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Gaius Julius Caesar
Caesar had more than a mere name and military reputation: his energy
could never rest and his one disgrace was to conquer without war. He was
alert and headstrong; his arms answered every summons of ambition or
resentment; he never shrank from using the sword lightly; he followed up
each success and snatched at the favor of Fortune, overthrowing every
obstacle on his path to supreme power, and rejoicing to clear the way
before him by destruction. --Lucan, Bellum Civile I, 143-150
The Early Years
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Born to a not-so-well-off patrician family in
100 BC in the Subura neighborhood of
Rome.
After the civil war between Sulla and
Marius, Caesar was left penniless and
almost lost his life while still a teenager.
He joins the army at age 18 and serves for
four years.
The (Legal) Rungs of Power
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Was elected a quaestor at age 30. This
automatically made him a Senator as
well.
Was elected aedil at age 34. This put him
in charge of public entertainments. He
spent lavishly, and won great popularity.
Was elected Pontifex Maximus at age 36.
This post was for life, and brought
power, wealth, and prestige (plus a big
house in the Forum!)
Was elected praetor at age 39, then
became military governor in Spain,
where he earned his reputation as a
general.
Was elected Consul, the highest office in
Rome, at age 41.
Gaul
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After his Consulship, Caesar makes sure he’s
appointed governor of Illyricum, Italian Gaul, and then
Gaul-across-the-Alps.
This gives him the opportunity to command troops
again, and to conquer territory.
This also gives him the opportunity for great wealth.
Through his
Commentaries of the
war, published back in
Rome, he gains even
greater celebrity.
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Risking All
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Crassus dies in battle in Parthia.
The Senate convinces Pompey to oppose
Caesar rather than work with him.
Caesar, after eight years in Gaul, is ordered
to surrender his armies and return to Rome
(to stand trial!).
Caesar invades Italy with his Legions.
Alea iacta est! The die is cast.--Caesar, crossing the
Rubicon into Italy with his army. (Suetonius, Life of
Caesar)
Civil War--Again!
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Pompey and the leading Senators flee to
Greece to ready their army.
Caesar easily takes Italy, Rome, and Spain.
Outnumbered two to one, he faces Pompey
at Pharsalus in Greece, and crushes him.
Pompey flees to Egypt, where he is
murdered to gain Caesar’s favor.
Caesar’s Coins
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Caesar was the first
Roman to have his
face put on a coin
while he was still alive
The Romans believed
only ancestors (now
semi-divine spirits)
and gods could be
pictured
Caesar was equating
himself with gods and
Eastern kings
Ego sum Caesar
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He has himself appointed Dictator-for-Life.
Caesar now rules alone, using friends,
freedmen, and slaves to govern--ignoring
the Senate. Was Caesar a KING?
Starts wearing an all-purple toga: the
garment of a triumphal general representing
the god Jupiter. Was Caesar a GOD?
The Temple of Venus Genetrix
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In 54 BC Caesar began construction of a
second forum, since the old one had
become too crowded (and there was no
room for proper monuments to him!).
The centerpiece of the new forum (named
after Caesar, of course) was the temple of
Venus Genetrix--”Mother Venus”.
This temple helped promote the notion that
the Julian family was descended from the
goddess Venus through Aeneas and his son
Iulus.
This association had a double benefit: it
gave Caesar divine ancestry and it tied
Caesar to the legendary founders of Rome.
Both notions were useful to Caesar,
assuming he was aiming at absolute power
along the lines of Alexander the Great and
other Eastern kings.
The Julian Forum
The Ides of March
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A group of over fifty Senators decide that enough is
enough--they are not ready to relinquish power and control
of Rome to one man.
They conspire to murder Caesar on March 15, 44 BC.
Ironically, the Senate house is closed, and the Senate has
been meeting at the Theater of Pompey. Caesar dies
stabbed to death at the base of his old rival’s statue.
This coin, issued by Brutus,
commemorates Caesar’s
assassination. Brutus had hoped
he and the other conspirators
would be seen as heroes
liberating the Republic from a
tyrant.
The Aftermath
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Caesar’s body is cremated in a massive
public demonstration in the Forum. A
temple is built to Divine Julius in that spot.
The conspirators are forced to flee.
Civil war again breaks out, with Caesar’s
right-hand-man, Marc Antony, and his heir,
Octavian, conquering the armies of Brutus,
Cassius, and the Senators.
Caesar’s Lasting Impact
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Caesar provided a blueprint for rising to
absolute power in Rome--a blueprint both
Octavian and Antony followed.
His name became one of the titles for the
Roman emperors. The more modern “Czar”
and “Kaiser” derive from his name too.
Caesar began the practice of granting
Roman citizenship to conquered peoples.
This helped to prolong the expansion and
maintenance of the Roman Empire.
Caesar’s Lasting Impact
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His Commentaries are one of the great
pieces of Latin literature.
He inspired one of Shakespeare’s most
celebrated plays.
His reform of the calendar has been
changed very little over the past two
millenia.
The month July is named for him.
Bibliography
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Grabsky, Phil. I, Caesar. London: BBC Books, 1997. This is an excellent book for a
quick (50 page) overview of Caesar’s life, as well as the lives of other emperors. Ties in
with A&E’s Hail Caesar Biography series. Good illustrations, many in color.
Lucan. The Civil War. J.D. Duff, trans. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1928.
This is an epic poem written during the time of Nero, around one hundred years after
Caesar’s death. Surprisingly, it paints a more favorable picture of Pompey.
Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, November,
2000. Excellent source for coins, archaeological sites, sculpture.
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Gabucci, Ada. Guide to Ancient Rome. Richard Sadleir trans. Rome: Electa, 2000.
Brief descriptions of most of the ancient remains in Rome, along with many excellent
maps, photos, and reconstructions.
Suetonius. Lives of the Twelve Caesars. Robert Graves trans.
Brittanica.com.
Caesar, Julius. Encyclopedia Brittanica. Brittanica.com 2000. November, 2000
<http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,114507+3,00>.
ROMAN CIVILIZATIONfrom Troy to the End of the Republic. Furman College.
2000. November 2000. <http://classics.furman.edu/~rprior/courses/RC/RCunit1.htm>