Part of the fun of reading ancient history lies in understanding that, sometimes, whether the events one is reading about actually happened is secondary to the interest generated by the fact that someone, for some reason, decided to write this stuff down in the first place.
I'm very fond of Gaius. His reign was an absolute riot - sometimes literally - from the moment Tiberius died and everyone was congratulating Gaius on becoming emperor until someone came running in and said that Tiberius had just woken up again....
I must be misremembering things: I believed a Roman emperor had deified his horse and made it part of the Roman cult/pantheon. Priests and virgins offered it sacrifices, it was addressed in awe, and it was deconsecrated and slaughtered after the emperor died. I should try historical fiction. :-)
I believe that Catherine the Great was also rumoured to have had a favourite horse, although its name is lost to history.
That's just common misogyny talking.
She did have a string of handsome young officers in tight trousers, though... you go Czarina girl!
I am still waiting for a present-day 80s-tribute band called, "Ronnie James Cassius Dio."
"So no, Caligula didn't make his horse a senator and neither did he sleep with it."
What a relief to know that! "Little Boots" wasn't entirely as crazy as people said he was.
I'm very fond of Gaius. His reign was an absolute riot - sometimes literally - from the moment Tiberius died and everyone was congratulating Gaius on becoming emperor until someone came running in and said that Tiberius had just woken up again....
I must be misremembering things: I believed a Roman emperor had deified his horse and made it part of the Roman cult/pantheon. Priests and virgins offered it sacrifices, it was addressed in awe, and it was deconsecrated and slaughtered after the emperor died. I should try historical fiction. :-)