Twelve Caesars in Twelve Quotes - Part One

Suetonius's Twelve Caesars is one of the seminal works of ancient writing. An epic biography that spans; the reigns of twelve men, the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. It records the dominance and decline of the Julio-Claudian family, the chaotic and terrifying Year of the Four Emperors, the eventual rise of the Flavian dynasty and ends with the assassination of the wicked Domitian.

It is a piece of work filled with anecdotes, rich with detail, physical descriptions of the men themselves and is essential reading to anyone interested in ancient Rome. Below I have pulled out a quote from each biography that I think describes said subject.

Julius Caesar

"The apparition snatched a trumpet from one of them, rushed to the river, and sounding the war-note with mighty blast, strode to the opposite bank. Then Caesar cried: "Take we the course which the signs of the gods and the false dealings of our foes point out. The die is cast," said he"

Suetonius LIfe of Julius Caesar Chapter 32

This section of Suetonius refers to the famous crossing of the Rubicon by Julius Caesar in 49 BC. Ordered to disband his army by the Senate, Caesar afraid that he would be prosecuted without the immunity provided him by being a magistrate, crossed the Rubicon and started a civil war. 

Julius Caesar

This passage of Suetonius is perfect for describing Caesar for a number of reasons. Firstly, it contains one of his famous bon mots, those witty phrases that Caesar is so well known for. But secondly, it equally it describes the very moment, that Caesar throwing caution to the wind, descended the Republic into civil war. Caesar is described numerous times at the brilliant tactician, cautious when needed, but always ready to gamble everything at the roll of a dice. The quote above describes this Caesar perfectly, the man willing to risk the whole Republic for his own gain. 

Augustus

"Since the city was not adorned as the dignity of the empire demanded, and was exposed to flood and fire, he so beautified it that he could justly boast that he had found it built of brick and left it in marble".

Suetonius Life of Augustus Chapter 28

Suetonius' biography of Augustus is extensive; covering his military and civil career, his family, his religious ideas, as well as portents of his birth and death. The passage above though in particular references his renovation of the Roman skyline. Another of those oft quoted references to Augustus and his reign, it doesn't mean this it isn't filled with importance. Augustus' renovation of the Roman Capitol hill, his own forum and his building of temples, theatres and civil buildings all changed Rome from the capitol city of Rome to the capitol city of the known world. 

This passage describes Augustus as more than just the military dictator or the cunning politician, he was a builder, an architect and someone with a master plan to re-order every aspect of Rome. 

Tiberius

"Moreover, having gained the license of privacy, and being as it were out of sight of the citizens, he at last gave free rein at once to all the vices which he had for a long time ill concealed"

Suetonius Life of Tiberius Chapter 42

Tiberius rose to power after the death of Augustus and while there are some aspects of his reign that have been argued as positive, his possible attempt to restore the republic for example, it is more often his later rule that is remembered. His time on Capri is the first time we see an Emperor descending into the lustful and wicked life that we associate with some of the worst emperors of Rome. 

This passage is the first indication within the biographies of Suetonius that sometimes giving absolute power to someone isn't absolutely the best idea. The magnanimous and stable rules of Julius Caesar and Augustus were at an end. What was to follow was a lottery of good and bad men ruling over a people hoping that the dice were going to fall favourably. 

Gaius Caligula

"He even gave this horse a house, a troop of slaves and furniture, for the more elegant entertainment of the guests invited in his name; and it is also said that he planned to make him consul"

Suetonius Life of Gaius Chapter 55

In a top five list of worst Roman emperors, Gaius is always present. Raised to the purple at the age of twenty-five, Suetonius' biography is filled with stories of his mad, irresponsible and often times dangerous behaviour. Whether Gaius ever actually intended to award his favourite horse the highest magistracy in the senate is unknown, as crazy as he was surely he must of known that wasn't going to fly. 

Gaius Caligula

However as Tiberius' descent into lasciviousness was the first time we saw that emperors could be subjected to perverted whims within their supreme rule, Gaius was the first time that an arguably mentally unstable emperor ruled. Suetonius' biography of Gaius is filled with further examples;
his military campaigns in Germany and against Britain, his bridge at Baie and his religious fanatism, however the passage above illustrates just how far in the rule of four men the Roman people had come. The Republic was well and truly dead, long live the Emperor.

