Which Roman Emperor does Shrub resemble most.

[Kickoutthejams23]

Watching the History channel last night and in a rare Hitler and Jesus free moment they had a great British special of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.


Got me a thinking, By the way my vote is for Nero.

[MADem]

1. I gotta go with (Little Boots) Caligula...a STUPID Caligula , mind you

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41. Known for his extreme extravagance, eccentricity, depravity and cruelty, he is remembered as a despot. He was assassinated in 41 by several of his own guards.

The Roman historian Suetonius referred to Caligula as a "monster", and the surviving sources are universal in their condemnation. One popular tale, often cited as an example of his insanity and tyranny, is that Caligula appointed his favourite horse, Incitatus, to a seat on the senate and attempted to appoint it to the position of consul. The story, however, owes its unrelenting currency to its charm: it is based on a single misunderstood near-contemporary reference, in which Suetonius merely repeats an unattributed rumour that Caligula was thinking about doing it (Suet. Cal. 55.3). Caligula is often alleged to have had incestuous relationships with his sisters, most notably his younger sister Drusilla, but there is no credible evidence to support such claims either. In short, the surviving sources are filled with anecdotes of Caligula's cruelty and insanity rather than an actual account of his reign, making any reconstruction of his time as Princeps nearly impossible. What does survive is the picture of a depraved, hedonistic ruler, an image that has made Caligula one of the most widely recognizable, if poorly documented, of all the Roman Emperors; the name "Caligula" itself has become synonymous with wanton hedonism, cruelty, tyranny, and insanity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula

[WinkyDink]

18. The insane cruelty did it for my vote.

[MissWaverly]

2. Nero fiddled while Rome Burned

Hmmn, Bush played guitar while New Orleans sank beneath the waters, hmmnn sounds like an
analogy to me, heh, heh, heh.

[IChing]

3. Domitian

Domitian was paranoid about conspiracies. He developed new tortures and harassed philosophers and Jews.
He had vestal virgins executed or buried alive on charges of immorality.
After he impregnated his niece, he insisted she have an abortion and then, when she died as a result, he deified her.
He executed officials who opposed his policies and confiscated their property.

[KittyWampus]

4. I love these threads... always learn a ton. And many DU'ers impress me

with their knowledge of ancient Western history.

[Warpy]

5. Careful with Nero

Remember, the story that got into all the high school history books was the one written by Christians who survived his persecution. The truth is far different.

I'd suggest a search of "secrets of the dead" at pbs.org, the episode about the great fire. Forensic archaeology has turned up some pretty remarkable stuff. It turns out he had a damned good reason to persecute those early Christians.

Caligula gets my vote, a psychopath with delusions of divinity and an utter contempt for his people, that's Stupid.

[Skink]

6. Didn't Nero spend them into bankrupcy?

[disgruntled_goat]

7. Constantine

why:
*he was the 1st emperor to openly convert to Christianity (parallels to church/state erosion anyone? ... Bueller? Bueller?)

*ruled during the fall of the empire

*Council of Nicea

*greek science suffered a world of repression under Constantine's rule after his conversion. The Hermetic knowledge of the time was repressed, academies were closed, and advanced mathematics was essentially halted as a discipline after Diophantus. Thus, the empire was weakened in these and other ways and was unable to repel the barbarian invasions of the 2nd thru 5th centuries.


need i continue?

[BeatleBoot]

8. Ignoramus

Oh, wait.

That was a Shakespeare character.

Well, I'll vote for Ignoramus, then.

[lumpy]

12. I hear ya'

Ignoramus the Decider.

[BeatleBoot]

15. Et tu, Lumpy?

[notadmblnd]

9. which one died on the floor of the Senate, the result of an asassin?

That's the one I want to vote for. Was it Julius Cesear?

[Double T]

10. GALERIUS

[Kickoutthejams23]

14. Galerius was a very successful military leader.

Thats why I left him of the poll. :evilgrin:

[Double T]

25. Galerius had military victories, but also crushing military defeats......

and unsuccessful military campaigns. Galerius (george w.) exhibited an anti-Roman (anti-American) attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman (American) citizens with ruthless cruelty (canceling the Bill of Rights and the Constitution), like the conquerors treated the conquered (acting like a fascist dictator).

[Double T]

22. Galerius had victories, but also crushing military defeats........

and unsuccessful campaigns. Galerius (george w.) exhibited an anti-Roman (anti-American) attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman (American) citizens with ruthless cruelty (canceling the Bill of Rights and Constitution), like the conquerors treated the conquered (acting like a fascist dictator).

[Clarkansas]

11. NERO

[EstimatedProphet]

13. I voted for Nero, and then I did some research:

Nero was a FAR better leader than Bush!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. Gotta be "Little Boots" (Caligula)

...but only because I don't recall Rome ever having an emperor named "Chucklenuts".

[TexasLawyer]

17. Gotta be Volusianus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barracks_Emperor

He came to power illegitimately, was co-emperor with his daddy, and his priority was hanging on to power at all cost even if it meant destabilizing the realm. Volusianus promoted militarism but left Roman infrastructure to fall into ruin. Oh, and everyone hated Volusianus. He was killed by mutinous soldiers after only two years as emperor (251-253).

And "anus" is part of his name. That's got to count for something when comparing emperors to the biggest anus in modern history!!!

Volusianus was one of the "Barracks Emperors" of the third century:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barracks_Emperor

Because the barracks emperors were frequently border commanders, the act of overthrowing the reigning emperor and seizing power for themselves left large gaps in the empire's border defenses, gaps that could be exploited by the Romans' enemies, such as a Germanic incursion into imperial territory in the 260s, resulting in the construction of the Aurelian Walls around Rome.

The barracks emperors also used state money to pay their troops — no emperor who had come into power by force of arms could afford to allow his soldiers to fall into dissatisfaction or disaffectation, as those who live by the sword die by the sword — and public works and infrastructure fell into ruin. To accommodate the vast demands of buying off their soldiers, the state often simply seized private property, damaging the economy and driving up inflation.

[Kickoutthejams23]

21. Yeah I read that one as well.

Almost a shrub clone.

[globalvillage]

19. Caesar.

As played by Dom DeLuise in History of the World, Part I
It's the fart thing.
He also reminds me of Count De Money.

[TahitiNut]

20. C-czar Disgustsus

:shrug:

[Hubert Flottz]

23. Other

[Octafish]

24. Which one married his horse?

Pickles really love her Horse Masturbator Smirko McCaligula.

[RagAss]

26. Don't insult my Roman Heritage. !!!!

Bush couldn't carry the Emperor's bed pan !!!!!!

[many a good man]

27. Gaius Bushanus

The Divine.