WEBVTT - Noble Steed

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim

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<v Speaker 1>and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener Discretion advised. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a celebratory night in Rome in thirty nine AD. Dignitaries

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<v Speaker 1>were arriving at the new glitzy Palace. The wine was

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<v Speaker 1>flowing freely, and the Knight's guest of honor was getting

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<v Speaker 1>his final touch ups. He was dressed in exquisite royal purple,

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<v Speaker 1>a jewel studded collar glistening around his long regal neck.

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<v Speaker 1>Though this famed individual was not fluent in the tongues

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<v Speaker 1>spoken by his team of servants, he was a keen

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<v Speaker 1>observer of body language, and from their meticulous combing of

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<v Speaker 1>his magnificent mane of hair, he could sense that something

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<v Speaker 1>was special that night. As the particularly raucous din of

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<v Speaker 1>the commencing bank echoed through the marble halls, the Guest

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<v Speaker 1>of honor couldn't hold it in any longer. He let

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<v Speaker 1>out a curious winnie. Because the VIP of this party

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<v Speaker 1>in Katatus was not a normal ruler or aristocrat.

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<v Speaker 2>He was a horse. Many horses would spook when walking

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<v Speaker 2>into such an uproarious dinner party such as this one,

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<v Speaker 2>but not in Katatus. After all, this was his house.

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<v Speaker 2>The event was taking place at the grand palatial stables,

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<v Speaker 2>which had been built in his honor, and he had

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<v Speaker 2>hosted numerous events where members of the emperor's inner circle

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<v Speaker 2>gorged themselves and toasted him with golden goblets. Even the

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<v Speaker 2>sense of many guests, especially the renowned chariot drivers, were

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<v Speaker 2>thoroughly familiar to in Katatus, due to all of his

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<v Speaker 2>times spent competing at the track. The champion horse took

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<v Speaker 2>his customary place, and even the meal served to him

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<v Speaker 2>in his carved ivory manger was of no surprise, barley

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<v Speaker 2>mixed with gold again, as in Katatus began to happily

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<v Speaker 2>munch away. There was a stir of excitement. The architect

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<v Speaker 2>of that night's event had arrived, an individual who happened

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<v Speaker 2>to be the most powerful man in the realm, a

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<v Speaker 2>monarch whose notorious reign would captivate historians for millennia to come,

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<v Speaker 2>and who would be consistently referenced, at times misguidedly, as

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<v Speaker 2>a classic example of imperial madness. This man was Calligula,

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<v Speaker 2>Emperor of Rome. In Katatus looked up and snorted amicably,

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<v Speaker 2>because to him, this pale slightly balding young human dressed

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<v Speaker 2>in silk and finery was simply his biggest fan. Caligula

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<v Speaker 2>raised his goblet and, with a devious glint in his eye,

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<v Speaker 2>made a surprise announcement. He planned to name in Katatus

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<v Speaker 2>to the highest office any Roman politician could hold, that

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<v Speaker 2>of Consul. In Katatus understood none of the proclamation itself,

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<v Speaker 2>because again, he was a horse. But judging by the

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<v Speaker 2>spirited applause and mirthful hysterics of all of his bipedal

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<v Speaker 2>dining companions, whatever his main human had just done must

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<v Speaker 2>have been pretty startling. I'm Danish forts and this is

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<v Speaker 2>noble blood. When examining the life of in Katatus, Caligula's

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<v Speaker 2>favorite horse, it's hard to find impartial, unexaggerated accounts, especially

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<v Speaker 2>since all of the early records we rely upon come

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<v Speaker 2>from humans. These historians and biographers certainly had the benefit

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<v Speaker 2>of written language and opposable thumbs, but as many scholars

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<v Speaker 2>have argued, they often showed ample bias in covering controversial

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<v Speaker 2>figures like Caligula, and he was a member of their

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<v Speaker 2>own species, so, lacking any unbiased horse historians to provide

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<v Speaker 2>first hoof insights into the equine experience during the Roman Empire.

