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Mary Beard answers 'which Roman Emperor is Donald Trump most like?' The Today Podcast BBC
Just for fun. 
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ProudMNDemocrat
(20,877 posts)Caligula was CRUEL. He lusted after his sister Drucilla, impregnated her, then gutted her because the child(his) she was carrying he feared, would be more powerful than he. Due to his neurosis, he appointed his horse a Roman Senator.
Nero cared little for the Roman people, thus was said to be playing his Lyre while Rome burned in a great fire. A nephew of Claudius, inbred as well, was mad.
peppertree
(23,313 posts)Who - like Trump - combined depravity and despotism, with negligence and utter lack of interest in his job - leaving a bankrupt empire in his wake, swamped by corruption.
And - like Cheetolino - the diseased old bastard just went on and on.
You'll recall that he was ultimately suffocated by his successor with....a cushion.
You just can't make this stuff up.
Aristus
(72,126 posts)Historians are coming around to the idea that a great deal of the salacious stuff written about Caligula, Nero, and Tiberius was invented or exaggerated by contemporary historians in order to discredit the Principate.
This becomes especially clear when you realize that at least one of the more frequently read historians, Suetonius, was a Roman Senator.
This doesn’t exonerate any of them, of course. Since they were all rich and powerful, they did shitty things, the way rich and powerful people have always done, and still do today.
peppertree
(23,313 posts)My personal favorite, among the Julio-Claudian bestiarium of nasties, was Tiberius' mother Livia.
The woman - so historians allege - almost single-handedly shaped the era by selectively and oh-so methodically poisoning and otherwise disposing of anyone who happened to be in the way of her life's goal: to have her incompetent, degenerate son enthroned.
In a away, she was a lot like Old Man Bush.
Elitist, scheming, strategic and ruthless - but veiled behind a genteel and polished demeanor.
None of which made the resulting harm to the empire any less tragic though.
Let's just hope Cheeto doesn't install himself as dictator, leaving Cokehead Donnie as his heir (and you know he wants to).
History has that way of rhyming...
Aristus
(72,126 posts)He was a capable military commander, and a superb administrator. Far from leaving the Empire bankrupt, Tiberius left a full treasury when he died, which Caligula then proceeded to squander.
Hugin
(37,836 posts)Commodus.
There are many other similarities as well.
Read on if you dare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus
Ritabert
(2,398 posts)
Efilroft Sul
(4,410 posts)The match is by no means a 1:1 correspondence, but as we are still a Republic, Trump is a Sulla-type figure.
Aristus
(72,126 posts)And earned the Grass Crown, Rome’s highest, most-coveted, and least-awarded military decoration.
Certainly Captain Bone Spurs has never achieved anything anywhere close to that.
Efilroft Sul
(4,410 posts)Both were not born to the traditional political class, cavorted with the less savory types of their day, had multiple wives, were vain about their hair, defeated the "inevitable" rival candidate for the highest office, led unprecedented marches on their capital/Capitol, possessed unbelievable luck (Felix), and were never really held to account for all their wrongdoing. Whether Trump becomes a dictator and ultimately resigns his power has yet to be seen, but Trump is a Sulla for our times.
Aristus
(72,126 posts)families in Rome.
It’s just that, by the time he was born, the family was so impoverished that they weren’t able to fund his political career, and he had to earn his way up; pretty much the exact opposite of Trump.
Efilroft Sul
(4,410 posts)…it's just that the aristocratic class looked down on one of their own who fell out of fortune, so Sulla was something of an outsider despite his pedigree at the start of his political career. Trump's been known to fall out of fortune, too, and he was considered an outsider by the old order before making it his own. Again, not a 1:1 correspondence as you point out, but there are similarities.
WarGamer
(18,590 posts)
UTUSN
(77,701 posts)she delivered a living example of how to deal with clowns like him and Drumpf, not buying into the baiting, just letting him do his clown thing as she sat by and then not participating at his level.
Here's a hilarious blast from the first blush of enhanced airport security. One of her playful colleagues posted a picture of a scruffy piece of Roman undies asking her whether she was missing something.
******QUOTE*******
This article is more than 4 years old
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/30/mary-beard-left-in-scrappy-undies-at-heathrow-security
TV presenter says underwear was on show after airport staff asked her to remove tunic
Heathrow has apologised to the classicist Mary Beard after she was asked to remove clothing at airport security, leaving her in just her “scrappy undies”.
The TV presenter said that fellow passengers were able to see her in just “my little black vest (and) no bra” after she was told to take off her tunic.
Beard wrote on Twitter:
mary beard @wmarybeard
I know rules are rules (and we all depend on airport security) but was a bit surpised to be told to take off what I think is a 'tunic' (they thought was a 'jacket') at Heathrow security this morning, down to my scrappy undies. Much to curiosity/embarrassment of other passengers! ....
*********UNQUOTE******
Charmin One
(382 posts)There was a 4th Century Roman emperor that would duck whenever he walked under a certain arch that had a ceiling that was 20 feet high. I don’t remember his name though.