Tiberius, Caligula and Nero are said to had been perverts,how much of what is say do you think is truth?

Question

I mean much of the people who recorded the story of those days were traditionalists scandalized by the lewd behavior of the Emperors, do you think they might exaggerate a little in the recount of the events?

Answer 1

I'm afraid it's pretty much all true.  See Suetonius.

Sanity was not a necessary qualification to serve as Emperor.  Neither was sexual restraint.  See also later Emperors such as Commodus, Caracalla, Elagabulus et al.

Answer 2

Yes, almost anything that the classical historians wrote must be taken with a grain of salt.  There is probably some truth to what happened, but much of it has also probably been exaggerated.

Answer 3

Most all.  Caligula married his sister.  Nero was known to be schizophrnic.  The Romans admired the Greeks more than any other culture, even adapting their gods.

They copied Greece in other ways also, and one, was keeping accurate historical records.  The emperors deeds, for 700 years + are all documented, and are considered to be for the most part accurate.

One famous Roman General is said to have left this quote for historians:  When we conqued the Arab tribes of No. Africa (including Judeah, and the Jewish peoples) they were more clever, and deceiving, but we trained and practiced more-The Galls were more ferocious, but we trained and practiced more- The British Isles were fierce, and braver warriors, but we trained and practiced more- When he got to the Greeks, he said The Greeks were SMARTER, but we practiced and trained harder.

They admired Greek culture, adopted much of it including philosophy, history, math, and the keeping of accurate records.

The Romans, were however by far the best engineers of the ancient world, their water aqueducts still in use today.

Answer 4

  Tiberius: I find highly unlikely. Mostly because there is 0 indication of any history of "perversion" from his young manhood through his middle age. The stories began to come up only when Tiberius, unhappy with Rome the city, elected to move to the isle of Capri. An unpopular Emporer, despite his generally good handling of the Empire and its finances, it's natural stories about him would arise. He would remain in Capri, with aides increasingly handling the day to day management of the Empire, for the rest of his life. In such isolated surroundings, it's not suprising that his enemies would take the opportunity to spread such scandalous rumors, the more so since Caligula was already beginning to display the very traits that Tiberius was accused of.

   Caligula. Most likely. His activities took place in Rome itself, with many more witnesses, and opportunity to document his excesses. And there seems little doubt he suffered from a serious illness that might have affected his mental status. Then again, he was a brat from a young age, and was rarely disciplined. On the opposite side of the coin, as a member of the royal family, he lived in almost constant dread of assassination. Under such stresses, it's little wonder he ended up as a madman.

  Nero, again, probably true.Similiar to Caligula in background and upbringing, and again playing out his life in the public arena of Rome,it's likely the bulk of the rumors are true. What's amusing is that it's not so much any of his sexual appetites that scandalized Rome, as it is his other "perversions". In specific, his desire and willingness to act on stage, like any lowborn actor, seemed to horrify Romans, most especially those of the Patrician class. The Romans, after all, didn't have many inhibitions about s*x, other than disapproving of males who were the "passive" partners in a same-s*x relationship. But performing in public, jobs normally done by low born or even slaves? That directly attacked the self-image of the romans as "manly men".

  And as you point out, exaggeration is certainly possible. Most of what was documented well after the actual reigns of these rulers. After all, why risk unwanted attention?  All we can do is compare sources and try to figure out exactly how accurate particular accounts are.