Roman Emperor Caligula Waged War on Sea God Neptune
This is a breakdown of the time when the Third Roman Emperor, Caligula, quite literally waged war on the Roman god of the sea, Neptune, declaring Neptune an enemy of the Roman Emperor.
While I was perusing Facebook this morning, I came across the meme [below] at was tickled by the notion that an Empire went to war against a Roman god, and I instantly took to the Interwebs to look into this incredible event to verify its authenticity. Needless to say, I was shocked by both the fact that this meme was completely factual, and also that as a lover of history and the Roman Empire—I didn’t know about this at all!
Naturally, being an amazed and impressed me; I decided it would be a fun change of pace to bring my readers an absolutely bizarre history lesson on the time the Roman Emperor waged war on the god of the sea! I hope y’all enjoy it!
Caligula Wages War on Neptune
According to Roman historian Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, frequently referred to merely as Suetonius [alive AD 69-AD 122], in his book 'The Lives of the Twelve Caesars', the third Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known simply as Caligula [ruled AD 37-AD 41], quite literally declared war on the Roman god of the sea—Neptune.
According to Suetonius and other ancient Rome historians who witnessed these strange events, in the year AD 40, Roman Emperor Caligula actually led his soldiers to face their enemy, the sea, at their shoreline battlefront; ordering his soldiers to gather on the beach and physically attack Neptune through his treasured seas.
According to Roman Empire Times, "Caligula, robed in purple and gold, his countenance a mask of divine wrath, raised his arm high, signaling the advance. "Today, we defy the very gods. Neptune shall bow before Rome's might!", he proclaimed."
"Today, we defy the very gods. Neptune shall bow before Rome's might!"
—Caligula, AD 40
If you're unaware, Caligula was well-known for his megalomania and his ultimate desire to be seen as a god himself, and it's said these bizarre happenings may have been his vain attempt to join the rankings of his precious gods and assert his dominance over the natural world.
Obeying the bizarre orders from their Emperor, the soldiers, arrayed in full battle regalia, did indeed stab the sea with their swords and throw spears at it, as if they were fighting real enemies in a real battle! Sire, the soldiers were completely flabbergasted and bewildered by this extremely strange order; however, as obedient Roman soldiers, they obeyed their emperor’s commands.
Roman Empire Times described the varying emotions around the idea of battling Neptune on behalf of their Emperor, detailing, "among the ranks stood Marcus Valerius, a centurion whose loyalty to Caligula was as unyielding as the steel of his gladius. Beside him, Gaius Aelius, a skeptic who viewed the emperor's decree with disdain, muttered curses under his breath. And there was young Lucius, a recruit whose wide eyes reflected the madness of the moment."
After the watery “battle,” the Roman legionaries, at the behest of their ruler, began to loot the defeated sea god's lair and collect seashells that were deemed as "spoils of war," which were to be transported to the Capitol! Caligula later exhibited as evidence of his conquest.
Suetonius described the scene of the battle saying, “At last, as if resolved to wage war, he drew up his army on the shore of the ocean [the English Channel – Northern France], with his ballistas and other war machines. And while no one could imagine what he intended to do, he suddenly commanded them to gather up seashells, and fill their helmets and the folds of their tunics with them, calling them ” the spoils of the sea due to the Capitoline and the Palatine.”
We'll never truly understand the genuine motivations behind Caligula’s attack on the sea god, that will always remain unclear, but it is believed that it was his attempt to demonstrate his power and authority by daring to challenge the gods.
It is said that at the end of the fierce seaside battle, Caligula addressed his fierce warriors stating,
"Let it be known, that on this day, we have made a mockery not of ourselves, but of those who dare question the power of Rome. Let the Senate ponder this 'victory' and the people marvel at our conquest. For who but the gods can claim dominion over the sea—and who but Caligula can claim dominion over the gods?"
Suetonius also noted in the section of his book on the Ceasars, titled Life of Caligula, "as a monument to his success, he erected a lighthouse, upon which, as at the Pharos of Alexandria, he ordered lights to be burned in the nighttime for the direction of ships at sea. Finally, promising the soldiers a reward of a hundred denarii each, as if he had surpassed the most eminent examples of generosity, he said “Go your ways and be merry; for now you are rich!”"
This entire bizarre episode has been interpreted in many ways, with some historians seeing it as a sign of Caligula’s mental instability, while others view it as a deliberate attempt to create a mythological narrative around himself.
Unfortunately for him, Caligula's storming of Neptune's domain did nothing to improve the longevity of the third Roman Emperor. Four months following his attack on Gual’s seaside, Caligula was murdered at the Palatine Games by Cassius Chaerea, tribune of the Praetorian Guard, Cornelius Sabinus, and others whose job was to protect the very man they murdered. Caligula's wife and daughter were also put to death.
Ancient Origins described Caligula’s fate saying, "a cruel and sadistic emperor, reports continue to circulate about Caligula’s outlandish behavior. Examples given include Caligula proclaimed himself a living god and his appointment of his horse, Incitatus, as consul. A hugely unpopular Roman emperor, he was assassinated by a group of the Praetorian Guards in January 41 AD."
For more information on Caligula’s attack on the Roman god of the sea, feel free to read more from where I got my information in the various articles below:
☆https://romanempiretimes.com/did-caligula-really-declare-war-on-neptune/
☆https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/curiosities/caligulas-war-with-poseidon/
☆https://www.walksinsiderome.com/blog/caligula-war-on-the-sea/
☆https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Setonius/12Caesars/Caligula*.html
☆https://www.ancient-origins.net/weird-facts/caligula-war-sea-0019178