In 65 BC he spent a fortune he didn’t have on gladiatorsĬaesar knew that popularity could be bought. Crassus helped him out and they were soon to be allies. Caesar sought out rich friends to back his ambitionsĪs a result of his debt Caesar turned to the richest man in Rome (and possibly in history by some accounts), Marcus Licinius Crassus. Popularity and political office were expensive in RomeĬaesar was forced to leave Spain before his term of office ended, opening him to private prosecution for his debts. In 63 BC he was elected to the top religious position in Rome, Pontifex Maximus (he had been a priest as a boy) and two years later he was governor of a large part of Spain where his military talent shone through as he defeated two local tribes. On his release he raised a fleet, captured them and did have them crucified, mercifully ordering their throats cut first.Įmperor Augustus in the robes of Pontifex Maximus. He told his captors the ransom they had demanded was not high enough and promised to crucify them when he was free, which they thought a joke. Caesar was kidnapped by pirates in 75 BC while crossing the Aegean Sea His enemies later mocked him with the title ‘the Queen of Bithynia’. He was sent to seek naval help from King Nicomedes IV, but spent so long at court that rumours of an affair with the king started. An ambassadorial mission to Bithynia in 80 BC was to haunt Caesar for the rest of his life This was the second highest military honour after the Grass Crown and entitled its winner to enter the Senate. From the start he was a brave soldier and was decorated with the Civic Crown during the siege The Romans under Marcus Minucius Thermus and Lucius Licinius Lucullus won the day. The island city, situated on Lesbos, was suspected of helping local pirates. Caesar began his military career at the Siege of Mytilene in 81 BC The Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and Caligula were all related to him. Photo by Louis le Grand via Wikimedia Commons. Julius Caesar had two sisters, both called Julia His mother’s family was even more importantĪurelia Cotta’s father, Lucius Aurelius Cotta, was Consul (the top job in the Roman Republic) like his father before him. He was governor of the province of Asia and his sister was married to Gaius Marius, a giant of Roman politics. Caesar’s father (also Gaius Julius Caesar) became a powerful man His journey from his native Troy to Italy is told in the Aeneid by Virgil, one of the great works of Roman literature. Aeneas was legendarily a forefather of Romulus and Remus Caesar’s own use of elephant imagery suggests he favoured the last interpretation. It could be that an ancestor had been born by caesarean section, but might have reflected a good head of hair, grey eyes or celebrated Caesar killing an elephant. The name Caesar may have had many meanings Featuring Dr Emma Southon and Professor Marco Conti. This documentary tells the story of Julius Caesar's assassination on the 'Ides of March' in 44 BC.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |