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A short historical (hysterical) tale of the death of Caesar
Tales of Big Julie and Foraging the Forum
There is something about pondering the Forum and its place in Roman history so perhaps this tale of
deceit and intrigue may well be a trigger to forage and search for pieces of the past near the birth of
Rome as we did.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Located around the centre of the Roman Forum area ruins is the Regia on the Via Sacra .In front of you
lurks the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and behind is the House of the Vestal Virgins (Atrium
Vestae) plus the Temple of Vesta.
Complicated ? What you need is a good Forum guide.
Julius Caesar enters the "Shrine of Mars" on the evening of March 14, 44BC prior to leaving in 4 days for
war with Parthia. (Iran & Mesopotamia - no doubt looking for weapons of massed distraction) He needs
the Gods in place prior to tomorrows Senate meeting with his friend Marcus Lepidus "Master of the
Horse" Commander of the Cavalry.
Was he going to, as is suspected, accede to Royalty and proclaim himself king?
It's written that at the Shrine the "Sacred Spears" vibrated on their own as legend proscribes they do
when something terrible is about too happen. It is not the first omen JC has received and it will not be
his last! Could the sonic boom from a nearby lighting strike have caused the Spears to vibrate.
Was this omen just a myth? Read on cherubs!
Walk up the Via Sacra to the Temple of Romulus a circular temple with bronze doors, the back of this
Temple faces the House of the Vestal Virgins and the Palatine Hill. Always buy your Colluseum passes at
this ticket box so no need to line up with the terror-tourists in a queue.
The "Domus Publica" was located in front of a
small grove of trees on right over to the left
between the Via Sacra and the House of the
Vestals. This is a prime piece of real estate where
the Pontifex Maximus lived ….in short it’s where
the Pope presides over the Vestal Virgins plus
other duties. Oh how things have changed.
JC had been the Pontifex Maximus since 62BC
and lived in this house with his 4th wife
Calpurnia... (Cleopatra and his son Caesarion
lived on his estate in Trastevere).
Morning March 15, 44BC, sun is shining, birds are
singing, the chariots a clanking. It is the "Ides of
March". JC is hung-over after hitting the
amphorae and his wife begs him not to go to the
Senate meeting that day. She tells him of a bad
dream & JC is worried by her pleas as she is not normally an overly superstitious person. The priests
report to him that they have made several animal type sacrifices and found them to be inauspicious.
What with ill health, bad omens, Calpurnia's dream and pleas, and now these unfavourable sacrifices, its
not looking good!
JC hesitates for quite a while and was going to send Marc Anthony to the Curia Pompey to dismiss the
Senate, but he decides to go anway to the Senate meeting with a small entourage of friends and
unbeknowingly some future conspirators. The group, against advice, went without Spanish bodyguards
as he had dismissed them earlier.
Even if JC had heard rumours of a conspiracy this would be typical of him for if battles were turning
against him, he would send away his horse and his bodguards to fight alongside his men. His bravery
would rally his troops on to victory. What a man?
The Via Sacra outside his home has people waiting to give petitions for spurious needs amongst them
Artemidorus a teacher of Greek with a message to warn JC of the conspiracy which somehow he is privy
to. Artemidorus pushes thru the crowd and hands JC his message which he attempts to read but he gets
distracted by the people. It will still be in his hand and unread when he enters the Senate.
Too late it seems.
THE ASSASSINATION
The Curia is 1km away on the other side of the
Capitoline Hill so go behind the Arch of Septimius
Severus anti-clockwise around the Hill (JC's
route). Check out Clivus Argentarius the road he
took with the original paving stones on the road
directly behind the Forum of Julius Caesar.
The Curia Pompey was a little smaller, the 2
backdoors would have been large windows, the
Senator's seats would also be on the right & left
of these steps and the Statue of Pompey would
have been centre against the back wall on the
slightly raised podium in the rear.
Exit the Forum in front of the Vittorio Emmanuelle II Monument and face the large traffic square in front
of it - the Piazza Venezia. The main street at the opposite end coming in is Via Del Corso which goes to
the Piazza d. Popolo and then continues on as the Via Flamina to the path of the ancient road that left
Rome.
JC's litter would have taken Via San Marco, across the street is Piazza d. S. Marco on the left side of the
Piazza Venezia. Left of the piazza is a green wooden kiosk in the middle of the sidewalk which sells
tickets for the Archeobus Tours so pick-up a pamphlet ‘Catacombs & other sites outside the Walls of
Rome’ to perve on.
