Beware the Ides of March!
Caius Julius Caesar was born around July 13, 100 B.C. and was stabbed to death in the Roman senate on March 15, 44 B.C.
Caesar was politically active as a teenager, opposing Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who became dictator of Rome in 82 B.C., according to the ancient Greek author Plutarch in his book"Parallel Lives." One of Sulla's most prominent opponents, Gaius Marius, had married into Caesar's family, and this may have influenced Caesar's decision. Sulla was fond of having his opponents murdered, and the teenage Caesar was forced to flee Rome, Plutarch wrote.
"He [had] a large and gradually increasing political influence in consequence of his lavish hospitality and the general splendour of his mode of life," Plutarch wrote. When he was in Spain, Caesar took time to read what he could about the history of Alexander the Great. Caesar wept as he did so. When Caesar"was at leisure and was reading from the history of Alexander, he was lost in thought for a long time, and then burst into tears," Plutarch wrote. When Caesar's friends asked why, Caesar replied:"While Alexander, at my age, was already king of so many peoples, I have as yet achieved no brilliant success?" Plutarch wrote.
Caesar documented his military campaign in a series of books collectively known as the"Gallic Wars." While Caesar made claims that he tried to arrange truces and agreements with the tribes from Gaul he also stated that he had no qualms about harming civilians. After one group he called the"Sigambri" fled from his army he"burned all their villages and houses, and cut down their corn," Caesar wrote . He used the same tactics when he landed in Britain.
Instead of assisting Pompey, Ptolemy killed him and presented his head to Caesar when he arrived in Alexandria. Ptolemy expected Caesar to react positively at having his enemy removed, but Caesar was not happy and had not wanted the pharaoh to kill Pompey, Plutarch wrote. Caesar stayed in Egypt for about a year, ordering that Cleopatra VII take up her position as co-ruler of Egypt. In response, Ptolemy tried to fight Caesar and Cleopatra but was killed in 47 B.C.
"His regime was not repressive and he pardoned and promoted many former enemies," Goldsworthy wrote. In contrast, Sulla, who had been sole ruler of Rome between 82 B.C. and 78 B.C. had thousands of his fellow Romans murdered after he took power.In 45 B.C. Caesar implemented a new calendar system in Rome, now called the Julian calendar, which featured 365 days a year plus an extra day in February every four years.
"It is said that he [Caesar] received twenty-three [stab wounds]; and many of the conspirators were wounded by one another, as they struggled to plant all those blows in one body," wrote Plutarch. When William Shakespeare wrote a play about Caesar in the 16th century, he included the line"et tu Brutus?" as Caesar's last words ; however, there is no evidence that he actually said this in real life.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
DC Theater Reviews: 2 Shows To Consider Seeing In MarchSee Or Skip: Our critics weigh in on a tale that'll make you hungry with 'Clyde's' and an unusual take on 'Julius Caesar,' just in time for the Ides of March.
Read more »
Who were the Celts, the fierce warriors who practiced druidism and sacked Rome?The ancient Celts were fierce warriors who lived in mainland Europe. But during the Renaissance, an idea took hold that they lived in the British Isles.
Read more »
19 Celeb Facts That Sound Fictional, But Are 100% TrueStars... they're nothing like us!
Read more »
Black Widow Spiders Are Getting Slaughtered by Aggressive Brown WidowsNew research reveals some surprising facts about these notoriously venomous spiders.
Read more »
UN chief: 'Cold, hard facts' should guide climate policyBERLIN (AP) — The head of the United Nations called Monday for scientists to serve up “cold, hard facts” to push governments into making policies that curb climate change before a key global warming threshold is passed.
Read more »
18 'You' Season 4 Behind-The-Scenes Facts, Straight From The Showrunner Herself'We combed through the whole first half of the season, so that it worked several different ways.'
Read more »