Did Caligula make his horse a consul of Rome?

Incitatus was the favored horse of Roman emperor Caligula (reigned 37–41 AD). His name is a Latin adjective meaning "swift" or "at full gallop".

According to Suetonius, in the Lives of the Twelve Caesars (121 AD), Incitatus had a stable of marble, with an ivory manger, purple blankets, and a collar of precious stones. Dio Cassius has indicated that the horse was attended to by servants and was fed oats mixed with gold flake. Suetonius also wrote that it was said that Caligula planned to make Incitatus a consul, and that the horse would "invite" dignitaries to dine with him in a house outfitted with servants there to entertain such events.

The accuracy of the received history has been questioned by historical revisionists such as Anthony A. Barrett. They suggest that later Roman chroniclers such as Suetonius and Dio Cassius were influenced by the political situation of their own times, when it may have been useful to the current emperors to discredit the later Julio-Claudian emperors. Also, the lurid nature of the story added spice to their narratives, winning them additional readers.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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41 Comments

Ian Swindale

I'm not convinced by the answer. The question here is not one that can be answered by a simply yes or no, true or false as the commentary given makes clear

Evalyn Waterman

double checked and I think it is yes

Jim Galati

There is no more PROOF for a NO answer, than there is for a YES answer...a poor question.

flanderschristy

I strongly disagree with this answer. Caligula was known for 3 things, being crazy, destroying male parts on statues & making his horse a consul. Considering his mental state, I believe he did & so do many experts on ancient history. They should have worded this question differently if the answer is controversial. It should have read "It is widely believed that Caligula made his horse a consul?" In which case the answer would have been "true".

John Moore

The question questions the foundation of many other Quiz Club questions. In every other Quiz Club question on the same subject the answer would be true and not false. The existence of Jesus Christ has been questioned by many scholars and yet Quiz Club recognises his existence so maybe they should reconsider those? This is just daft

Leda Beck

Caligula did make his horse a senator...

Alice

I believe this answer is incorrect. I believe Caligula did make his horse a consul of Rome.

chipdhf

Foul! If some sources say yes and some say no then there is no correct answer. It’s just a question of who you believe.

✨KRISTA✨

Disagree with this one so unfortunately I checked the wrong box.😒

Mary Evens

I find it hard to believe that somebody had the guts to actually tell "Little Boots" that he couldn't do something. He's find himself in the tub with his veins opened.

Tom Knox

Everything I recall from Roman history tells.me the answer should be "yes."

catmom

Sally Onyett, lol.😂

catmom

jack patti go, Me too.

catmom

Evalyn Waterman, That's what I put.

JRW

Shocker of a question when the link states "The accuracy of the received history is generally questioned." It seems to me that the question cannot confidently answered either way.

vonlora

he tried, but the senate thought he was nuts, it contributed to the assassination of him, his wife and daughter

Chip Combs

John Moore, The skeptical Biblical scholar, Bart Ehrman wrote: "The idea that Jesus did not exist is a modern notion. It has no ancient precedents. It was made up in the eighteenth century. One might as well call it a modern myth, the myth of the mythical Jesus" Non-Christian sources affirming Jesus' existence include: The Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37-100) Tacitus (A.D. 56-120) Pliny the Younger (A.D. 62-110) Jewish Rabbinical literature Satirist Lucian, (c. AD 125 – 180) Celsus, Philosopher (2nd Century)