I Am Cesar

Always I am Caesar

For Angela Aslanska and Robin Seager

ALWAYS I AM CAESAR
W. Jeffrey Tatum

© 2008 by W. Jeffrey Tatum BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of W. Jeffrey Tatum to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordancewith the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Designations used bycompanies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to thesubject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. First published 2008 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2008

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tatum, W. Jeffrey. Always I am Caesar / W.Jeffrey Tatum. p. cm. Includes bibliographical refrences and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-7525-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-4051-7526-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Caesar, Julius. 2. Rome–History–Republic, 265–30 B.C. 3. Heads of state–Rome–Biography. 4. Generals–Rome–Biography. I. Title. DG261.T38 2008 937′.05092–dc22 2007036296 A catalogue record for this title is available from the BritishLibrary. Set in 10.5 on 13pt Minion by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the textpaper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website at www.blackwellpublishing.com

Contents

List of Charts, Maps, and Figures Acknowledgements Charts Maps Introduction 1 Caesar the Politician: Power and the People in Republican Rome 2 Conquests and Glories, Triumphs and Spoils: Caesar and theIdeology of Roman Imperialism 3 Pontifex Maximus: Caesar and the Manipulation of Civic Religion 4 The Stones of Rome: Caesar and the Sociology of Roman Public Building 5 My True and Honourable Wife: Cornelia and Pompeia, Calpurnia and Cleopatra 6 7 8 Great Men and Impersonal Groundswells: The Civil War Great Caesar Fell: Philosophy, Politics, and Assassination The Evil that Men Do: Caesar andAugustus

vi viii ix xii 1 18 42 61 80 99 122 145 167 189 190 194

Important Dates Bibliography Index

v

Lists of Charts, Maps, and Figures

Charts
1 The family of Julius Caesar 2 Caesar and the Aurelii Cottae 3 Cato and his connections ix x xi

Maps
1 The Mediterranean in the time of Caesar 2 The city of Rome during the republic 3 The Roman Forum during the republic xii xiii xivFigures
1 Colossal portrait head of Caesar, from the 2nd century ad 2 Portrait of Pompey, a first century ad copy of an original dating to the fifties bc 3 Portrait of Cicero, an imperial copy of a late republican original 4 Portrait of Cato in bronze, from the 1st century ad 5 Caesar, a contemporary portrait 6 Funerary procession in a relief from Amiternum, 1st century ad 7 Obverse of a denarius...