Historian Alexander Meddings has identified the death of Roman Emperor Caligula as the most gruesome execution in history, highlighting the brutal severing of his genitals. On 24 January, 41 AD, during the Palatine Games, Caligula was killed by two men sworn to protect him beneath the theatre.
Meddings explained that Suetonius reports two versions of Caligula's death. In the first, Praetorian Prefect Cassius Chaerea snuck up behind the emperor while he was speaking to a band of Asian boys, cried out 'take this!', and slashed his neck, while tribune Cornelius Sabinus ran him through from the front.
The second version involves a more theatrical performance. Sabinus asked for the military password, to which Caligula responded 'Jupiter!' Chaerea then approached from behind, cried out 'let it be so', and split open the emperor's jaw with his sword. Writhing on the floor, Caligula cried out that he was still alive, but was soon stabbed to death by other conspirators.
The brutal finale saw Caligula's genitals severed. The conspirators also murdered his wife and baby daughter, claiming the child had inherited her father's violent nature. Many believed Caligula deserved his fate, particularly given the suspected circumstances surrounding the death of his predecessor Tiberius.
Tiberius, who may have been gradually poisoned by Caligula or suffocated with a pillow on his orders, died in 37 AD. Despite his turbulent reign, he became the longest-living emperor, possibly reaching 78 years old.