Thanks for Reading

James

I Am Spartacus - From Threat to TV

I was recently lent the complete series of the Spartacus TV series. Firstly let me just say that the Spartacus tv series is terrible. Just terrible. So terrible that I watched it from beginning to end within a fortnight and enjoyed every single moment of it. The cartoon hyper-violence. The unnecessary sex and nudity to the plot. The underlying message of freedom against tyranny.

Spartacus - TV Show

It was about a week after I finished the show, that I realised what my problem with the show was. The reason why, even though I enjoyed the show from start to finish, there was always something bothering me a the back of my brain. I was and have always been pro-Roman.

"Spartacus, a Thracian of Nomadic stock, possessed not only of great courage and strength, but also in sagacity and culture"

Plutarch Life of Crassus Chapter 8

Spartacus was the leader of the slave army during the Third Serville War, a captured Thracian who famously ended up as a gladiator near Capua in a Ludus belonging to Lentulus Batiatus. Trained in the art of the Murmilo, a gladiator armed with a scutum oblong shield and gladius sword, Spartacus was among a group of seventy slaves who escaped. Armed with kitchen utensils and taking gladiator weapons, the escaped slaves plundered the surrounding region, recruiting more slaves and beating the small force sent after them.

Finally being trapped on Mount Vesuvius, the slave force fought there way out by scaling there way down the sheer cliff using vines and defeated the forces of Tribune Glaber. All of which takes you to the end of the second series of Spartacus.

"After this greater numbers flocked to Spartacus till his army numbered 70,000. For these he manufactured weapons and collected equipment"

Appian Civil War Book 1 Chapter 116

Kirk Douglas - Spartacus

Come 72 BC the forces of Spartacus defeated the two consular armies of Publicola and Clodianus. A huge shame to the might of the Roman Republic. Worried by this unstoppable Slave rebellion, the Senate invested Marcus Crassus (the man famed for his wealth in the later Republic and only volunteer) with the power of tribune to take Spartacus and his army out.

Betrayed by Cilician pirates, who abandoned his army in the south of Italy, a final decisive battle was fought. Falling in battle, six thousand of Spartacus's army were captured alive and crucified lining the Appian Way from Rome to Capua.

"Spartacus was wounded in the thigh with a spear and sank upon his knee, holding his shield in front of him and contending in this way against his assailants until he and the great mass of those with him were surrounded and slain"

Appian Civil War Book 1 Chapter 120

The Spartacus of the TV show fell in battle a glorious leader; fighting for freedom, the rights of man and slaves everywhere. The problem is, I don't agree with it. I'm purely 100% on the side of the Romans. I don't condone the slavery, the stealing of people from there lands, the forcing people to fight as Gladiators. However, the same way I cheered when the Romans beat Hannibal, when Mithridates of Pontus was defeated, when Pyrrhus was kicked out of the Italian peninsular, I cheered for the Romans when they defeated the slave uprising.

Statue of Spartacus from the Louvre

At this point I think I'm so inculcated by the ancient writers and the power of Rome that I support them regardless. That being said I don't think that Spartacus's rebellion is the great rebellion of freedom against slavery. He wasn't seeking to change the slavery system that the Republic was built upon. It seems like Spartacus's objective was merely to escape the Italian peninsular and return his army and himself to their homes.

If you are interested in your Ancient History (and if your reading this you probably are) then I would recommend Spartacus. It's sword and sandals excitement with slow-mo fighting and yelling, however that doesn't change the fact, that for me Rome is the hero. The hero that fights foreign enemies, saves the day and puts down slave revolts against the power of the Roman Republic. Which is why two weeks after finishing the Spartacus TV show, I realised why I didn't completely support Spartacus. I was on the Roman's side, the villains of the TV show.


Thanks for Reading
James

Augustus for President 2016

This blog should be predicated on the information that I  am not in fact an American, but British. As an outsider looking in at the biggest election campaign in the world, the majority of news seems to be about Donald Trump and his campaign of "fear". I use the word fear somewhat recklessly, perhaps xenophobia would be better. However, one of the great cornerstones of Donald Trump's campaign so far, has been his stance against the immigration of Mexicans and Muslims.

