Caesar is Dead - The Pax Romana Podcast 1

To many in Rome, Caesar was a heroic figure. Caesar’s family, the Julii, were older than the Roman Republic itself. And yet he was a populist through and through—a man who had disregarded many of the norms of his fellow elites. Many Roman senators saw Caesar’s violent politics, excessive honors and increasing popularity as threatening to tear down the Roman Republic, only to replace it with a monarchy. Rome had not had a king for almost 500 years, and many senators would stop at nothing—even murdering one of their own—to preserve that republic for future generations.

Primary sources referenced:

• Cicero,On Duties 3.82-3
• Caesar,Civil Wars 1.9
• Suetonius,Life of Caesar76

Buy Professor Elliott's newest book:⁠Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World⁠, published by Princeton University Press.