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<v Speaker 2>It's worth putting on blinders to some of the more

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<v Speaker 2>sensationalist versions of these events, as well as acknowledging our

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<v Speaker 2>very human tendency to want to anthropomorphize animal subjects. So

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<v Speaker 2>I apologize in advance for that and for all of

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<v Speaker 2>the horse puns to come. All of that said, in

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<v Speaker 2>Katatus was surely the most lovable young steed who just

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to be a good horse and run really fast.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't have many clear records about his early life

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<v Speaker 2>or pedigree, but based on what we know of the

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<v Speaker 2>massive popularity and overall industry of horse racing during this era,

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<v Speaker 2>we can place a few confident bets in Katatus was

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<v Speaker 2>born sometime in the early first century AD and likely

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<v Speaker 2>either spent his coulthood years on a stud farm run

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<v Speaker 2>by one of the corporations that backed the four main

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<v Speaker 2>chariot racing factions or teams, the Greens, White, Reds, and Blues,

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<v Speaker 2>or he was bought at a horse sale by one

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<v Speaker 2>of the faction's agents who was seeking out fast stallions.

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<v Speaker 2>Then it was literally off to the races, as in

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<v Speaker 2>Katatus would have traveled by ship to train at a

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<v Speaker 2>racing facility as a hippodrome or circus. There are different

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<v Speaker 2>accounts of how in Katatus got his name, which essentially

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<v Speaker 2>translates to speedy, but one thing is clear, he lived

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<v Speaker 2>up to it. In Katatus revved his mighty horsepower so

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<v Speaker 2>triumphantly for the Greens that he won the love of

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<v Speaker 2>the faction's most influential supporter and all around horse guy, Caligula.

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula was actually a nickname that Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus

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<v Speaker 2>received as a child. That meant little boot. Those around

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<v Speaker 2>him refrained from publicly referring to him by the playful,

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<v Speaker 2>belittling nickname while he was emperor, feeling harsh punishment. But

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<v Speaker 2>since Caligula is how he's most commonly remembered by the

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<v Speaker 2>world today, I'll continue to refer to him as such,

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<v Speaker 2>just for clarity. Growing up, Caligula suffered from several ales,

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<v Speaker 2>seemingly including what we might now identify as epilepsy, and

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<v Speaker 2>he was by many accounts unathletic. But despite that, or

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<v Speaker 2>perhaps because of it, horse racing and spectating played an

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<v Speaker 2>outsize role in his short but dramatic rule. In thirty

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<v Speaker 2>seven AD, Caligula became emperor at age twenty five, and

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<v Speaker 2>he quickly increased the number of looty or public games

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<v Speaker 2>based around religious festivals that featured spectacles like beast hunts,

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<v Speaker 2>gladiatorial contests, and Caligula's favorite chariot races. Chariot racing was

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<v Speaker 2>a must see sport of the era, with successful drivers

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<v Speaker 2>and horses ascending to super stardom. Unlike previous emperors who

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<v Speaker 2>mostly used such games to boost their public image, Caligula's

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<v Speaker 2>fandom was so fierce that it veered into unbridled obsession.

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula's favorite races showcased the quadraga over four horse chariot,

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<v Speaker 2>where the left inside horse was the most esteemed since

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<v Speaker 2>it had to navigate the tightest turns, so given in

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<v Speaker 2>Katatus's celebrity status, that was most likely his racing position.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't have official surviving stats, but considering the best

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<v Speaker 2>chariot horse's success rates at that time, it's likely that

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<v Speaker 2>in Katatus would have had over one hundred race winds

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<v Speaker 2>to his name. In Katatus must have been head and

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<v Speaker 2>crest above the four legged field, because not only did

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula construct grand stables for him, he'd send soldiers to

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<v Speaker 2>silence the neighborhood the night before races so that in

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<v Speaker 2>Katatus could sleep peacefully. Caligula also commissioned an entire private

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<v Speaker 2>hippodrome so that he could personally race chariots with his

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<v Speaker 2>preferred thoroughbred. The two rode together, they dined together, and

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<v Speaker 2>they partied together. But it wasn't all fun and horse

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<v Speaker 2>racing games for in Katatus. Escalating tensions and treacherous plots

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<v Speaker 2>soon threatened to hobble his uniquely privileged lifestyle. The games

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<v Speaker 2>themselves involved plenty of scandals. Caligula was rumored to have

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<v Speaker 2>poisoned competing factions. He was also said to have gotten

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<v Speaker 2>jealous of the fame of some chariot drivers, and even

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<v Speaker 2>reportedly ran one over in a chariot at his private hippodrome,

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<v Speaker 2>although it's uncertain if it happened, whether it was an

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<v Speaker 2>accident or a purposeful act of cruelty. For his part,

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<v Speaker 2>in Katatus was never directly implicated as having a hoof

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<v Speaker 2>in any of that foul play. Likewise, while it's possible

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<v Speaker 2>that Incatatus's horse teammates and opponents might have become jealous

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<v Speaker 2>of all of the attention and food given to him.