Augustus Caesar

I do not want to get bogged down in the semantics of the modern race for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, but the situation did remind me of yet another similarity between the USA and ancient Rome.

Their is one more similarity between the two that could mean that Augustus would win the Republican nomination. The fear of the foreigner. It is something that Augustus would be not be a stranger too. It could be argued that Augustus rose to his role as the first emperor of Rome due to his manipulating the fears of Rome against the east. The foreign. The strange. The different. The other. 

Towards the end of the second Triumvirate, the Republic was split between Octavian (Augustus' name at the time) in Rome and the west and Mark Antony in the east. Mark Antony after being defeated in his campaign against Parthia, had to turn to Cleopatra for new men to replenish his forces. Sending away his Roman wife, the sister of Octavian, he took Cleopatra as his mistress. This lead to Octavian accusing Antony of being un-Roman for rejecting his Roman wife for his "Oriental paramour".

"As for Octavia, she was thought to have been treated with scorn, and when she came back from Athens Caesar ordered her to dwell in her own house"

Plutarch Life of Anthony Chapter 54

After the forces of Antony captured the kingdom of Armenia in 34 BC, Anthony made his son Alexander Helios the ruler of Armenia. Not a Roman senator, a pro-consul or military tribune. The province was annexed and brought under the rule of Antony's own family. Cleopatra was also awarded the title of "Queen of Kings". When Augustus became Consul again in 33 BC, he opened his session in the Senate by attacking Mark Antony for his granting of land and titles to his family. The act of a "foreign" ruler, not a Roman. 

"These were the charges they made against each other and were in a way their justification on their conduct, and they communicated them to each other partly by private letters and partly by public speeches on the part of Caesar"

Cassius Dio Book 50 Chapter 2

Mark Anthony

The final act of Mark Antony's fall from Roman-ness, came upon the reading of his will. Octavian Augustus forced open the temple of the Vestal Virgins (in itself a particularly egregious act) and took Antony's will. Within was the knowledge that Anthony planned to give away Roman territory to his children for them to rule and designated Alexandria as the site for his and his queens burial. 

"He had the will which Antony had left in Rome, naming his children by Cleopatra among his heirs, opened and read before the people"

Suetonius The Life of Augustus Chapter 17

All of these acts are contrary to Roman ideals and mores, but what makes them impressive is the way Augustus plays up the fact that it is the "foreign" the "other" that is the threat. Mark Antony was a war hero, the saviour of th
e Republic after the Battle of Phillipi, a member of the second Triumvirate, a leader of Rome. Simply turning people against Mark Antony would not of been easy at all. It would of come across as a naked power grab. 

However, by playing on the fear of the foreign, of the wicked eastern queen, the power of the unknown, Augustus was able to galvanise the Roman senate and people (granted not all of them) against Mark Antony for his own ends. It is arguable that Augustus could use these techniques in the modern world to win the USA election. Although this is not an issue linked to the USA alone, arguably the "migrant crisis" of Europe cause see the same results in any number of European countries. 

Augustus was a consummate politician and I am greatly in awe of him and everything that he was able to do, converting the republic into an empire, however there is no denying that Augustus used the power of fear in his rise to power. 

Thanks for Reading

James 

Time and the Roman

Horologium Augusti

Time goes by quickly. From upstart village by the river Tiber to masters of the Mediterranean took a mere seven centuries for Rome. A period from Romulus to Augustus that featured so many illustrious generals, politicians and events that it is hardly surprising that the centuries rolled by.

When Augustus rose to power over the Roman Republic after decades of civil war, he began a building and regeneration program in the eternal city unrivalled by anything before him. Great swathes of the city were remodelled to reflect Augustus' individual power over Rome and one of the areas that was built upon was the Campus Martius.

The Campus Martius was steeped in Roman history. In ancient times it was were the men gathered before leaving to fight neighbouring villages. It was were the citizens assembled for the census and where the Ovile and the later Saepta Julia were located for voting. It was also the location of Pompey's theatre, the first permanent theatre in Rome and the site of Julius Caesar's murder.

