Alexander Meddings

Alexander Meddings

Alexander Meddings is a professional writer and content consultant. After graduating in ancient history from the universities of Exeter and Oxford, he moved to Italy to pursue his passion at the source. He now lives in Rome, where he works as a writer and guide.

Caligula’s Palace on the Esquiline Hill

Bronze Getty Bust of the Emperor Caligula
The scale of the site pays testament to the the emperor's excesses. As well as identifying a large, luxurious villa and multi-levelled gardens, archaeologists discovered the remains of various animal fauna (including ostriches, deer and even a bear) suggesting this is where Caligula kept his own personal menagerie. But what's most exciting about the discovery is that we most probably have an ancient author who describes it. And I think this ancient author depicts Caligula in a realistic light, as an irascible pampered prince more concerned with his interior decor than the plights of his people.