Julius Caesar II
Please skim through Plutarch's Life of Caesar. Pick out a section that particularly well shows Caesar's ability and his versatility or a section that shows particularly well why Caesar is such a controversial figure. Explain your choice.Some of you might find particularly interesting the accounts of Caesar's battles, something I didn't talk about in class much. Note Sections 15-20, for instance, a summary of Caesar's campaign in Gaul.
posted by Ancient Art at 9:03 AM
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His soldiers showed such good will and zeal in his service that those who in their previous campaigns had been in no way superior to others were invincible and irresistible in confronting every danger to enhance Caesar's fame. 2Such a man, for instance, was Acilius, who, in the sea-fight at Massalia,28 boarded a hostile ship and had his right hand cut off with a sword, but clung with the other hand to his shield, and dashing it into the faces of p481his foes, routed them all and got possession of the vessel. 3Such a man, again, was Cassius Scaeva, who, in the battle at Dyrrhachium, had his eye struck out with an arrow, his shoulder transfixed with one javelin and his thigh with another, and received on his shield the blows of one hundred and thirty missiles. 4In this plight, he called the enemy to him as though he would surrender. Two of them, accordingly, coming up, he lopped off the shoulder of one with his sword, smote the other in the face and put him to flight, and came off safely himself with the aid of his comrades.29 5Again, in Britain, when the enemy had fallen upon the foremost centurions, who had plunged into a watery marsh, a soldier, while Caesar in person was watching the battle, dashed into the midst of the fight, displayed many conspicuous deeds of daring, and rescued the centurions, after the Barbarians had been routed. 6Then he himself, making his way with difficulty after all the rest, plunged into the muddy current, and at last, without his shield, partly swimming and partly wading, got across. 7Caesar and his company were amazed and came to meet the soldier with cries of joy; but he, in great dejection, and with a burst of tears, cast himself at Caesar's feet, begging pardon for the loss of his shield. 8Again, in Africa, Scipio captured a ship of Caesar's in which Granius Petro, who had been appointed quaestor, was sailing. Of the rest of the passengers Scipio made booty, but told the quaestor that he offered him his life. 9Granius, however, remarking that it was the custom with Caesar's soldiers not to receive but to offer mercy, killed himself with a blow of his sword.
p483 17 Such spirit and ambition Caesar himself created and cultivated in his men, in the first place, because he showed, by his unsparing bestowal of rewards and honours, that he was not amassing wealth from his wars for his own luxury or for any life of ease, but that he treasured it up carefully as a common prize for deeds of valour, and had no greater share in the wealth than he offered to the deserving among his soldiers; and in the second place, by willingly undergoing every danger and refusing no toil. 2Now, at his love of danger his men were not astonished, knowing his ambition; but that he should undergo toils beyond his body's apparent powers of endurance amazed them, because he was of a spare habit, had a soft and white skin, suffered from distemper in the head, and was subject to epileptic fits, a trouble which first attacked him, we are told, in Corduba. 3Nevertheless, he did not make his feeble health an excuse for soft living, but rather his military service a cure for his feeble health, since by wearisome journeys, simple diet, continuously sleeping in the open air, and enduring hardships, he fought off his trouble and kept his body strong against its attacks. 4Most of his sleep, at least, he got in cars or litters, making his rest conduce to action, and in the day-time he would have himself conveyed to garrisons, cities, or camps, one slave who was accustomed to write from dictation as he travelled sitting by his side, and one soldier standing behind him with a sword. 5And he drove so rapidly that, on his first journey from Rome to Gaul, he reached the Rhone in seven days.
I chose these two passages because it shows how Caesar commanded his men and gained their respect. For the most part, this is the same as my comment in the last blog entry.
"There were two parties in the city, that of Sulla, which had been all powerful since his day, and that of Marius, which at that time was in an altogether lowly state, being cowed and scattered. This party Caesar wished to revive and attach to himself, and therefore, when the ambitious efforts of his aedileship were at their height, he had images of p455of Marius secretly made, together with trophy-bearing Victories, and these he ordered to be carried by night and set up on the Capitol." I picked this section because I think it testifies to Caesar's versatility. He was able to revive the spirits and ideals that had practically been banished in the city of Rome.
The passage that that talks about the funeral rights that he performed for his aunt the wife of Marius and for his own wife I think show his ability to gain favor with the people. Caesar displayed images on Marius at his aunts funeral which gained his applause from the masses because it brought back the honors of marius into the city. He also gave his wife a elaborate funeral and prononuced funeral orataions over her which was not custom for young women, but this gained him the sympathies of the masses because as was stated in the passage it showed him as gentle and full of feeling. If a leader can gain sympathies and followers with a funeral it shows that he must be a charasmatic leader and can achieve great things.
