infant daughter.
Vesta:
The Roman goddess Vesta was an extremely important religious figure in Rome, far more important than the role her Greek equivalent Hestia played. Vesta was the goddess of the hearth; this associates her with domestic activities (such as baking) and of the sacred flame, linking her both with fertility, the liminal stage of marriage and the harvest. Most importantly, she was considered guardian of Rome and mother of the Roman people. Every sacrifice included her in it. The flame at the temple of Vesta was one of the most important religious aspects in the city; it was an incredibly bad omen if the fire went out. The main task of the Vestal virgins was to keep the flame lit, and therefore keep Rome safe from bad luck. Cicero was even of the opinion that Vestal Virgins ensured Rome’s continuation, saying: “Consider how dangerous, how arrogant a deed it would be for [the court] to reject [a vestal virgin’s] entreaties, when, if the immortal gods were to despise her prayers, all these things which we see around us could not be preserved.” (Cic.Font.48)
Vesta also had political connections. Augustus bound the Vestal cult and the imperial family close together when he took the office of Pontifex Maximus (high priest of Rome) in 12BCE. Due to the requirements of this role, he donated part of his private house to public use and incorporated a new shrine of Vesta in it. This action tied the roles of Pontifex Maximus and emperor to the cult of Vesta, as her cult was somewhat in the Imperial household and could be the focus of the Imperial family’s religious observances.
Coin type:
The As is the lowest denominator of coin in the Roman currency system. This meant it would be most frequently seen by the common ‘plebeian’ people – the faction in Rome that Caligula was most popular with due to him providing a great amount of various public entertainments and spectacles during his reign. As we know from earlier, the safekeeping of the people of Rome was also the most important responsibility where Vesta and her cult was concerned. Thus, by utilizing this type of coin, it is likely that Caligula is inferring that he had the people of Rome at the fore of his priorities, and not only that – since the SC inscription denotes that this coin was issued under the authority of the Senate, this infers that the Senate also trusted this ideology.
Coin Intention:
Caligula’s coin utilizes a number of political, religious and contextual inferences to help promote elements of his reign. His use of Vesta invokes the memory of Augustus, and Imperial services to her cult. Not only does it invoke memory, but also carries on tradition. Tiberius made moves to become closer to this influential religious group during his reign, when he tied Augusta to the cult by giving her an honorific seat with the Vestal Virgins at any games held. Caligula perpetuated this connection to a greater level by giving his sisters and his grandmother all the privileges of the Vestal Virgins, including transport by litter, sacrosanctity, being seen as incorruptible and unquestionably trustworthy, and places of honour at public events. Having women visibly in power in Rome was not supported by many, especially those within the Senatorial class, which is obvious from how negatively Tacitus (a later Senator) presents female figures. However, Caligula associated these women with Vesta, and thus their status, where the people of Rome were concerned, maintained some respectability.
Vesta was a very important goddess for how Caligula and the wider Imperial family was viewed. For this coin to be minted under Senatorial authority not only reminds the public of good imperial ties to this extremely fundamental cult, but also implies that the Senate consented to affiliating Caligula with this central Roman goddess. It also connects Caligula to the safety of Rome itself, and benefits the virtue of the women he connected with the Vestal Virgins. With this issue, the imperial family is promoted (via valuable proximity to Vesta and the Senate) to the common people – the class in Rome with whom he became most popular.