"In fact, Pompey, the Deified Caesar, Augustus, his sons and friends, and wife and sister, have outdone all others in their zeal for buildings and in the expense incurred".

Strabo Book 5 Chapter 3

It was onto this large and essentially undeveloped field that Augustus set his sights and among the many things that he constructed was his Horologium Augusti. Made from Egyptian red granite, the Obelisk had been brought to Rome from Heliopolis after Augustus subjugated Egypt and made the whole country his own property. Dedicated in 10 BC, there are two theories as to the obelisk's use. Either as a sundial through its casting of a shadow, upon the marvel pavement inlaid with bronze to allow you to tell the time or as a simple meridian line to indicate the day of the year.

"That of marking the shadows projected by the sun, 

and so measuring the length of the days and nights"

Pliny Natural History Book 36 Chapter 15

The Horologium Augusti was associated with another building in the newly developed Campus Martius, the Ara Pacis, the Alter of Peace. The Ara Pacis was commissioned by the senate to celebrate Augustus' return from wars in Hispania and Gaul in 13 BC. Known for its decoration of the new Imperial family involved in a religious procession, it also depicts scenes of abundance and cornucopia, the result of the new Augustan age.

Ara Pacis

"The Senate voted in honour of my return the consecration on an altar to Pax Augusta

in the Campus Martius"

Augustus Res Gestae 12.2

The Horologium and Ara Pacis were aligned so that on the day of Augustus' birth, the shadow of the horologium would fall upon the Ara Pacis itself, intrinsically linking Augustus and the current peace the Roman world was enjoying. Not only the current peace brought about by Augustus' undeniable control, but also the linking of the current peace with an idealised, romanticised nostalgia for a Roman ideal of the farmer.

After a century of civil war, Rome was ready to accept anyone that would bring peace and each and every year Augustus' Horologium pointed a big shadowy finger right at the altar dedicated to peace, to show Rome exactly who they could thank.


Thanks for Reading
James

War Time Correspondents - The Battle of Gaugamela

Good Evening. Tonight we have a special report coming to you from our correspondent travelling with King Alexander of Macedon as he continues his march east in his war against the Persian's. Reports of extensive negotiations between the Macedonian and Persian diplomatic corps have filtered back to us over the last few months and now we go to our war correspondent, who is travelling with the Macedonian court.

Alexander and Darius

"Good evening. You join me on the open plain of Gaugamela. Opposite me the endless hordes of King Darius are lined up, while I am currently on the far right flank of the Macedonia army. A recent letter after the battle of Issus from Darius to Alexander has demand the withdrawal of the Greek forces from Asia. Shortly after these negotiations were rejected by Alexander, an offer of marriage to one of his daughters and an area of Asia was again rejected by the Macedonian king (1). A final attempt to appease Alexander has also fallen through, even with an offer of all land to the west of the Halys river, leading to these two armies facing each other here at Gaugamela.  

With Alexander unable to use the terrain to his advantage, like at Issus or Granicus the odds seem firmly in Darius's favour, their are reports of the Persian forces flattening the terrain around the proposed battle field to give better running to their two hundred war chariots.

My sources tell me that there are around a million Persian forces, comprising of horse, infantry and fifteen terrifying war elephants (2) against the Macedonian force of seven thousand cavalry and forty thousand infantry. I can just make out the Persian line across the field and they are formed up in their standard line, King Darius himself stands at the middle of the line. The Macedonian forces have been split in two, with Alexander in charge of the right and the left flank under the command of Parmenion.

A hush has fallen upon the Macedonian forces and the king himself has just ridden by, it looks like orders have been given. Yes the army is advancing, although the wings of the army are at an angle. It looks as if Alexander is trying to draw the Persian cavalry out. Yes, he has set off with the Companion cavalry on an extreme flanking move, taking off far to the right (3).

It looks as if Darius is responding now and in a thundering noise of hooves the Scythian cavalry have come crashing into the right flank of the Macedonian army. It looks as if a fresh supply of men are being moved up and an agreement seems to have been reached in using tactical charges to clear the Persians from our lines (4).