"Area Sacra" in the Largo di Torre Argentina has four temples in an excavated block below street level.
JC's litter would have passed-by the left side of this temple and somehow entered the Porticus of
Pompey in the south eastern corner or side which turned right to go to the front steps of the Curia. This
was centred in the backend of the Porticus with the Theatre of Pompey at the other end.
Cross Via di Torre Argentina and turn right behind
the temples in the Temple area across the street
you'll see 6 columns rising above street level. A
black iron and plexiglass fence surrounds these
temples. On the right stairs leading down into
the site with sign no admittance go to the left of
this to a brick wall which is part of this fence. A
short section of this fence connected to a white
stone fence post section is a tree which is in the
centre front of the Curia. The front steps were
most likely located beneath the building behind
where JC's litter was put down upon the ground.
The local news says on the 14th March a King-
Bird flew into the Curia carrying a sprig of laurel
pursued by other birds which attacked tearing it
to pieces - yet more omens? Of course JC wears
a gold laurel wreath crown.
The Senator - cum Conspirators - have been waiting around since early morning with their daggers
clutched beneath their robes. Also hidden nearby are a group of Gladiators which will be called upon if
things start to go belly-up. Senator Popilius Laenas whispers to Brutus and Cassius “My wishes are with
you, may you accomplish what you design and I advise you to make no delay, for this is now no secret".
Well talk about everyone but the bride knowing what was going on as the lads are now probably past
the point of no return, it is either kill or be killed.
JC's litter arrives and Popilius Laenas walks over and starts chatting and the conspirators surmise the
worst. Popilius chews the fat & kisses JC's hand and walks away. Perhaps backing each way with the
conspirators if they won and acting if everything was normal with JC in case he won?
Up the steps goes Caesar past the Soothsayer Spurina who had told him... "Beware of a danger that will
come no later than the Ides of March"
This is Beware the Ides of March of Billy Shakespeare’s fame.
Tales of legend say that JC tosses him an aside "The Ides of March have come". Spurina calmly replies
"Yes, but not yet passed". Marc Anthony and Marcus Lepidus are snookered outside in a contrived
conversation so JC entered the Curia alone. The stairs to the right marks the ‘Remains of the central
exedra of Pompey's Porticus or Senate House’ the site that JC was assassinated on March 15, 44BC in
front of the Statue of Pompey.
Pompey was a General & political ally in an arraigned marriage to Caesars daughter Julia but JC had
defeated Pompey in a civil war and he was murdered trying to escape to Egypt so some what
prophetically he dies at the foot of the Pompey's Statue.
Big Julius is surrounded by the conspirators, many of these men are men he trusts or had pardoned
after winning the civil war, all probably paying phoney respect. Suddenly Tillius grasps JC's robe with
both hands as a signal to attack. Publius Casca stabs him in the shoulder and Caesar shouts "Vile Casca,
What does this mean?"
A frenzied attack ensues as the conspiritors thrusted madly in a pact in blood. Caesar in fighting for his
life sees a trusted friend Brutus whom he had pardoned after the civil war, with his dagger drawn and
raised. Stepping up to the plate the words we all know but not all agree. “Et tu, Brute?" then “You to
Brutus?" in Latin of course circa Shakespeare.
Suetonius claims JC said to Brutus in Greek "Kai su, teknon. Even you, my child?"
My head chef says “Ate yet Brute?” to which he replied “No thanks, eaten already”
Bleeding from stab wounds he dies at the base of the bloodied Statue of Pompey as his head is covered
with his robe. Brutus attempts to give a speech on the reason for their act but nobody is hanging about
to listen as the Senators rapidly fled in shock panic.
Antony and Lepidus flee the area and go into hiding from the conspirators not knowing Brutus has
forbidden their deaths. This is a fatal mistake for the big B. The conspirators leave the Curia and march
en mass to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill confidently calling to the people to "Resume your
liberty, Julius Caesar is dead".
That afternoon Brutus talked to the people in the Forum that the deed is done, it's over no in-fighting,
civil war or revenge, just Peace. Lepidus, master of the Horse-Cavalry, occupies the centre of the city
that night hoping to keep the peace as he probably expects to be the one to assume power.
