Claudius was born on August 1, 10 B.C., at Lugdunum in Gaul (modern-day France); he was the first emperor to be born outside of Italy. In an interesting coincidence, an altar was dedicated that day to Augustus, the first emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The Julio-Claudian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire from 27 B.C. to … Continue reading Claudius: From Idiot to Emperor