In ancient Rome around 40 CE, Emperor Caligula became so obsessed with his champion racehorse, Incitatus, that he gave the horse a marble stable, an ivory manger, golden wine goblets, eighteen personal servants, and purple imperial blankets. Then he announced plans to appoint Incitatus as a Roman consul — one of the highest offices in the empire. Was it genuine madness? A brutal political joke aimed at a corrupt Senate? Or propaganda written decades later by historians with their own agendas? We dive into the spectacular, absurd, and surprisingly nuanced story of the horse who almost ran Rome.

Sources:

Wikipedia: Incitatus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitatus)

History.com: Did Caligula Really Make His Horse a Consul? (https://www.history.com/articles/did-caligula-really-make-his-horse-a-consul)

Wikipedia: Caligula (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula)

Britannica: Caligula (https://www.britannica.com/biography/caligula-roman-emperor)

HistoryExtra: Roman Emperor Caligula Facts (https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/caligula-facts-life-biography-horse-consul-incitatus-little-boots-how-die/)

TheCollector: Principal Sources of Emperor Caligula's Reign (https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-principal-sources-of-emperor-caligulas-reign/)

Lost at Sea Shanty by legacyAlli Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/legacyalli/sound-phrases/rf-lost-at-sea-shanty/

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/