The Roman who promised to die for Caligula and lived to regret it

Publius Afranius Potitus learned the hard way that some promises should come with fine print. The Roman plebeian publicly vowed to sacrifice his own life if Emperor Caligula recovered from a serious illness that struck just six months into his reign.

Big mistake.

When Caligula bounced back to health, he decided to collect on that generous offer. Instead of thanking Afranius for his devotion, the emperor had him executed — and according to some accounts, dressed him up as a sacrificial animal first for good measure.

Afranius had declared himself a "devotio," following an ancient Roman tradition where citizens dedicated themselves to the underworld gods for their ruler's wellbeing. Usually, this was symbolic posturing that nobody expected to be taken literally.

But Caligula wasn't your average emperor. The man who demanded to be worshipped as a living god apparently thought a human sacrifice sounded like exactly the kind of divine tribute he deserved. This was the same ruler who blew through Rome's entire treasury on extravagant parties and gladiator shows, so rational decision-making wasn't exactly his strong suit.

The moral of the story? Maybe keep your dramatic gestures of loyalty to yourself when dealing with notoriously unhinged megalomaniacs.

Previously:
• Caligula for President: Better American Living Through Tyranny
• This priceless piece of Caligula's mosaic floor was unknowingly used for 50 years as a coffee table in a NYC apartment