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<v Speaker 2>If indeed horses can experience jealousy, there's no evidence that

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<v Speaker 2>they plotted against him. Historically, these hierarchical horse disputes were

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<v Speaker 2>typically settled through quick and simple physical displays of dominance,

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<v Speaker 2>such as biting, pushing, and threatening to kick. The real

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<v Speaker 2>herd to watch out for was the human aristocracy. Caligula's

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<v Speaker 2>relationship grew increasingly strained, with the Senate and all its

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<v Speaker 2>prominent politicians desperately jockeying for position. This escalated part way

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<v Speaker 2>through thirty nine AD when a group of aristocrats, senators,

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<v Speaker 2>the sitting consuls, and even Caligula's sisters took part in

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<v Speaker 2>a conspiracy against him. The stakes could not have been

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<v Speaker 2>higher for Inkatatus as well. If his main benefactor was

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<v Speaker 2>put out to pasture or worse, in Katatus would lose

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<v Speaker 2>his fancy stables, his private hippodrome access, and being so

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<v Speaker 2>closely affiliated with the targeted empire, possibly even his life.

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<v Speaker 2>Fortunately for Inkatatus, that dire plot ultimately went belly up,

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<v Speaker 2>but according to some historians, it served as a critical

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<v Speaker 2>turning point in Caligula's reign and his relationship with his

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<v Speaker 2>favorite horse. Early biographers recounted rumors of Caligula taking part

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<v Speaker 2>in debauched orgies, in incestuous acts, and even drinking pearls

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<v Speaker 2>dissolved in vinegar, but these are mostly unsubstantiated, although the

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<v Speaker 2>practice of drinking pearls has been no in other ancient histories,

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<v Speaker 2>attributed most famously to Cleopatra and Mark Antony. To be clear,

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula absolutely compiled a grim resume of punishing and executing

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<v Speaker 2>opponents over time, but even his detractors seemed to mostly

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<v Speaker 2>agree that his governing style was less contentious during his

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<v Speaker 2>first two years as emperor, but the apparent conspiracy and

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<v Speaker 2>number of people clearly champing at the bit to betray

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula changed things. Rather than rein in his imperial impulses,

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula sought to humiliate senators and aristocrats in any ways

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<v Speaker 2>he could. Some methods were simple. He increasingly made them

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<v Speaker 2>greet him as they would a god, by performatively and

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<v Speaker 2>demeaningly prostrating themselves before him. He was also said to

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<v Speaker 2>have had second xtual relationships with many senators wives, and

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<v Speaker 2>once again horse racing factored heavily into his plans. Putting

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<v Speaker 2>on games was hugely expensive during festivals up to forty

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<v Speaker 2>races were held in a day. There were monetary prizes,

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<v Speaker 2>equipment costs, and the upkeep of hundreds of horses, and

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<v Speaker 2>then there were the shockingly expensive celebratory feasts for both

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<v Speaker 2>humans and horses. If some accounts are to be believed,

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<v Speaker 2>both Caligula and in Katatis ingested literal gold. Caligula made

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<v Speaker 2>sure to saddle individual senators with this financial burden by

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<v Speaker 2>maliciously offering them the honor of sponsoring each event. This

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<v Speaker 2>effectively muzzled many outspoken politicians, since they couldn't overtly refuse

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<v Speaker 2>Caligula's calculated slights, especially if they held or wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>hold a notable position such as consul. In the prior

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<v Speaker 2>Roman Republic, consuls were essentially the highest elected officials who

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<v Speaker 2>presided over the Senate. In Caligula's empire, however, the consul

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<v Speaker 2>was more of an honorific position that he would give

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<v Speaker 2>to senators or when he wanted to exert even more

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<v Speaker 2>control to himself, or, as legend had it, a position

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<v Speaker 2>he would offer to his favorite race horse. The two

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<v Speaker 2>major human sources we look to regarding Calyguila's life were

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<v Speaker 2>both pretty hyperbolic about his most notorious suggestion for consul.

