Julius Caesar

Early life of Caesar

• Born 100 BCE into a patrician family• The Julii claimed descent from the gods • As a young man (25) he was captured by

pirates on his way to a university in Rhodes

• At the age of 35 he was made pontifex maximus

• He followed the usual route of the cursus honorum.

Caesar’s military campaigns

Military Actions

• 58 BCE - defeats the Helvetii and the Germans

• 55 BCE – invades Britain

• 52 BCE - conquers Gaul.

• 49 BCE – crosses the Rubicon and thus begins civil war

• 48 BCE – defeats Pompey at Pharsalus

• 47 BCE – Alexandrian war

• The final battle of the war in Gaul took place at Alesia against the rebel leader Vercingetorix.

Siege of alesia

Caesar & Cleopatra• After the defeat of Pompey,

Caesar sails to Egypt where he becomes embroiled in the civil war between Cleopatra (19) and her brother Ptolemy (10).

• Cleopatra smuggles herself in to see Caesar hidden in a rolled up carpet.

• Caesar and Cleopatra become lovers and installs her on the Egyptian throne.

• They have one son together – Caesarian.

• Cleopatra comes to Egypt with Caesar and remains there until his death in 44 BCE.

Caesar’s triumph

• A triumph is a grand parade celebrating military victories.• Caesar’s lasts 4 days for his victories in Gaul, Egypt,

Africa and Asia Minor.• The parade consists of important prisoners of war (who

are later strangled), followed by Caesar himself dressed in purple in the triumphal chariot.

• He is followed by his legions who drink and sing rude songs about their leader.

• Following the soldiers are the carts full of loot. Each soldier gets a share – the spectators get handouts too!

• After the parade comes the entertainment – mock naval battles, gladiatorial games and a feast for 22,000 people!

Honours

• Awarded the title of Pater Patriae – father of his country.

• Named dictator in perpetuity and consul for life.• His birthday, July 12, was proclaimed a national

holiday and his birth month is named after him.• He was the first living man to appear on Roman

Republican coinage.• Was deified after his death in Rome. In the

Eastern part of the empire, like Egypt, he was proclaimed a god while still alive.

Achievements and Reforms

• 50 BCE Publicly posted the “Daily Acts” of the Senate and the Assembly (like an ancient form of Hansard).

• Cancelled ¼ of public debt.• 46 BCE reformed the calendar – 365 days with an extra

day added every four years – from 355 days• Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic Wars and Civil

War are still read today as a valuable first hand account of this time, and appreciated for their clear, incisive prose.

• The name Caesar was used as title for 2000 years after his death. (Kaisar / Tsar)

Public works

• Rostra of marble• A new senate (curia

julia)• A temple to Venus• A public library• A new market place• New courthouses

Beware the ides of march!

• Many patricians were unhappy with the honours and powers granted Caesar.

• Cassius and Brutus, and 60 others form a conspiracy to kill Caesar.

• And you know the rest….• The conspirators had

hoped to restore the Republic but instead they started a bloody civil war.

Caesar in popular culture

• Fiction• Masters of Rome, a series of six novels by the Australian writer, Colleen McCullough • Emperor Series, a series of four novels by the writer, Conn Iggulden • Roma Sub Rosa, a series of historical mysteries by the American writer, Steven Saylor • Theatre• Caesar and Cleopatra, a play by George Bernard Shaw • Julius Caesar, a play by William Shakespeare • TV• Julius Caesar as depicted by Asterix illustrator Albert Uderzo.• Cleopatra (1999 mini-series) played by Timothy Dalton • a 2002 TV movie called Julius Caesar, which depicts his active life • Rome (TV series), played by Ciarán Hinds • Julius Caesar (2002) TV, played by Jeremy Sisto • Wayne and Shuster's comedy sketch Rinse the Blood off My Toga is a spoof of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in

the form of a Dragnet episode • Xena: Warrior Princess highlighted Julius Caesar as a major protagonist, as played by actor Karl Urban • Histeria!, where Caesar's appearance is based on Frank Sinatra • A modern-day Julius Caesar is portrayed in the Internet sitcom Custer and Julius: Beyond 2000 by actor

Steve Anderson. • Film• Played by Louis Calhern in Julius Caesar (1953) • Played by John Gavin in Spartacus (1960) • Played by Rex Harrison in Cleopatra (1963) • Played by John Gielgud in Julius Caesar (1970) • Comics• Asterix comics, written by the French writer René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. • Games• Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego features Julius Caesar in one of its stages.