A new study by the Yale Ancient Pharmacology Program (YAPP), published in the journal Proceedings of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, suggests that the Roman Emperor Caligula may have been familiar with the pharmacology of ancient times, according to The Independent.
"We're presenting a more complete and well-rounded version of Caligula as a ruler who was in tune with the medical wisdom of his day. He's dismissed as a madman, perhaps rightly so, but we show he very likely knew something about hellebore and pharmacology in general," said Trevor Luke, an associate professor of classics at Florida State University and co-author of the study.
Researchers examined a brief anecdote about Caligula originally reported by historian Suetonius in The Twelve Caesars. The text tells the story of an unnamed Roman senator suffering from an unspecified ailment who takes a leave of absence to the Greek spa town of Antikyra, hoping his health would improve with treatment using the flowering plant hellebore. When the senator asks Caligula to extend his leave, Caligula has him executed, quipping that "a bloodletting was necessary for one whom hellebore had not benefited in all that time."
This anecdote suggests that Caligula had a sense of how long it should have taken for hellebore to heal the senator, indicating his familiarity with medical treatments of the time. Caligula's reference to bloodletting when joking about the senator suggests he had read Celsus, whose medical treatise De Medicina prescribes bloodletting as an alternative to hellebore in treating epilepsy.
"Our work suggests that Antikyra functioned as a kind of Mayo Clinic of the Roman world—a place where affluent and influential Romans visited for medical treatments not widely available elsewhere," explained Andrew Koh, co-author of the study. Antikyra, on the Gulf of Corinth in the Phocis region of central Greece, was famed for its association with unique hellebore treatments for epilepsy and mental illnesses. The port town was renowned for the perceived efficacy of special hellebore potions used to treat melancholy, insanity, epilepsy, and gout.
Ancient texts describe two varieties of hellebore: white hellebore used to treat afflictions of the head and black hellebore used to clear the bowels. Examining historical uses of hellebore is difficult because ancient peoples used the term hellebore to reference various plants. Luke and Koh suggest that Caligula was familiar with hellebore remedies, pointing out that he suffered from epilepsy, insanity, and insomnia—all ailments that ancient people believed hellebore could alleviate.
The researchers cite the philosopher Philo of Alexandria's portrayal of Caligula as an emperor endowed with impressive stores of practical knowledge, including a strong understanding of trade routes and seamanship. Philo also comments on how Caligula distorted Apollo's art of medicine for malicious purposes, suggesting Caligula possessed detailed pharmacological knowledge.
While not seeking to rehabilitate Caligula's reputation, the researchers show he probably was a more learned man than one might infer from the monstrous deeds described by Suetonius. Surviving records of Caligula's short reign hint that he indulged in an extravagant lifestyle of megalomania, sadism, and sexual perversion.
"Closely collaborating with Trevor, a top historian of ancient Rome, provides a strong humanistic foundation for our science team to build its work upon. In turn, YAPP's scientific research offers historians a unique opportunity to understand long-studied ancient texts in fresh new ways," said Koh, according to a press release published on EurekAlert.
Emperor Gaius, nicknamed Caligula, was the third ruler of the Roman Empire from 37 CE until his assassination in 41 CE. Suetonius' account of Caligula's life is split into two sections: the first describes Caligula's background and rise to power, the second is devoted to his erratic, cruel, and deranged behavior.
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