Caligula: “Little soldier’s boot”

Born Gaius Caesar, the third Roman emperor was nicknamed “Caligula,” meaning little soldier's boot, the diminutive form of caliga. His father’s soldiers gave him that name when as a boy of just two or three, he accompanied his father on a military campaign dressed in a miniature soldier’s outfit, including boots and armor. As an emperor, Caligula was described as noble and moderate during the first months of his rule, but after six months and following a serious illness, he came to be regarded as an insane tyrant, cruel, sadistic, extravagant, and sexually perverted. In THE DEADLIEST HATE, Miriam reminds us that when at the gladiatorial games Caligula faced a shortage of condemned criminals for the very popular damnatio ad bestia (condemnation to the beasts), he ordered his soldiers to seize an entire section of spectators and have them thrown to the lions instead. (See my blog of April 25, 2017.) Speaking of the games, the gladiators styled their boots after those used in the military. So, take a look at the latest fad, women’s gladiator sandals. Nordstrom’s has over fifty styles to choose from, some offered for about twenty times the price of one paperback copy of THE DEADLIEST HATE, which I guarantee will bring you closer to the arena than any over-priced sandals and never hurt your feet. If you don’t believe me, just click here.