Morning of the 16th the Senate convenes as, Cicero wants amnesty, Lepidus wants justice and revenge
and Antony wants a compromise so a deal is struck. The conspirators will get amnesty and positions,
Caesar will be deified, all acts and laws must remain, including allowing the troops to keep their goods
and money.
The main man Lepidus loses his "ace-in-the-hole" with his troops getting paid out so Marc Antony
convinces him to accept the status quo. The Senate finalizes the new deals thankful to Marc Antony for
the compromise that avoided another civil war as the conspirators received overseas postings - Brutus
to Crete - Cassius to Africa - Decimus Brutus to Cisalpine Gaul.
Everything seems well for the conspirators but Brutus had made two fatal mistakes. Cassius had wanted
to kill Antony with Caesar and was opposed to a public funeral and Will reading that Brutus had agreed
to. The funeral is held in the Forum on the 18th (some say the 20th) where the body is to be brought to
the Campus Martius for a funeral pyre built near his family tomb.
Julius Caesar's Will is read to the crowd naming several of the conspirators as guardians to any son that
he might father, he leaves 300 Sesterces to each Roman Citizen and his gardens near the Tiber to use as
a public park! Here folks is the catalyst to ramping up the great unwashed as Antony steps-up to the
edge of the Rostra and addresses the crowd possibly reminiscent a la Marlon Brando Hollywood circa
1960.
A eulogy for his friend, Julius Caesar ended with these words. "Of what avail, O Caesar was your
humanity, of what avail your inviolability, of what avail the laws?” “Nay, though you enacted many laws
that men might not be killed by their personal foes, yet now mercilessly you yourself were slain by your
Friends!” “And now, the victim of assassination, you lie dead in the Forum through which you often led
the Triumph crowned; wounded to death, you have been cast down upon the Rostra from which you
often addressed the People.”
“Woe for the blood-bespattered locks of gray, alas the rent robe (purple was only worn by rulers), which
you assumed, it seems, only that you might be slain in it!"
Antony then grabs and holds up Caesar's blood-soaked
robe to the crowd showing the cuts made by the assassin’s
knives leaving no doubt that the great man was the victim
of tyranny. Who knows if any of the conspirators were at
the Will reading & funeral that day but if they were they
would have been on the fastest chariot out of town
heading for the Dolomites.
Roman rulers were always cremated and buried outside of
the city walls but the Mob took Caesars body to cremate
on a pyre in front of the Regia. The Mob marches to torch
Brutus and Cassius's houses and kill them but the
conspirators had fled Rome. The civil war that all wished
to avoid is about to begin eventually leading to the demise
of all 60 conspirators within 3 years.
I have walked past the Curia to the Temple of Julius
Caesar through the little entrance under a tin roof which
looks like a garden shed where upon the ground the
remains of the concrete core of the Altar had a few flowers
placed upon it. It certainly is the barest, most unassuming
sacred historical site and is hard to believe it’s where JC
was cremated and the Temple built. Wander the Forum
site and suck in the ambient atmosphere recharging your
water bottle at Il Naso the big nose fountain whilst
pondering these historical scenes.
Brutus falls on his own sword after being defeated in battle
by Antony but is given an honourable cremation and a
miester does the right thing sending his ashes to his mother.
Cicero is killed by Antony's troops while attempting to flee Italy and his head and hands are returned to
Rome and displayed on the Rostra. Cassius uses the same dagger he stabbed JC with to kill himself,
Octavian (later called Augustus) becomes Caesar as per JC's will and with Antony and Lepidus as co-
rulers fight the civil war until a falling-out in latter years.
Cleopatra and her three year old son Caesarion by Caesar flee Rome to Alexandria but she gathers up
Antony to become lovers as he battled to
retain Egypt for Rome. Caesarion has no
chance and is murdered on Augustus's
orders stating...“A multiplicity of
Caesars is not a good thing".
Later Augustus has the Statue of
Pompey moved into Pompey's theatre,
the Curia walled-up, the Ides of March
called the "Day of Parricide" and the
Senate is to never meet again on that
fateful day.
The civil war ends with Marc Antony
and Cleopatra's naval defeat at Actium
in Sept 31BC. Antony’s commits
suicide no doubt this leads to the
famous Asp clutch as Cleopatra
followed in Aug 30BC. Lepidus lost
his wealth and power but he was made
Pontifex Maximus after a period thus
saving his own bacon.
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