1-Acest articol este copiat !
2-Istoria ramane pasiunea mea nr-1.
The triumph which he celebrated for this victory displeased the Romans beyond anything. For he had not defeated foreign generals, or barbarian kings, but had destroyed the children and family of one of the greatest men of Rome."
When Caesar returned to Rome, it was with the promise of spectacular triumph. Or rather, four of them. Caesar held an unprecedented four triumphs in the space of a month – it must have been a fantastic time to be a Roman (albeit briefly!), with the usually rare carnivals, with lavish gifts given out amidst the party atmosphere, being held almost weekly throughout the autumn of 46 BC. A triumph could only be held for victory over a foreign enemy, not for a civil war (hence there were no Social War triumphs). Thus Caesar’s triumphs were ostensibly for his victories over Vercingetorix and the Gauls, over Ptolemy XIII of Egypt, over Pharnaces II of Pontus, and over King Juba of Numidia, with little mention made of Caesar’s fighting with the Optimates resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Romans throughout this period. There was no triumph held for Caesar’s campaigns in either Greece or Hispania. Despite the general mood of celebration, there was still irritation among the Senate at his jubilance following his return from Hispania, particularly given his campaign there had been only against Romans, and against the sons of one of Rome’s greatest generals.
Caesar’s triumphs surpassed anything that had gone before. Some 400 lions fought in gladiator contests, a basin in the Field of Mars was flooded to facilitate a naval battle, at the Circus Maximus, two armies each 2,000 strong, with 200 cavalry and 20 war elephants, fought to the death. Egypt’s deposed queen Arsinoe IV was paraded in chains, winning plaudits for her dignity.
Caesar next set out bringing through his ambitious legislative reforms, including reducing the grain dole, and limiting senatorial status to those of equestrian rank and above. Professional guilds were outlawed, governors were given term limits, and debt was restricted, erasing around a quarter of it. Entry to Rome for carts was prohibited during the day, allowing more space for people while restricting traders to unloading their goods at night. The Forum of Caesar was built, and he set about allocating land to 15,000 of his veterans.
His most important change would be to the Roman calendar, introducing the Julian calendar, which is still largely how our calendars operate today (when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, there were only ten days added to the previous calendar to bring it into alignment). The Roman calendar had been based on the moon and set by the priests, meaning the seasons could end up wildly out of sync – it could be snowing in June, with a heatwave in January! Caesar’s calendar was based on his observances with the astrologers of Egypt, and was based around the sun. The Julian Calendar was 365.25 days, with a leap year every fourth year. This allowed farmers to plan their crop rotations around the calendar more effectively. Three extra months were added to 46 BC, with the Julian Calendar taking effect at the beginning of 45 BC.
Further reforms saw the introduction of a police force, the urban cohort, and the rebuilding of Carthage and Corinth. The Latin rights were extended across the Roman world, as he sought to forge the republic into a single, unified entity rather than a disparate collection of different nationalities. The tax farming system was abolished, with cities granted greater autonomy to just pay a tribute instead. Caesar planned to create a new Temple of Mars, a new theatre, and a library to rival that of Alexandria. Ostia was to be converted into a major port, with a canal cut through the Isthmus of Corinth. Caesar began mobilising legions for his campaigns against the Dacians on the Danube, and for a retaliatory invasion of the Parthians to avenge Carrhae.
The Senate bestowed a variety of honours on Caesar, including renaming the month of Quinctilis “July” in his honour, while coins were minted in his image. Throughout the civil war and his time in Rome, Caesar switched betwixt various officer of Consul, Dictator, and others, with the Senate eventually naming him “Father of the Fatherland”, and “imperator”. He had the right to speak first at every Senate meeting.
Antony had initially been elected to be Governor of Italia by Caesar, though in his absence he was soon making a botch job of managing Rome. Antony opposed debt relief, and when he unleashed legionaries on the Forum to maintain order, the city descended into anarchy, necessitating Caesar’s return. Antony used his powers as Plebeian Tribune to oppose Caesar’s elevation of his rival Dolabella, and later used his role as auger to insist the omens were against it. Antony was stripped of his official positions, and remained in Rome as a private citizen while Caesar campaigned in Africa and Hispania. Antony divorced his second wife during the Dolabella scandal, and married Fulvia, whom he had been having an affair with for the last decade and who had been previously married to Pulcher and Curio, being widowed since the latter’s death in Africa. Despite the growing rift, the two were reconciled in 45 BC when Antony was elected as Caesar’s junior Consul. Caesar planned to have Antony remain in Rome to manage Italia while he campaigned against the Parthians.
When Caesar was granted his own cult, Antony was chosen as his high priest, days after Caesar had been declared Dictator for Life. During one of the festivals, Antony attempted to place a diadem on Caesar’s head, though the crowd would boo when he dead. Cheering when he removed it, Antony tried twice more, but the crowd again would boo him. It is unclear whether Caesar was trying to show he would not be a monarch, by ushering Antony away with the crown, or whether he was hoping for the crowd to accept him as a monarch, and merely adapted his performance when they did not.
Given his political leniency to his rivals and his support by the common people, Caesar had no open political opponents in Rome. The Optimates thus began conspiring in secret, with Antony rejecting an early offer of joining them. Chief among the conspirators were Marcus Brutus, who Caesar had forgiven after Pharsalus and, being the son of Caesar’s long-term mistress Servilia, was rumoured to be his bastard son. Also among the leaders was Cassius Longinus, the surviving legate from Crassus’ disastrous defeat at Carrhae. They believed that Caesar was installing himself as a monarch, that Rome would return to tyranny, and Brutus’ family had a history of tyrant-killing, so he made a suitable leader. Initially planning a great purge of the Populares, Brutus insisted that it just be Caesar, for their actions to be legitimate. Their plans were soon put in motion when they learnt of the planned Parthian campaign, which would remove Caesar from Rome for years, and thus they prepared to strike in the spring of 44 BC.
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