The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous AssassinationThe exciting, dramatic story of one of history’s most famous events—the death of Julius Caesar—now placed in full context of Rome’s civil wars by eminent historian Barry Strauss. Thanks to William Shakespeare, the death of Julius Caesar is the most famous assassination in history. But what actually happened on March 15, 44 BC is even more gripping than Shakespeare’s play. In this thrilling new book, Barry Strauss tells the real story. Shakespeare shows Caesar’s assassination to be an amateur and idealistic affair. The real killing, however, was a carefully planned paramilitary operation, a generals’ plot, put together by Caesar’s disaffected officers and designed with precision. There were even gladiators on hand to protect the assassins from vengeance by Caesar’s friends. Brutus and Cassius were indeed key players, as Shakespeare has it, but they had the help of a third man—Decimus. He was the mole in Caesar’s entourage, one of Caesar’s leading generals, and a lifelong friend. It was he, not Brutus, who truly betrayed Caesar. Caesar’s assassins saw him as a military dictator who wanted to be king. He threatened a permanent change in the Roman way of life and in the power of senators. The assassins rallied support among the common people, but they underestimated Caesar’s soldiers, who flooded Rome. The assassins were vanquished; their beloved Republic became the Roman Empire. An original, fresh perspective on an event that seems well known, Barry Strauss’s book sheds new light on this fascinating, pivotal moment in world history. |
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The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination Barry Strauss Limited preview - 2015 |
The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination Barry Strauss Limited preview - 2016 |
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Age in 44 Antony’s Appian army battle bodyguard Brutus and Cassius Brutus’s Caesar Augustus Caesar’s assassins Caesar’s friends Caesar’s funeral Caesar’s veterans called Capitoline Hill Casca Cassius Dio Cassius’s Cato Cicero Cimber Civil Wars Cleopatra command conspiracy conspirators consul death Decimus Decimus’s dictator Dolabella enemies famous Fulvia Gaius Gallic Gaul gladiators governor Greek Hispania History of Rome honor Ides of March Italian Gaul Italy Julius Caesar killed Caesar king knew later legions Lepidus Letters to Atticus Letters to Friends Lucius Marcus Mark Antony military dagger murder Mutina Nicolaus of Damascus Octavian orator Oxford Parthian People’s Tribunes perhaps Philippics Plutarch political Pompey’s Porcia Portico of Pompey praetor probably province Republic republican Roman Forum Roman History Rome’s Senate House Senate meeting Servilia Sextus Pompey Shakespeare soldiers Speaker’s Platform Spurinna statue Suetonius Temple took Trebonius triumph troops tyrant urban plebs Velleius Paterculus victory wanted wrote