Caligula: a neuropsychiatric explanation of his madness Academic Article

abstract

  • Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula, (12 CE to 41 CE) was the third Roman emperor and ruled only four years.Throughout his life he experienced several traumatic events, and, in addition, historians mention some premorbid conditions that could causehim to become the monster that most historians know today. When Caligula was 25 years old, he suffered a near-fatal illness that turned hisstory around. One possible cause was lead poisoning due to the high consumption of wine, which contained lead, by Roman patricians. On theother hand, it is plausible that Caligula experienced epilepsy that began in childhood, later experienced status epilepticus in 37 CE, whichtriggered an epileptic psychosis with the consequent psychopathic and paranoid changes that led him to the madness noted by historians.Keywords: Lead Poisoning; Psychotic Disorders; Status Epilepticus.

publication date

  • 2021-10-25

number of pages

  • 3

start page

  • 343

end page

  • 345