Caesar was a person that was revered through Rome for his tenacity in battle. In the latter part of Section 19, it mentions Caesar in his war against the Gauls,
"Now, the very approach of Caesar somewhat shattered the purpose of Ariovistus. 7For he did not expect that the Romans would attack the Germans, whose onset he thought they could not withstand, and he was amazed at the boldness of Caesar; besides, he saw that his own army was disturbed. 8Still more, too, was the spirit of the Germans blunted by the prophecies of their holy women, who used to foretell the future by observing the eddies in the rivers and by finding signs in the whirlings and p491splashings of the waters, and now forbade joining battle before a new moon gave its light. 9When Caesar learned this, and saw that the Germans kept quiet, he decided that it was a good plan to engage them while they were out of heart, rather than to sit still and wait for their time. 10So, by attacking their entrenchments and the hills on which they were encamped, he irritated them and incited them to come down in anger and fight the issue out. 11They were signally routed, and Caesar pursued them a distance of four hundred furlongs, as far as the Rhine, and filled all the intervening plain with dead bodies and spoils. 12Ariovistus, with a few followers, succeeded in crossing the Rhine; his dead are said to have been eighty thousand in number."
This section allows the readers some insight into Caesar. He would exploit weaknesses in the enemy and would capitalize on his opportunities. Caesar was a man that would use any means necessary to win. That is why the Senate feared him and conspired to kill him because they saw Caesar as a threat.
Just like every person, Caesar had his faults. I was looking for a fault in Caesar when I first started reading, but then one of his strengths jumped out at me that I just couldn't ignore. In section five, Caesar holds the funeral for the wife of Marius and, displayed images of Marius "for the first time since the administration of Sulla, because Marius and his friends had been pronounced public enemies." This took quite a lot of guts, and often in today's politics, we do not see people sticking to their loyalties. Often, one will sway to the side that gives him or her the best public image and more votes. Though Caesar certainly did have some major flaws, it would be unjust in saying he was totally immoral.
17 Such spirit and ambition Caesar himself created and cultivated in his men, in the first place, because he showed, by his unsparing bestowal of rewards and honours, that he was not amassing wealth from his wars for his own luxury or for any life of ease, but that he treasured it up carefully as a common prize for deeds of valour, and had no greater share in the wealth than he offered to the deserving among his soldiers; and in the second place, by willingly undergoing every danger and refusing no toil.
This section shows a great deal of loyalty that Caesar showed to his men as well as the loyalty the men showed to Caesar. It also shows the great characteristics that Caesar showed (valour, courage, unselfishness, spirit, etc.)during this time of war. It is so great that I wonder if the characteristics aren't exaggerated? It would not surprise me. Staying optimistic, I can only presume that this section shows not just the truth, but what the general public believed to be true.
"To the noble work of victory Caesar added a nobler still, that of settling those of the Barbarians who had escaped alive from the battle (there were more than one hundred thousand of them), and compelling them to resume the territory which they had abandoned and the cities which they had destroyed. He did this because he feared that if the territory became vacant the Germans would cross the Rhine and occupy it."
Caesar showed mercy to more than one hundred thousand survivors when he could have killed them all after the original battle. Although he did this for military reasons he still showed mercy. So this passage makes Caesar seem like a good man. However, right before this passage, Plutarch says how women and children were cut up with the men since they defended themselves. By not showing goodwill to women and children, Caesar's mercifulness declines and our image of him becomes controverisal. Was Caesar merciful or not? I would say no because he spared those lives so that the Germans would not cross the river and attack.
I found section 11 interesting. In section 11 we really get to see how much being ruler means to Caesar. When all Caesar's people were making fun of a barbarian village, Caesar replied with, "I would rather be first here than second in Rome." Also it tells us that Caesar even broke down and cried because he hadn't become anything yet, even though he was older than Alexander was when he became powerful. This shows us how much Caesar wanted to lead the Roman people and how personally he took it when he wasn't.
Caesar has many very interesting examples of why he was versatile or controversial, but my favorite is the story of the pirates.
2 To begin with, then, when the pirates demanded twenty talents for his ransom, he laughed at them for not knowing who their captive was, and of his own accord agreed to give them fifty. 3For eight and thirty days, as if the men were not his watchers, but his royal body-guard, he shared in their sports and exercises with great unconcern. 4He also wrote poems and sundry speeches which he read aloud to them, and those who did not admire these he would call to their faces illiterate Barbarians, and often laughingly threatened to hang them all. The pirates were delighted at this, and attributed his boldness of speech to a certain simplicity and boyish mirth. 5But after his ransom had come from Miletus and he had paid it and was set free, he immediately manned vessels and put to sea from the harbour p447of Miletus against the robbers. He caught them, too, still lying at anchor off the island, and got most of them into his power. 6Their money he made his booty, but the men themselves he lodged in the prison at Pergamum, but decided to remove them, and took the robbers out of prison, and crucified them all, just as he had often warned them on the island that he would do, when they thought he was joking.