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<v Speaker 2>For example, while describing Caliguila's love of Incatatus, third century

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<v Speaker 2>historian Cassius Dio claimed, quote, he swore by the animal's

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<v Speaker 2>life and fortune, and even promised to appoint him consul,

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<v Speaker 2>a promise that he would have carried out if he

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<v Speaker 2>had lived longer end quote. However, the general consensus among

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<v Speaker 2>scholars is that Caligula's plan to name in Katatus council

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<v Speaker 2>was actually all a pointed joke. Although many early biographers

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<v Speaker 2>cast Caliguila as a vile despot capable of outlandish things,

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<v Speaker 2>parsing their motives and political circumstances, along with Caliguila's pattern

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<v Speaker 2>of behavior, the emperor comes off less as a complete

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<v Speaker 2>raving lunatic and more a deeply paranoid ruler making spiteful jabs.

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<v Speaker 2>His jest involving in Katatus had multiple possible layers. First,

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<v Speaker 2>the idea of making in Katatus the council was likely

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<v Speaker 2>a basic dig at politicians competence. Essentially, Caligula was claiming,

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<v Speaker 2>my horse could do a better job. Second, floating such

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<v Speaker 2>a notion darkly ridiculed, how trivial of a hitching post,

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<v Speaker 2>The position had become It used to be the pinnacle

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<v Speaker 2>of a senator's career, and despite the corrupted appointment process,

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<v Speaker 2>the title still held the previously conferred extra prestige to

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<v Speaker 2>a politician. But the idea of nominating a horse underlined

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<v Speaker 2>just how harnessed any prospective consul was by Caligula, by

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<v Speaker 2>his whims and by his absolute power. And finally, some

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<v Speaker 2>key individual's names might have been relevant to Caligula's joke,

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<v Speaker 2>especially given how puns and wordplay often factored into the

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<v Speaker 2>Roman sense of humor. Specifically, a Console candidate at the

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<v Speaker 2>time was named Asinus Cellar, which could be crudely translated

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<v Speaker 2>into swift ass, so a quip about Caligula appointing in

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<v Speaker 2>Katatus may have been a direct personal insult his speedy

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<v Speaker 2>horse was preferable to a swift ass. Ultimately, in Katatus

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<v Speaker 2>never actually became Console, and after a couple more years

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<v Speaker 2>of bitter and bloody friction, Caligula was finally assassinated by

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<v Speaker 2>two Praetorian tribunes and a group of centurions on January

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<v Speaker 2>twenty fourth, forty one AD. Even in the immediate aftermath

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<v Speaker 2>of Caligula's death, horse racing came up. When arriving soldiers

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<v Speaker 2>demanded to know who might replace the deceased Caligula as emperor,

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<v Speaker 2>the vengeful tribune who was first to stab Caligula, mockingly

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<v Speaker 2>suggested that they can check in with one of Caligula's

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<v Speaker 2>chariot driver friends as their first choice. So what became

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<v Speaker 2>of in Katatus. Accounts are vague. Some say caligula successor

0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:13.119
<v Speaker 2>ordered the horse's execution, although a death doesn't seem to

0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:17.560
<v Speaker 2>have been confirmed. The relevant economics of the time offer

0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:23.560
<v Speaker 2>another possibility. Thanks in part to Caligula's constant promotion, chariot

0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.600
<v Speaker 2>racing was as popular as it had ever been, meaning

0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:33.800
<v Speaker 2>champion horses were of significant breeding value. So, particularly considering

0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:38.639
<v Speaker 2>how many aristocrats Caligula led to financial ruin, it's not

0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:44.280
<v Speaker 2>unreasonable to wonder if some entrepreneurial or entitled feeling individual

0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:48.359
<v Speaker 2>might have jumped at the opportunity to profit off in

0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:52.720
<v Speaker 2>Katatus by selling him back to a stud farm. As

0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:56.159
<v Speaker 2>much as that sounds like a euphemistic way for me

0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:01.000
<v Speaker 2>to say that Caligula's favorite pet went to a farm upstate,

0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:05.840
<v Speaker 2>there is at least some actual chance that Inkatatus did

0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:09.520
<v Speaker 2>go on to sire a new generation of race horses.

