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Caligula

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emperor 12-41 AD

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was young, reigned for only three years

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he was unbalanced, became a despot

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mostly occupied with odd projects (e.g. fighting faux wars) instead of architecture, but he made some contributions

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like Tiberius, more interested in private villas

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also finished buildings begun by Tiberius

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two new aqueducts and circus near Vatican city area

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main interest was villas outside Rome

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enjoyed finished villas e.g. on the island of Capri

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Rome was ringed with the villas of Caligula and Nero

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two main architectural contributions of Caligula

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1. altered the recipe for Roman concrete construction by lightening it up

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instead of mixing it with stone rubble, mixed it with a porous yellow tufa and pumice

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led to lighter domes which were able to span greater spaces

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very significant

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the Golden House of Nero would not have been possible without this change in the make up of concrete

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2. impace of mystery cults on Roman religion

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Rome had a state religion

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over time, especially because of their Eastern provinces, other religions came to Rome

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through the army

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through commerce

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initially not accepted by Roman government

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Caligula became to show some interest these mystery religions

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although they didn't become accepted during his reign

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they continued to meet in secret

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underground basilica

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used to celebrate the Neo-Pythagorean sect

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dates to the reign of Claudius, after Caligula, around AD 50

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it is miraculously preserved, simply because it is underground

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very difficult to get permission to go down and see it

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construction

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cut trenches in the tufa rock

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poured concrete into those trenches to create the walls

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once it had dried, they cut it out of the rock

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a small structure but light and airy

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figures on vault indicate that it was made for the Neo-Pythagorean cult

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religious figures floating