In this second part of our Caligula series, Rome’s young emperor stops pretending to be merciful. We follow the purge of rivals and family members, the humiliation of the Senate, the money drain of spectacles and forced taxes, the horse-consul insult, the Jerusalem crisis, and the escalating paranoia that turned the palace into a death trap.

This episode covers Caligula at his most volatile: the sisters, the treasury, the Bay of Baiae, the failed northern campaign, the execution of Ptolemy of Mauretania, and the final conspiracy inside the Praetorian Guard that ended his reign in blood. It’s the back half of one of Rome’s darkest imperial stories, where absolute power finally pushes too far.

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Links:

Website: timeandtalespodcast.com

Email: timeandtalespodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LMRiviere

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Sources:

Suetonius. “The Life of Caligula.” The Twelve Caesars.

Cassius Dio. Roman History, Book 59.

Philo of Alexandria. On the Embassy to Gaius.

Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, Book 19.

“Caligula.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Barrett, Anthony A. Caligula: The Abuse of Power. Routledge, 2015.

Winterling, Aloys. Caligula: A Biography. University of California Press, 2011.

Katz, Robert S. “The Illness of Caligula.” The Classical World, 1972.

Charry-Sánchez, Jorge D., et al. “Caligula: A Neuropsychiatric Explanation of His Madness.” Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 2021.

Shotter, David. Caligula. Routledge, 2004.

This episode follows Caligula from “Little Boots,” the adored son of Germanicus, to one of the most infamous rulers in Roman history: his rise under Tiberius, the illness that changed his reign, the deaths of rivals and family members, the war with the Senate, and the assassination that ended his dynasty.

In AD 37, Rome welcomed a young emperor from one of its most famous bloodlines, the son of Germanicus and heir to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Less than four years later, Caligula was dead—cut down by his own guards in a palace corridor after a reign marked by executions, humiliation, divine pretensions, and growing terror at the center of imperial power.

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Links:

Website: timeandtalespodcast.com

Email: timeandtalespodcast@gmail.com

Video Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@LMRiviere

.............................................

Sources:

Suetonius. “The Life of Caligula.” The Twelve Caesars.

Cassius Dio. Roman History, Book 59.

Philo of Alexandria. On the Embassy to Gaius.

Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, Book 19.

“Caligula.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Barrett, Anthony A. Caligula: The Abuse of Power. Routledge, 2015.

Winterling, Aloys. Caligula: A Biography. University of California Press, 2011.

Katz, Robert S. “The Illness of Caligula.” The Classical World, 1972.

Charry-Sánchez, Jorge D., et al. “Caligula: A Neuropsychiatric Explanation of His Madness.” Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 2021.

Shotter, David. Caligula. Routledge, 2004.

In Prague’s Old Town Square, a skeleton pulls a cord, the apostles pass behind tiny doors, the rooster crows, and one of Europe’s most famous clocks marks another hour. This episode follows the dark history and folklore of the Prague Astronomical Clock, or Orloj: a medieval marvel tied to legends of a blinded clockmaker, ghostly warnings, broken gears, and the belief that Prague will suffer if the clock ever stops.

We trace the Orloj from its construction in 1410 through war, religious upheaval, fire, WWII damage, restoration, and modern controversy—asking why this beautiful mechanical wonder has been linked for centuries to curses, disaster, and blood in the square below it.

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Links:

timeandtalespodcast@gmail.com

timeandtalespodcast.com

https://www.youtube.com/@LMRiviere

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Sources:

• Prague City Tourism. “The Astronomical Clock.”
• Prague City Tourism. “Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock.”
• CzechTourism. “Prague Astronomical Clock Returns After Restoration.”
• Radio Prague International. “Prague’s Astronomical Clock Removed for Repairs.”
• Radio Prague International. “Was the Reconstruction of Prague’s Famous Astronomical Clock Botched?”
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Prague.”
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Hussite.”
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Thirty Years’ War.”
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Battle of White Mountain.”
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Austro-Prussian War.”
• Charles University. Historical materials on Jan Šindel and medieval Prague.
• Prague City Archives. Materials on Old Town Hall and the Prague Astronomical Clock.
• “Prague Astronomical Clock.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation.