ALL HAIL CAESAR???
Should We Glorify Caesar? And Those Like Him?
Dear Classical Wisdom Readers,
Beware the Ides of March! This upcoming Saturday is always a big day in the world of ancient history lovers, because traditionally it marks the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
More about the Ides of March in one moment. First an important notification...
We here at Classical Wisdom have two major missions. The first is to promote and preserve the Classics.
At a time when many people find themselves distracted by technology…embroiled in culture wars… divided by politics…we think it’s critical that folks discover (or rediscover) the lessons from the ancient world, to maintain this link in humanity that goes all the way back to the beginning.
On that front, I’m thrilled to say that Classical Wisdom currently is read in 195 countries!
Our second aim is to help illustrate the relevance of the Classics in the here and now. These ancient ideas and texts are a fantastic resource, a toolbox at your disposal. We can all employ these critical timeless insights to become better individuals, parents, neighbors, friends and community members... and its something we can work on right now.
To this end, I want to acknowledge our wonderful members who make this project possible. Thank You.
I also want to extend a special invitation to those who have not yet joined our growing community by way of our Special Ides of March Offer. It’s something we almost never do… but until THIS SATURDAY, the Ides of March, you can enjoy 15% off our regular membership fee.
So if you are not already a member, but you’ve thought about taking that next step in your Classical Wisdom journey, now is the time to act… before the Ides have come… and gone:
Now… back to the man who made the Ides of March very, very memorable.
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, Consul, statesman, and notable author of Latin prose. He was both a conquering hero… and a dictator.
He played an essential role in the history of Ancient Rome, acting out pivotal parts in events that led to the demise of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. He invaded Britain, he changed the calendar, he wrote extensive histories, just to name a few of his accolades.
He also managed to upset enough people off to get himself seriously stabbed in the back. It’s this latter point that folks seem to forget. Not the fact that he was assassinated (pretty sure no one forgets that), but that he was so unpopular as to warrant assassination in the first place…
In fact, over the years there have been plenty of comparisons between Caesar and potential contemporary parallels that seem to bring out everyone’s ire, no matter where they stand on the political spectrum. I’m sure you are thinking of at least one contender...
And so to this end I’d like to ask you, dear reader. This week we remember Caesar, but should we praise him?
We have a tendency to romanticize and glorify these bigger than life historical characters, whether they are Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great or Pericles… but we also know that they wouldn’t last a moment in our current culture... or perhaps they shouldn’t.
They accomplished ‘Great’ things, but often at the expense of others… and when I say ‘expense,’ I mean that literally. Even if we don’t try to hold them up to our modern sensibilities, their praiseworthy attributes are still in question. We can’t forget that they were also feared and despised by many in their own time periods.
Enough even to get murdered by a best friend!!!
So this Ides of March, I ask:
Should we glorify Caesar? And those like him?
As always, you can reply to this email, write to me directly at anya@classicalwisdom.com or comment below.
And to get you started, today’s column will give you a brief introduction to the man himself and asks: Just how far did the ruler push his own perceived mortality?
Read on to discover not only Julius Caesar, but his exact spot in an incredibly pivotal moment in history…
All the best,
Anya Leonard
Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom
P.S. Please Remember: if you haven’t already taken advantage of this special offer, it lasts until Saturday only! Don’t wait until the Ides have gone… You can join our wonderful community, gain FULL access to our resources and enjoy the life of the mind:
ALL HAIL CAESAR
By Jocelyn Hitchcock
Julius Caesar is no stranger in history books. He has been encapsulated in plays, songs, parodies, and even Hollywood movies that paint him as a revered war general, a fearsome ruler, and one of the staunchest Romans you are sure to meet in antiquity. He represents a catapultic change in the Roman government, serving as an emblematic figure of the Fall of the Republic (though he would personally never admit to that, of course). His successor, Octavian Augustus, was Rome’s first emperor, and ushering in centuries of single hand rule.
However, Augustus’ position would not have been possible had it not been for Caesar’s careful and meticulous testing of Roman ideals and values in the 50’s and 40’s BCE. During his life, and certainly after, speculation swirled around the General about whether or not he was touting himself as a God and/or a king. Even though the ruling style of Rome turned imperial and monarchical, during Caesar’s time the title of “King” was highly offensive and considered dangerous to the Romans. They had a sharp objection to monarchy, as they still believed their precious Republic was not dead yet.
But let’s look at how the Republic started in the first place. After the fabled seven kings of Rome, the people set up a Republic to represent the people’s needs and wishes for their land. The kings were thought of as abusive, power hungry, and corrupt. The king held absolute power and was the chief magistrate in religion, law, and military matters.
The last king, Tarquinius Superbus, was overthrown after the rape of Lucretia and her subsequent suicide. Lucretia was the wife of Lucius Tarquinus Collatinus, and the daughter of Spurius Lucretius, a Roman noble. The rape and death of Lucretia was a tipping point for the Roman monarchy, seeing as Lucretia’s rapist was the king’s son.
The uprising of Romans was a direct response to the power, greed, and corrupt nature of the existing noble family- and the forceful theft of a noble woman’s virtue was the last straw. Romans saw to it that the royal family and government were stripped and destroyed, and in its place a representative government with separation of powers would rise. The title Rex or king, was preserved only as far as religion was concerned: the rex sacrorum. The Romans harbored a hatred for the title king in any other sense.
When Caesar came into the political sphere centuries later, he was smart and cunning, and his timing was perfect. While we wish we had personal journal entries outlining Caesar’s ambitions and hopes for his political career, we are unfortunately amiss. What we do have, however, is documentation in literature and archaeology that allows us to piece together Caesar’s agenda and programmatic scheme.
Like people in antiquity, we still find ourselves questioning, “Was Caesar considered a god by Romans while he was still alive?” “Did he want to be called a king- outright?” “Was his assassination justified in the face of the Republic?”
It is no convoluted analysis of the facts that Caesar was an excellent politician. Now, whether or not he started his career with the intent to be crowned king and deified is a whole different story. As his power and his reputation grew during the beginning of his military career in Gaul, so did his ambition. Caesar was well aware that demanding or expecting to be made a king or living god would have been outrageous and met with indignation. So, as any motivated politician would do, he began to create personal stepping stones and setting up certain “tests” along the way to gauge his power in Rome, presumably to lay the groundwork for posthumous deification at the least.
The first thing Caesar did was establish his military competence. After stints in Asia, Bithynia, and a victory of Mithridates VI, Caesar was elected military tribune in 72 BC. He went on to be quaestor and aedile, in which he won over the favor of both the people and his soldiers through public shows and spectator events. In 63 BC, Caesar was appointed pontifex maximus, which was secured through flagrant bribery according to Suetonius.
In 61 BC Caesar was sent to Further Spain as proprietor and returned in 60 BC, joining Pompey and Crassus in a loose coalition that would help Caesar secure the Consulship of 59 BC. This particular election was a turning point for Caesar’s career. He wanted to stand for consul in absentia and had to rely on the alliance of Pompey and Crassus to secure his interests while he was away in Gaul.
Over the next decade, this alliance was both a source of support as well as contention, ultimately leading to the civil war in 49 BC that lasted until 45 BC when Caesar returned to Rome and celebrated four triumphs (the Gallic, the Alexandrian, the Pontic, the African). The political climate in Rome at the time of Caesar’s success was defined by confusion and residual political distrust between the optimates and Caesar.
During the tumultuous years surrounding the civil war and unrest, the Roman people and the Senate grasped for any sort of normalcy and stability. To do this, what can only be referred to as dire measures were taken in order to “restore” the Republic. Caesar, as a leading politician, charismatic figure, and motivated beyond measure, received honors, both mortal and divine, that were an attempt to stabilize Rome.
To them, Caesar was a constant and a strong defending hand. These honors are what makes us question whether or not Caesar was a god, a king, and if he himself was the one to promote these.
The mortal honors, bestowed upon him by the Senate, really show just how above the rest Caesar was considered. All of these had “legitimate” political motivation behind them, but when viewed in a group, it really does seem quite suspicious. Caesar was awarded a continual consulship in the months preceding his assassination (possibly in February 44 BC), censorship for life, and the role of dictator for life. All of these were granted right before his assassination in March of 44 BC, and all of this went against the very heart and ideals of Rome.
One man held the power of the military, the people, and all of Rome. Sounds like a king so far, doesn’t it?
What’s more, Caesar was honored with a number of divine honors. These honors, that were far beyond what would be bestowed on a politician, granted a flamen, vowed to build a temple to Clementia, and declared public sacrifices be made on his birthday for his safekeeping. We do know that Caesar wasn’t officially deified by the Senate until after his death- however, combine these divine honors with his mortal honors and we have to question: WHAT was Caesar?
Clearly, seeing as Caesar was killed weeks after receiving his highest honors, his position was not one of “republican” values and enough people were threatened and bothered by his position to call an end to his rule. Caesar’s position was unprecedented in Rome and that cannot be overstated. He did not call himself a king or a god…. But when looking at his honors and his rule, didn’t he? He tested the people over and over, putting out feelers for what he could get away with and then judged the crowd’s reaction. He was smart to never go over a line without sketching it out first and softly nudging the people towards it.
After his death and by the time Augustus succeeded him, the stage was set and the people were ready: Rome was no longer a Republic. And shockingly, they were okay with that.
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Perhaps due to my significant age - with studying, learning, teaching, and still studying, learning and observation - I've developed a nuanced approach to Julius Caesar. The Roman Republic was essentially destroyed through wealth/greed/leadership failure. The Senators were on the take (perhaps their own version of a uniparty) and entrenched, and entrenched corrupt leaders will despise exposure and the loss of power. While we can argue the relative merits of a Cicero, Cato, or Brutus, my suspicions are that "things" had reached the level of a critical mess - and that this was a "republic" in name only. When that breakdown occurs at the level that it did in Rome - and as it has been happening in the world at large today - people hunger for help to set things right, to be saved. While many may hate Julius Caesar, I believe he understood on the deepest level exactly what was happening and wanted to save Rome from total deterioration. To his credit, he was brilliant in choosing his successor - his nephew, Octavian. He saw something in that young man that could restore order and glory - and Rome sustained itself for a few hundred years beyond Julius Caesar. So, after years of flinching (the Gaul thing has always upset me), I've come to realize that the people who hated him had a helluva lot to lose - and the man that came after him created something extraordinary.
Seriously, the reason Caesar was assassinated because he was unpopular. Then why was Kennedy assassinated and why as there been two (2) unsuccessful attempts on Trump. You certainly don't have to be unpopular to be assassinated - just have to piss-off the wrong person.