0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.560
<v Speaker 2>Although Incatatus never actually traded his jeweled collar for the

0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:22.399
<v Speaker 2>official toga of the consul, his facetious nomination captured the

0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:28.200
<v Speaker 2>imagination of plenty of political critics, historians, and horse enthusiasts

0:19:28.320 --> 0:19:34.600
<v Speaker 2>over subsequent centuries. In particular, in Katatus's nomination became a

0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:39.440
<v Speaker 2>go to reference when calling out political incompetence or madness.

0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:44.320
<v Speaker 2>For example, a satirical column in a seventeen forty two

0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:49.600
<v Speaker 2>issue of the London Magazine and Monthly Chronologer praised in

0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:54.000
<v Speaker 2>Katatus as a wiser minister of the state than the

0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:57.320
<v Speaker 2>Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time. In a

0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:02.720
<v Speaker 2>somewhat convoluted respond to the American Colony's declaration of independence,

0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:07.040
<v Speaker 2>a British writer also used Caligula trying to make in

0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:10.959
<v Speaker 2>Katatus a consul, as an example of the issues that

0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:17.360
<v Speaker 2>eventually arise from giving decision making power to the wrong people. Today,

0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:21.920
<v Speaker 2>in Katatus even has his own Wikipedia page, and Caligula's

0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:25.520
<v Speaker 2>Horse is the name of an Australian progressive metal band.

0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.280
<v Speaker 2>From a political perspective, the notion of Caligula elevating his

0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:35.400
<v Speaker 2>horse to a government position is enduringly memorable. But let's

0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:38.359
<v Speaker 2>not put the chariot before the horse and get so

0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:41.600
<v Speaker 2>caught up in all of the mocking hypotheticals that we

0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.600
<v Speaker 2>fail to give the stallion at the center of the

0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:49.240
<v Speaker 2>story his due. What in Catatus did accomplish in his

0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:54.120
<v Speaker 2>life was still stunning. Sure, many aspects of in Katatus's

0:20:54.240 --> 0:20:57.920
<v Speaker 2>fate and the reason for his fame were beyond his control.

0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:00.960
<v Speaker 2>But on the other hoof, you can lead a horse

0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:04.200
<v Speaker 2>to water, but once he sails across that water, it's

0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.800
<v Speaker 2>up to him to excel so remarkably at the hardest

0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:11.359
<v Speaker 2>position in the most popular sports of the day, to

0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:13.919
<v Speaker 2>the point that he makes the most die hard and

0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:21.119
<v Speaker 2>powerful fan consider spending unprecedented resources on equestrian luxuries the

0:21:21.320 --> 0:21:25.400
<v Speaker 2>likes of which that horse's four footed four bearers never

0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:29.960
<v Speaker 2>could have imagined, from competing at the vaunted hippodrome to

0:21:30.119 --> 0:21:35.160
<v Speaker 2>hosting human parties. There were numerous times when in Katatus

0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:39.240
<v Speaker 2>could have spooked, balked, or stumbled. But when fear and

0:21:39.359 --> 0:21:42.879
<v Speaker 2>confusion threatened to get the best of him, in Katatus

0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:46.879
<v Speaker 2>simply said, nay, and I think in the vein of

0:21:46.920 --> 0:21:50.240
<v Speaker 2>this podcast, always trying to for lack of a better

0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:54.400
<v Speaker 2>word humanize the figures at the heart of history. It's

0:21:54.480 --> 0:22:00.120
<v Speaker 2>worth celebrating what a good horse in Katatas was. When

0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:04.119
<v Speaker 2>Katatus never actually made it into the government, he did

0:22:04.280 --> 0:22:09.479
<v Speaker 2>get another official title. Caligula actually made in Katatus a

0:22:09.640 --> 0:22:15.000
<v Speaker 2>priest of his imperial religious cult. This priesthood may have

0:22:15.200 --> 0:22:21.200
<v Speaker 2>initially spawned similarly pointed jokes about the ineptitude of human priests,

0:22:21.720 --> 0:22:25.240
<v Speaker 2>but even if partly flippant in nature, in a way,

0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:29.360
<v Speaker 2>this religious appointment still meant more than a political one.