The battle has been going for around half an hour now and in the haze to my right I can see scythed chariots being despatched to intercept King Alexander on his wide out-ride. However the hidden javelin throwers among the cavalry are making short work of them and few are breaking through to the Macedonian front line. I was recently shown an example of a new tactic by the Macedonian forces and here it is in practice. The disciplined lines are opening up creating avenues which the enemy scythed chariots are simply passing through.

It looks as if King Alexander is preparing his final move. With his army engaged at the front and with reports that the left flank is suffering, a gap as formed in the Persian ranks as they have slowly moved around trying to flank the King and his cavalry. I can see he has formed his troops into a mighty wedge, and the sun glinting off his armour clearly shows me Alexander will be leading this charge himself (5).

They are lost to me in the dust of their horses hooves churning the plain, but I can hear the sound of the cavalry crashing into the Persian line.

A runner has just arrived from the left wing of the army requesting aid against the Persians. At the same time a man on a horse has just arrived from the charge. The wedge of the cavalry smashing into the weak Persian forces have scattered them, King Darius himself is in danger of being caught as his army is in full flight (6). Apparently runners have been sent to Alexander directly to request aid for the left flank and I can see the king is breaking off his pursuit of Darius and moving his troops to the left flank.

The battle seems far from over and the wounded and injured are being brought in to the camp, Hephaestion himself just passing me, however it is another stunning victory for the young King Alexander and one can only wonder where this man and his army will achieve next. Babylon seems a ripe target and it is my belief that my next report will be from beside the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates"

1. "wrote to Alexander advising his to bear his success as one who was only human and to release the captives in return for a large ransom. He added he would yield to Alexander the territory and cities of Asia west of the Halys river " Diodorus Siculus Book 17 Chapter 39.
2. "He marched against Darius, who was coming to meet him with a million men" Plutarch Life of Alexander Chapter 31.
3.

4. "The Macedonians sustained their assults, and assailing them violently squadron by squadron, they succeeded in pushing them out of rank" Arrian Book 3 Chapter 13
5. "the Macedonian cavalry, commanded by Alexander himself pressed on vigarously, thrusting against the Persians" Arrian Book 3 Chapter Fourteen
6. "the cavalry charged at full speed upon the enemy and the phalanx  rolled on after them like a flood. But before the foremost ranks were engaged the Barbarians gave way" Plutarch Life of Alexander Chapter 33

Thanks for Reading
James

20 Latin Phrases For The Modern World

Latin Inscription

There are times when you are lost for words. When all you can do is stare dumb-founded and slack jawed at the world around you. It's times like this that you need a catchy phrase. A pithy bon mot. The retort to end all retorts.

Several years ago I came across a little book, tucked away in the corner of an old, dusty, second hand book shop. The book in question is X-treme Latin by Henry Beard and all credit for this list goes to him and his wonderful books, well worth searching out. Please note several of these phrases are not suitable for young children or people of innocent dispositions, but despite being over two thousands years old they still apply to our twenty-first century lives.

1. "Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus!" - You want a part of me? Bring it on!
2. "Currus magnus, mentula minuscula" - Big car, little dick.
3. "Meditare de hoc, amice" - Meditate on this, pal.
4. "Te amat Iesus - ceteri te putant irrumatorem" - Jesus loves you - everyone else thinks you're an asshole.
5. "Stipator stulus es optimatum!" - You're a right-wing moron!
6. "Pedisequus parasiticus es popularium!" - You're a liberal stooge!
7. "Mande merdam et morere" - Eat shit and die.
8. "Omes paucis annis prosedae erunt" - In a few years they will all be hookers.
9.  "Mox corvos pasces" - You're toast.
10. "Mater tua tam obesa est ut cum Romae est, urbs habet octo colles" - Your mother is so fat, when she's in town, Rome has eight hills.
11. "Ascervus inutilium est!" -It's a hunk of junk!
12. "Recuso reverenter ne respondeam, quia quicquid dicam id sit mendacium impudens" - I respectfully decline to answer on the grounds that anything I might say would be a bald faced lie. 
13. "Tu tibi futuendus (futendave) es" - It is required of you to go fuck yourself.
14. "Coleus" - Bollocks!
15. "Illuc ivi, illud feci" - Been there, done that.
16. "Basia baliliscum meum" - Kiss my basilisk.
17. "Vomiturus sum!" - I'm going to throw up.
18. "Adloquere manum. facies nescit quid velis" - Talk to the hand, the face don't understand. 
19. "Quid nobis infeliciter fieri potest?" - What could possibly go wrong? 
20. "Eice id ex animo" - Fuhgeddaboutit.

