Download Unit 25: A Roman Dictator

The Artios Home Companion Series
Unit 25: A Roman Dictator
Teacher Overview
Julius Caesar is the most famous of the Roman rulers. Many of the Roman rulers were
assassinated as others became jealous of the Caesar’s power or were concerned about his
tactics. Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate and stabbed twenty-three times
by senators including his close friend Brutus. Shakespeare wrote depicting these events in his
play Julius Caesar.
R e a d i n g a n d A s s i g nm e nt s
In this unit, students will:
 Complete one lesson in which they will
learn about Julius Caesar,
journaling as they read.
 Explore the following website:
▪ Julius Caesar for Kids
http://rome.mrdonn.org/cae
sar.html
 Visit www.ArtiosHCS.com for
additional resources
Julius Caesar. Commissioned in 1696 for the
Gardens of Versailles, by Nicolas Coustou (1658-1733)
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Unit 25: A Roman Dictator
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Lesson One
History Overview and Assignments
Death of a Republic
The Murder of Caesar, by Karl von Piloty (1826-1886), 1865
R e a d i n g a n d A s s i g nm e nt s
 Read the article: Julius Caesar.
 Narrate about today’s reading using the appropriate notebook page. Include key people,
events, and dates within the narration.
 Create a biography page for Julius Caesar. Use the timeline at the end of the article and
beside each date put the details about that event that were contained in the article.
 Explore the following website:
▪ Julius Caesar for Kids
http://rome.mrdonn.org/caesar.html
 Be sure to visit www.ArtiosHCS.com for additional resources.
Ancient: Middle School
Unit 25: A Roman Dictator
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Adapted for Middle School from the book:
Ancient Civilizations
source: ushistory.org
Julius Caesar
Brutus was in on the plot, Caesar choked out
his final words: “kai su, teknon?” (“You too,
my child?”).
On the steps of the Senate, the most
powerful man in the ancient world died in a
pool of his own blood.
Roman soldiers’ appearance changed very little over the
centuries. The army of Julius Caesar looked very
similar to the soldiers in this 2nd-century B.C. carving.
Julius Caesar’s military might, political savvy, and
diplomatic genius made him supremely popular among
the Roman citizenry.
The first conspirator greeted Caesar,
then plunged a knife into his neck. Other
stabbers followed suit. One by one, several
members of the Senate took turns stabbing
Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), the dictator of
the entire Roman Empire.
Stunned that even his good friend
About “Et Tu, Brute?”
In William Shakespeare’s play Julius
Caesar, the title character manages to utter
“Et tu, Brute?” (“and you, Brutus?”) as he is
slain. This is not historically accurate.
According to the 1st century A.D. Roman
historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar spoke
mainly Greek and not Latin, as was the case
with most patricians at the time. In his
history about the life of Julius Caesar,
Suetonius writes that as the assassins
plunged their daggers into the dictator,
Caesar saw Brutus and spoke the Greek
phrase “kai su, teknon,” meaning “you too,
my child.”
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Unit 25: A Roman Dictator
Page 381
There is still debate whether or not it
was shouted in shock or spoken as a
warning. On one hand, Caesar may have
been amazed to find a close friend like
Brutus trying to kill him; on the other hand,
he may have meant that Brutus would pay
for his crime in the future for this treachery.
Either way, the words were Greek, so we’ll
leave “Et tu, Brute?” for Shakespeare.
Roman coins celebrated Caesar’s military victories in
Gaul (present-day France).
Long before Julius Caesar became
dictator (from 47 to 44 B.C.) and was
subsequently murdered, the Roman
Republic had entered a state of rapid
decline. The rich had become wealthier and
more powerful as a result of Rome’s many
military successes.
Meanwhile, life for the average Roman
seemed to be getting worse. Attempts to
reform the situation by two brothers,
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, were met with
opposition that eventually resulted in their
deaths.
Julius Caesar led his Roman legions as far north as
Britain in 55 B.C. He and his army may have seen this
view upon landing at Deal Beach.
In addition, slavery was on the rise, and
violent slave revolts were commonplace.
