Sejanus is doing what now? Still isolated on his island retreat, Emperor Tiberius finally became aware of the duplicity of Sejanus and began to craft his downfall. Sejanus was taken unaware, accused, convicted, strangled, and thrown down the Gemonian Stairs. Free of Sejanus, Tiberius was now left alone with his paranoia. In 37 AD, on his estate near Naples, Tiberius died, perhaps with the help of a pillow applied to the face by Gaius.

Gaius was the son of Germanicus, who the people of Rome still remembered with admiration. As a young boy, Gaius had grown up in the military camps of his father and had been given the nickname he is remembered by today - Caligula.

Finally rid of the old bore Tiberius, the people and the senate were giddy to have Caligula in charge. And at first, he met their expectations, throwing lavish feasts, festivals, and games. But the partying would have to end at some point, right? And Caligula's dark, twisted comments were just jokes, right? Wrong and wrong. The partying would continue and Caligula's cruelty would soon become apparent to all of the Roman Empire.

Across the Mediterranean, a Jewish man from Galilee was crucified outside Jerusalem under orders from the Roman official. This turned out to be a big deal. That man's following would go on to spread among the Jews, across the Roman world, and beyond.