In 44 bc, a plot was hatched to assassinate Caesar after Rome’s aristocratic clans feared that he had acquired too much power. As the titles and laurels bestowed upon Caesar increased, so did the number of his enemies, including one of his closest associates, Marcus Junius Brutus. His daughter’s sudden death left him grief-stricken, as did the passing of his mother. He was very family-oriented despite his legendary affairs. Goldsworthy gives us a glimpse of Caesar’s personal life as well. Caesar’s stunning victory at the Battle of Zela in Asia Minor in 47 bc was so overwhelming that he uttered, all too accurately, his now-famous words: “Veni, vidi, vici. The author also gives detailed accounts of Caesar’s numerous military campaigns, which eventually expanded the Roman Empire from the Atlantic Ocean to Africa and the Middle East.

Goldsworthy describes well how he manipulated Rome’s politicians and, in some cases, even seduced their wives for political favors. Upon Sulla’s death, Caesar returned home and began his meteoric rise to fame amid the tumultuous backdrop of the times in which he lived. He quickly demonstrated loyalty and courage by defying the strongman Sulla after an uprising that left him in power, by refusing to divorce his wife and marry one of the new ruler’s female choices. Caesar’s father was a praetorian, an elected official who ruled lesser provinces, while his mother’s family boasted several prominent consuls, important senior positions in the Roman army.Īfter the premature death of his father, Caesar became head of the household at the tender age of 16.

Caesar was born in 100 bc to an aristocratic family that was active in politics in the Roman republic. In his new book, Caesar: Life of a Colossus (Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2006, 581 pp., illustrations, index, notes, $35.00, hardcover), historian Adrian Goldsworthy closely examines the life of the man who at one time or another ruled over most of the known world. His countless military triumphs and political victories ultimately catapulted him to the post of virtual dictator of Rome, but also led eventually to his death. Undoubtedly the most famous Roman of all, he played a key role in converting the Roman republic into a fledgling empire when he crossed the Rubicon in 49 bc and ignited a bloody civil war. To say that Caius Julius Caesar was one of the most influential men in world history is still something of an understatement.

Caesar life of a colossus