Well, while Emperor Commodus may be remembered now for his infamous role in the movie “Gladiator,” his ridiculous antics go far beyond mere Hollywood fiction. One of his most absurd feats was staging a fight between a gladiator and a feather duster, purely for the entertainment of the crowd. Talk about a real dust-up!
In contrast, Julius Caesar was a ladies’ man who left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. His own soldiers cheekily dubbed Rome the “Republic of Lovers,” as he had so many romantic liaisons that they jokingly marched to the tune of “Romans, lock up your wives – the bald adulterer is back in town!”
But Emperor Vitellius took his love of food to ridiculous extremes. His insatiable appetite for exotic meats included Flamingo tongues, peacock brains, giraffe meat, and even Dolphins. At one extravagant banquet, he even served wine mixed with crushed pearls, only to vomit the concoction back up onto his hapless guests. Definitely not a recipe for repeat business.
And let’s not forget Emperor Caligula’s obsession with his own Divine status. He declared himself a God and demanded that people worship him, going so far as to have his very own statue placed in every temple in Rome. But that’s not all – this megalomaniac even appointed his own horse as a Consul (one of the highest positions in the Roman government). Talk about some serious horsepower!
It just goes to show, behind the grandeur and glory of the Roman Empire, there were plenty of wild and wacky characters pulling the strings. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to hunt down some Flamingo tongues for dinner… But first, I’ll lock up my wife, just in case.
