|  | |  | | | | |  Caligula | | 12/08/2003 | | Television: After a hard day ruling the best of all possible empires, there is nothing my favourite horse, the Consul Incitatus, and I like more than relaxing in front of the television. But since the introduction of digital channels - oh - how we have begun to argue! Incitatus always wants to watch Sky Sports, for the show jumping and fishing programme Carp in Focus. But I like UK Gold, as it means I can watch Gimme Gimme Gimme whenever I want.
Newspapers: Of course, everyone here in Rome loves to read The Guardian. On Saturday, The Guide is excellent - although the format rips-off the tiny French magazine Pariscope. I like Jonathan Bernstein's 'Aerial View of America', and the last time Incitatus read Charlie Brooker's 'Screen Burn' column, he had such a laughing fit that our vet rushed to his stable, thinking he had a whooping cough!
Magazines: Sundays are the only time I get to read magazines. After asking Incitatus kindly to remove all the hay from our bed, we sit up and munch on coffee, croissants and sugar lumps, while I read The Spectator from cover to cover, my hoofed friend prefers The New Statesman. I enjoy Taki - although he is Greek - but Incitatus likes Lauren Booth: "She is witty and pretty and smart," says the equine politician, "three qualities noticeably absent in Taki." However we both admit that Roger Scruton's wine column in the NS is informative and intelligent and has been the inspiration for the contents of much of my cellar.
Cinema: With orgies to attend and executions to administer, it is not often that I manage to leave my villa. But my local multiplex offers a wide range of movies from Los Angeles for the white middle-class teenager. Assisted by my trusted guards, I have recently enjoyed Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde. Incitatus agrees that Reece Witherspoon would make a fine consul for the Roman Empire, if she were a man, a horse or a monkey. But I did not like Ang Lee's The Hulk. The computer-generated imagery was totally unrealistic. I do not believe that CGI has really been the revolution in cinema that everyone wanted. All action films, from X Men to StarWars: The Phantom Clones, now look like big cartoons! And before you ask, yes, Incitatus agrees with me. | | | . . . read more in the my media series | | Interview as told to Michael Bird.
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born in 12CE into one of Rome's most prestigious families. The youngest son of the explorer Germanicus, who shot to fame when they named a country after him, Gaius earned the nickname Caligula - "Little Boots" - while accompanying his father on German expeditions as a boy. As an adult, he was one of the Empire's rising stars and Emperor Tiberius named him as co-heir. However, the Senate, worried about the negative effect joint rule could have, voted on Tiberius's death to name Caligula lone Emperor.
Caligula began a new era of light for the Empire by declaring amnesty for all citizens exiled or imprisoned during the horrors of Tiberius' reign. Adored for his loving nature, he established a state brothel and spent lavishly on public shows and games, many of which he took part in himself. However, in incidents such as the naming of his horse Incitatus as consul and the cancelling of the invasion of Britain so that the army might collect seashells, his dry sense of humour was often misunderstood.
Caligula murdered rivals, allies and members of his own family alike, ordering many to commit suicide. History tells that he wished the Roman people had a single neck so that he may kill them all with a single blow. A conspiracy of senators assassinated him in 41CE, along with his wife and four-month old child.
(Biography: Jonn Elledge) | | | | Copyright © 2003-2010 ak13.com. All rights reserved. | |
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