Caligula, the first modern joker

[Robert Vermaat]

I'm not so sure about Caligula's action being a joke. He tends to be ridiculed and/or reviled by the sources but some of his acts were not so idiotic as described. Making a horse senator was of course intended to show his contempt for the senate, making his troops collect 'booty'in the form of shells was to punish them for their unwillingness to invade Britain. Maybe this 'joke' was to see whether Ptolemy would act on this 'order' or not?