April 17, 2019 | Miles Brucker

30 Little Known Facts About Julius Caesar


Former politician turned army general and ultimately remembered as dictator of the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar lived a fascinating life full of conquest, lust and betrayal.

Here are some interesting facts about him!


30. Holier Than Thou

Before settling on complete and total domination, Caesar worshipped the god Jupiter. This almost led him to a life of priesthood. Priests at the time were not permitted to touch horses and that was obviously problematic since he also wanted to join the military and you know…. murder people on horseback.

Greek Gods factsShutterstock

29. Rumor Has It

Julius Caesar’s enemies would attempt to slander his name by stating he had an affair with Nicomedes IV of Bithynia early in his career. The rumor persisted and Caesar even had to deny them under oath once.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

28. Card in Hand

It’s speculated that the King of Diamonds in a deck of cards is representation of Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

27. Leap

In 45 BC, the Roman dictator added an extra day to the month of February every four years, creating the leap year. This was due to his concern that the calendar and seasons had become out of sync. Maybe he just watched An Inconvenient Truth and jumped the gun on global warming.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

26. Thrice A Liar

In the historical play about Julius Caesar written by Shakespeare, a clock chimed three times to add dramatic effect. However, chiming clocks were not invented until 1400 years after Caesar’s death.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

25. It’s Alive!

Rumor was tnhat Julius Caesar was born by Cesarean Sectio, which was the reason for his name. This story was proven wrong, though another rumor that he got the name from ancestors being born by C-section persists.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

24. Show Me The Money

In his younger years, Julius Caesar went to the military and bartered a deal for financial compensation for his leadership in important battles. Luckily it paid off, as Julius was able to capture many key areas and win major encounters for the Empire.

Julius Caesar FactsSpartacus, Starz

Julius Caesar, as depicted in Spartacus.

23. Cult Figure

Julius Caesar was the first of his time to be posthumously deified. A cult formed around the life and divinity of Caesar after his death and remained popular for many years. Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na Caesar!

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

22. That’s My Boy

Having been in an affair with a prominent woman named Servilla, Julius Caesar believed her child, Junius Brutus, was his son. It is said that the man to lead Caesar’s assassination was Brutus himself.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

21. You Dog, You

It is known that Julius Caesar took mistresses during his many marriages, including his infamous affair was with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. They lived together for 14 years and it is believed that if Julius were permitted to marry someone who wasn’t a Roman citizen, it would have been her.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

20. Get It Right, Shakespeare

The famous line “Et tu, Brute?” from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar was made famous and written in as Julius’ last words. However, a council member present at the assassination said Caesar’s last words were, “You too, child?” This bolsters the claim that Brutus was Caesar’s son.

Julius Caesar FactsWikimedia Commons

19. Third Times The Charm

Julius Caesar married three times. First to a woman named Cornelia who died in childbirth. He remarried to a woman named Pompeia, whom he divorced 7 years later. His last wife, Calpurnia, is the most well known spouse and was with him until his death.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

18. Crystal Ball

Roman historian Suetonius claims Caesar was warned of his death by a soothsayer (psychic) who told him to “Beware the Ides of March”.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

 

17. God Complex

The Julia clan, to which Julius Caesar belongs, believed they were descendants to the god Venus.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

16. Once, Twice, Three Times A Dictator

48 BC was when Julius Caesar was first briefly appointed dictator. In 46 BC, he was appointed for 10 years and finally, on February 14th 44 BC he was appointed dictator for life.

Julius Caesar FactsWikipedia

15. Sister, Sister

Julius Caesar had two sisters who were both named Julia. Feel free to pitch that one to a major network.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

14. Beat That

Having earned the title “Third Founder of Rome”, Julius Caesar’s uncle through marriage, Gaius Marius, is one of Roman history’s most important figures.

Julius Caesar FactsWikimedia Commons

13. We All Start Somewhere

Julius Caesar started his military career at the Siege of Mytilene in 81 BC. For his efforts, he was awarded the second highest military honor, the Civic Crown.

Julius Caesar FactsSpartacus, Starz

12. Put On The Red Light

Caesar at one point had his inheritance confiscated and lived in a working-class section of Rome that was a notorious red-light district.

Awkward Moments With Complete Strangers factsShutterstock

11. Vote Quimby

Julius Caesar became a lawyer to earn income. He especially enjoyed prosecuting corrupt government officials.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

10. Final Victory

Caesar’s final major triumph came on the battlefield at The Siege of Alesia in 52 BC. It was a Gallic stronghold where Julius built two lines of forts to defeat two larger armies.

Julius Caesar FactsWikipedia

9. Overkill

At the time of his assassination, Julius Caesar was surrounded by a mob of senators who stabbed him a total of 23 times.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

8. All Gone

Unlike other historical figures like Genghis Khan who has an estimated 16 million descendants living today, Julius Caesar has no living descendants.

Most Incredible People quizShutterstock

7. Britain’s Got Talent

Although he never achieved a full invasion of the British Isles, Julius’ writings were among the first of the area. Based on expeditions, his work gave a detailed account of the area and helped set the groundwork of the successful Roman takeover in 43 AD.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

6. You OK, Dude?

Modern Scholars are divided on the matter of Julius Caesar’s health conditions. Though they mostly agree he had major health problems, they aren’t sure whether it was epilepsy, migraine headaches, malaria or tapeworms. Medical records were too poorly kept to know what he suffered from for sure.

Julius Caesar FactsPixabay

5. All In The Family

Julius Caesar granted citizen’s rights to all conquered people of the Roman Empire. He felt this would unite the Empire and make new Romans more willing to accept dictatorship rule.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

4. Remember Me

Part of the reason why Julius Caesar is remembered so well was due to how much he wrote about his own life. Writings like his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, a history of the Gallic Wars, made it easier to pass on his story in his own words.

Edward VII factsPixabay

3. Greatest Form of Flattery

Julius Caesar was an inspiration to several historical tyrants. Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini saw himself as a new Caesar and actively imitated the ways of the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar FactsGetty Images

2. Biblical Proportions

There is a verse in the Bible that references Caesar, which reads “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”.

Terry Crews factsPixabay

1. You’re Gonna Need More Booty, Mates

During a return trip home, pirates hijacked Julius Caesar’s boat. Instead of cowering, Caesar befriended the nappers and persuaded them to double their ransom. Once paid by his uncle, Julius took a fleet of men, chased down the pirates and slit all their throats. What’s the moral here? Know who you’re kidnapping, folks.

Julius Caesar FactsShutterstock

 

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


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