0:22:29.480 --> 0:22:34.040
<v Speaker 2>Coming from Caligula. After all, the emperor was consumed with

0:22:34.119 --> 0:22:38.440
<v Speaker 2>the idea of placing himself among the gods, first as

0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:42.920
<v Speaker 2>more of a snide prank, but then with increasing sincerity.

0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:46.800
<v Speaker 2>We may never know if in Katatus himself had any

0:22:46.920 --> 0:22:50.520
<v Speaker 2>such dreams of divinity while clip clopping to and from

0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:54.280
<v Speaker 2>his grand stables, but at least if he ever accompanied

0:22:54.320 --> 0:22:57.680
<v Speaker 2>his human to a temple ritual, he would have seen

0:22:57.800 --> 0:23:03.560
<v Speaker 2>a familiar long face, that of Pegasus, the mythical winged

0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:08.360
<v Speaker 2>steed who was often depicted in statue form alongside Jupiter,

0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:13.160
<v Speaker 2>the king of the gods, whom Caligula so desperately wanted

0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:17.439
<v Speaker 2>to emulate, and in a sense through his lasting and

0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:23.880
<v Speaker 2>now fairly infamous legacy. Our illustrious horse hero certainly trotted

0:23:24.000 --> 0:23:32.080
<v Speaker 2>his own way to immortality. That's the story of in Katatus,

0:23:32.280 --> 0:23:36.760
<v Speaker 2>Caligula's favorite racehorse. But stick around after a brief sponsor

0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:41.240
<v Speaker 2>break to hear an additional intriguing question about our famous

0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:54.840
<v Speaker 2>quadruped's political career. Despite Inkatatus never being a formal consular candidate,

0:23:55.320 --> 0:23:58.919
<v Speaker 2>some intrigued fans have mused about whether he would have

0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:03.000
<v Speaker 2>been eligible based on the requirements for Romans to become

0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:07.440
<v Speaker 2>senators per the changes enacted by one of Caliguia's predecessors.

0:24:07.840 --> 0:24:11.720
<v Speaker 2>These minimums included being at least twenty five years old,

0:24:12.320 --> 0:24:17.000
<v Speaker 2>owning property valuing at least one million sestercees a type

0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:22.560
<v Speaker 2>of Roman coin, and having an quote unblemished character. Two

0:24:22.560 --> 0:24:25.400
<v Speaker 2>of those are easy. There appears to be no evidence

0:24:25.480 --> 0:24:29.320
<v Speaker 2>in Katatu's ever had a criminal record, and his carved

0:24:29.440 --> 0:24:34.119
<v Speaker 2>marble home was undoubtedly worth well over a mill. The

0:24:34.200 --> 0:24:38.159
<v Speaker 2>question of his age is a little trickier, as twenty

0:24:38.200 --> 0:24:41.600
<v Speaker 2>five would have been fairly old for a horse still

0:24:41.800 --> 0:24:46.200
<v Speaker 2>seemingly close to his prime racing days, although that depends

0:24:46.240 --> 0:24:50.160
<v Speaker 2>if we're talking human years or horse ears. All in all,

0:24:50.320 --> 0:24:56.600
<v Speaker 2>especially given Caligula's enthusiasm for bucking tradition, these prerequisites would

0:24:56.840 --> 0:25:00.359
<v Speaker 2>likely have been easy hurdles for in katat Is to

0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:14.200
<v Speaker 2>clear in his senatorial steeplechase. Noble Blood is a production

0:25:14.400 --> 0:25:17.840
<v Speaker 2>of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke.

0:25:18.560 --> 0:25:22.440
<v Speaker 2>Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional

0:25:22.480 --> 0:25:27.160
<v Speaker 2>writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy

0:25:27.240 --> 0:25:31.359
<v Speaker 2>Hit and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced

0:25:31.440 --> 0:25:36.600
<v Speaker 2>by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and

0:25:36.720 --> 0:25:41.199
<v Speaker 2>executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For

0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:46.720
<v Speaker 2>more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

0:25:46.960 --> 0:25:50.360
<v Speaker 2>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.