Twenty phrases that when applied at the exact right moment will leave the object of your dislike completely flabbergasted. After all, quid nobis infeliciter fieri potest?

Thanks for Reading

James

Curing the Common Cold the Ancient Greek Way

I have a cold. It happened when someone at work caught a cold and quickly gave it to someone else who commenced sneezing every five minutes, which then resulted in someone else coughing on the alternate five minutes and before I knew it I was sat in the middle of a triptych of sneezing, coughing, germ spewing colleagues.

Hippocrates from the floor of the Asclepieion at Kos

Having suffered through my cold with a brave face and eschewing any paracetamol or the like, my mind turned to how I might of faired in Ancient Greece, perhaps under the care of the mighty Hippocrates or within the walls of the Temple of Asclepius.

It's highly likely however that my soar throat, headache and general state of illness wouldn't of warranted too much worry in ancient Greece. A journey to the Temple of Asclepius might have been in order and would have no doubt soon sorted out the problem. There is record of a lady scoffing at the "incredible or impossible" cures that the healing God offered within his temple. However falling asleep she was visited by the god in a dream who told her he would cure her, but she owed him a silver pig as recompense for her stupidity in not believing

"after saying this he operated on her diseased eye and poured a drug into it. And when day came she left the temple cured"

A Record of Cures from the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus from the Late 4th Century

The Culture of Athens CA 393 IG IV 121.4

This fragment describes how a treatment would occur at a Temple of Asclepius. The patient would enter an induced sleep, where upon they would have a dream in which the god would come to them and tell them the cure for their illness or perform an operation. If the treatment failed it was merely a case of asking the god to impart his wisdom again. 

In an attempt to cure my cold, it might have been better to visit the great father of medicine, Hippocrates. Famously a man who drank the urine of his patients to detect an imbalance in the body (as well as smelled their excrement and all other manner of bodily functions) he is seen as the founder of modern medicine.

"The body of man contains in itself, blood and phlegm and yellow and black bile, and these are the constituents of the nature of the body, and the cause of pain and good health"

Hippocrates On the Nature of Man 4

The Culture of Athens CA 389

A man was in the best health when all these composite parts, what he named "humours", were in perfect balance with each other and suffered a pain when one was in deficiency or not mixing with the others. Hippocrates also believed that through prognosis and the use of previous knowledge in the whole of the body, he would be able to cure someone.

"His treatment would be most effective if based on foreknowledge of the consequences of the present symptoms"

Hippocrates Prognostic 1

Culture of Athens CA 387

Colossal Head of Asclepius from the British Museum

Perhaps I would of been safer still to visit Galen. Practising medicine in the early 2nd Century AD, he added a great deal to the teachings of Hippocrates. Galen rose to be the doctor to the emperors, men like Lucius Verus, Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus were all his patients. He was in Rome for the time of the Antonine Plague and is revered for his diagnostic skills and how particular he was in the writing out and prescribing of his medicines.

Whether a visit from Asclepius in my dreams, Hippocrates tasting my urine for an imbalance or the careful prescribing of medicine by Galen would of had more affect on curing my cold than the very hot bath and long nap that I prescribed myself, is a question never to be answered. 

However medicine, operations and specialists did exist in the ancient Greek world. The temples of Asclepius specialised in different areas of the body, Hippocrates was so famous and successful that doctors still swear his oath today and Galen influenced knowledge of the human body, more than few others. 

So next time you reach for the paracetamol, perhaps a silver pig as payment to the god and a dream inspired cure in the Temple of Asclepius would be a better option.

Thanks for Reading

James