Incitatus

Incitatus was a successful racehorse from the team of the "Green " and favorite horse of Roman emperor Caligula ( 37-41 AD)

Caligula was very interested in gladiatorial games and chariot races and used large amounts of its assets to finance, which served as a popular measure to appease the general urban masses in the Imperial period. He left the previous day of racing the streets to the Circus shut off by soldiers and ordered peace preservation, so Incitatus would not be disturbed in its concentration.

The Emperor bestowed his horse with a watering marble, bridles made ​​of ivory, a saddle of purple and a necklace of precious stones and pearls. Incitatus lived in his own palace, with its own servants and precious furniture. Caligula made ​​invitations to the highest dignitaries of the Empire often in the name of Incitatus from, so the horse needed suitable representation spaces. These costly banquets Incitatus received golden barley as feed and drank wine from golden goblets on the Emperor's health. The Emperor walked in government files a common oath "on the welfare and wealth of Incitatus " from. Caligula was so impressed by the merits of the horse that he planned for the year 42 AD to bestallen Incitatus consul with the dignity and permanent seat in the Senate.

Suetonius and Cassius Dio depict the relationship of Caligula and Incitatus in connection with the numerous extravagant passions of the emperor. It can be assumed that they are taken as a reference source of one of the many contemporary senatorial pamphlets. The historiographer it serves as support the assumption that Caligula was a megalomaniac and insane and therefore his killing was necessary (see also megalomania ).

Today, the story is often interpreted as costly as arrogance and cynicism of the Emperor: The horse maintains the rituals of an oriental court ceremonial, the Caligula in this form was prohibited from consideration for the Senate. It participates as most valuable inhabitants of the empire on the imperial cult (in the 1st century AD mainly the solemn invocation of the health of the emperor).

The alleged plot Bestallung the horse consul Caligula insults the Senate: You undermined demonstratively the Roman understanding of collegiality, which provided for an equal and impartial Senator next to the emperor in the consulship what has already been disregarded by predecessors (eg Augustus and Agrippa ). They disqualified the Senate since Caligula expresses that no senator come up to the merits of Incitatus. It leads the Senate probably regularized right of the emperor to offices award in mind, and does not play at the same time with the interpretation of applicable law, the express provision on the one hand the influence of the Emperor, on the other hand equally Verbosity horses of the political career excluded.

Swell

  • Suetonius: Caligula. Most complete ancient biography of the Emperor from the collection of biographies of Emperor Caesar to Domitian. Numerous editions, German translation as: Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus: All received works. Magnus, Essen 2004, ISBN 3-88400-071-3 ( Latin text, English translation ).

Comments

  • Racehorse
  • Sport ( Roman Empire )
  • Car race
Roman consul Imperial cult (ancient Rome)
411032
de