Roman Emperor Caligula pampered his favorite chariot horse, Incitatus, to such an absurd degree that he gave the animal a marble stall, an ivory manger, and a jeweled collar.

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Roman Emperor Caligula pampered his favorite chariot horse, Incitatus, to such an absurd degree that he gave the animal a marble stall, an ivory manger, and a jeweled collar. According to ancient historians like Suetonius, the mad emperor even planned to appoint the horse to the high office of consul before his assassination. While modern historians debate if Caligula was literally insane or just trolling the Senate to show them that a literal beast could do their jobs better, the result is the same. The absolute peak of cynical political satire is looking at a room full of esteemed, wealthy aristocrats and deciding that a farm animal is a more competent administrative leader. Frankly, looking at modern government efficiency, maybe putting a horse in charge of the public treasury was not the worst idea in the history of the Roman Empire!