In this 19th century painting by Abel de Pujol, Caesar
leaves his wife on the Ides of March,
the day of his murder.
A Revolting Development
Spartacus (109-71 B.C.) was a captured
soldier who was sold into slavery to be a
gladiator. But he escaped his captors and
formed an army of rebel slaves. Against
great odds, Spartacus’s slave army defeated
two Roman battalions.
Spartacus wanted to leave Italy, but his
army and supporters of the slave revolt
urged him to attack Rome. A Roman army
led by Crassus finally defeated Spartacus
and his men.
Over 5,000 men from Spartacus’s army
were crucified along Rome’s main road, the
Appian Way, as a warning to other slaves
not to revolt.
Finally, a new practice developed in
which the army was paid with gold and land.
Soldiers no longer fought for the good of the
Republic but fought instead for tangible
rewards. Gradually, soldiers became more
loyal to the generals who could pay them
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Unit 25: A Roman Dictator
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than to the Roman Republic itself. It was
within this changing atmosphere that
military leaders such as Julius Caesar were
able to seize control of and put an end to the
Roman Republic.
Julius Caesar was a man of many talents.
Born into the patrician class, Caesar was
intelligent, educated, and cultivated. An
excellent speaker, he possessed a sharp
sense of humor, charm, and personality. All
of these traits combined helped make him a
skilled politician.
Moreover, Caesar was a military genius.
His many successful military campaigns
gained him broad support and popularity
among the common people. Caesar also
won the undying loyalty of his soldiers, who
supplied him with the necessary muscle to
seize power.
Julius Caesar began his rise to power in
60 B.C. by forging an alliance with another
general, Pompey, and a wealthy patrician,
Crassus. Together, these three men
assumed control of the Roman Republic,
and Caesar was thrust into the position of
consul. Historians have since dubbed the
period of rule by these three men the First
Triumvirate.
Over time, however, the triumvirate
broke down. Crassus was killed in battle,
and Pompey began entertaining ideas of
ruling without the dangerously popular
Caesar. While Caesar was fighting in Gaul
(modern-day France), Pompey and the
Senate ordered Caesar to return to Rome
without his army. But when Caesar crossed
the Rubicon River in northern Italy, he
brought his army with him in defiance of the
Senate’s order. This fateful decision led to a
civil war. Caesar defeated Pompey’s forces
and entered Rome in 46 B.C., triumphant
and unchallenged.
Upon his return, Caesar made himself
dictator and absolute ruler of Rome and its
territories. During his rule, he enacted
several reforms. Caesar founded many
colonies in newly conquered territories and
provided land and opportunity for poor
Romans who chose to migrate there. He
reduced the number of slaves and opened
citizenship up to people living in the
provinces. Finally, he created a new
calendar named the Julian calendar. This
very calendar, with a few minor
adjustments, is the same one used around
the world today.
In 44 B.C., Julius Caesar ordered the
Senate to make him dictator for life.
Typically, dictators served for a limited time
(usually six months), then stepped down.
Caesar’s actions threatened to end the
Republic once and for all. Fearing this
change, a group of senators plotted and
executed the murder of Caesar on the Ides
of March. Although the senators succeeded
in ending Caesar’s life, they did not realize
at that time that the Republic had died with
him.
Rome would now become an empire.
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Timeline for General Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.)
100 Born in Rome
84
Marries Cornelia, daughter of the powerful consul Cinna
75
Captured and ransomed by Mediterranean pirates. After his release, Caesar fulfills his promise to crucify the pirates.
67
Marries Pompeia after Cornelia’s death
63
Elected Pontifex Maximus (High Priest)
61
Becomes governor of Spain
60
Forms triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey
59
Elected consul
58
Becomes governor of Gaul
53
Crassus killed at Battle of Carrhae in Mesopotamia
49
Caesar and his army cross the Rubicon into Italy, sparking civil war.
48
Pompey murdered in Egypt; Caesar has affair with Cleopatra and makes her queen of Egypt.
47
Cleopatra gives birth to Caesar’s son, Caesarion.
45
Caesar wins title of dictator for life.
44
Assassinated on the Ides of March by Brutus and Cassius
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