Caesar is very brave to act and talk so arrogantly to pirates that took him captive. He had real nerve to go out and kill all of the pirates. Even when he was still being held captive he was unconcerned with them. He was very confident. This example shows how Caesar would be a great leader.
Such spirit and ambition Caesar himself created and cultivated in his men, in the first place, because he showed, by his unsparing bestowal of rewards and honours, that he was not amassing wealth from his wars for his own luxury or for any life of ease, but that he treasured it up carefully as a common prize for deeds of valour, and had no greater share in the wealth than he offered to the deserving among his soldiers; and in the second place, by willingly undergoing every danger and refusing no toil.
I chose this passage because it demonstrates a characteristic of a good leader. A good leader is nothing unless his men are willing to follow him. Caesar was able to get his men to follow him by sharing the wealth he received from his victories. Soldiers that performed well in battle were greatly rewarded. In return Caesar's men respected and fought hard for him.
24: "...When tidings of [the defeat of Titurius and Cotta, and Cicero's besiegement] reached Caesar, who was far on his journey, he turned back quickly...and hurried on to extricate Cicero from the siege. But the besiegers became aware of his approach, and went to meet him, despising their small numbers. Caesar deceived them by avoiding battle continually, he fortified a camp, where he kept his men...from fighting and forced them to increase the height of their ramparts...His strategy thus led the enemy to attack in scattered bands, he sallied out, routed them, and destroyed many of them."
This shows incredible flexibility on the part of Caesar. His army, already committed to another endeavor, had the arduous task of turning back to lift a seige and rout the enemy. This action struck a chord with a certain American general who, 2000 years later, would accomplish the same task.
I found section 20 a good example of Caesar's abilities and versitility. I found both how he dealt with the enemy by using arms of the citizens and own money and also how he led his soldiers. I thought these instances showed his abilities as a superior leader. He was very good at using all his resources when needed and this carried over from his previous political positions and carried over to his latter political position. His ability to lead his soldiers as a man that would fight with them and not behind them showed again why he was successful.
"Again, in Britain, when the enemy had fallen upon the foremost centurions, who had plunged into a watery marsh, a soldier, while Caesar in person was watching the battle, dashed into the midst of the fight, displayed many conspicuous deeds of daring, and rescued the centurions, after the Barbarians had been routed. 6Then he himself, making his way with difficulty after all the rest, plunged into the muddy current, and at last, without his shield, partly swimming and partly wading, got across. 7Caesar and his company were amazed and came to meet the soldier with cries of joy; but he, in great dejection, and with a burst of tears, cast himself at Caesar's feet, begging pardon for the loss of his shield."
In order to get ahead in politics in rome your had to either you play the political game and when nessecary use force. Caeser had the ability to do both. What made him so vercitile is that he was able to get undieing support in either area. In public he would get suport by having great parites or doing favors. With his soldiers he gained support by fighting and winning money to pay them with. He also inspired his men to fight bravly and without coution for their own life because he went into battle with teh rest of them. His was versitile because he was able to get support from many differnt areas. This passages shows how effective he was at getting the most lyal toops.
I feel that this passage shows how capable Ceasar was:
"For although it was not full ten years that he waged war in Gaul, he took by storm more than eight hundred cities, subdued three hundred nations, and fought pitched battles at different times with three million men, of whom he slew one million in hand to hand fighting and took as many more prisoners."
this shows how much he was ale to accomplish. Previous to this passage was one saying how great military figures such as Pompey, Sulla, Marius and Metellus were no where near as great as Ceasar. This passage, and many others, does make the achievments of these other great figures pale in comparison.
45 When the infantry had thus clashed together in the centre and were fighting, Pompey's cavalry rode proudly up from the wing and deployed their squadrons to envelope the enemy's right; 2and before they could attack, the cohorts ran out from where Caesar was posted, not hurling their javelins, as usual, nor yet stabbing the thighs and legs of their enemies with them, but aiming them at their eyes and wounding their faces. 3They had been instructed to do this by Caesar, who expected that men little conversant with wars or wounds, but young, and pluming themselves on their youthful beauty, would dread such wounds especially, and would not stand their ground, fearing not only their present danger, but also their future disfigurement. 4And this was what actually came to pass; for they could not endure the upward thrust of the javelins, nor did they even venture to look the weapon in the face, but turned their heads away and covered them up to spare their faces. 5And finally, having thus thrown themselves into confusion, they turned and fled most shamefully, thereby ruining everything. 6For the conquerors of the horsemen at once encircled the infantry, fell upon their rear, and began to cut them to pieces.
This indicates that Caesar was a very capable and different thinking sort of general. He would consistantly learn from what his previous opponents would do, and then adapt those ideas that he gleened from them for his own troops. this shows to me, that Caesar was very intelligent and vey adaptable in his workings.
“He was unsparing in his outlays of money, and was thought to be purchasing a transient and short-lived fame at a great price, though in reality he was buying things of the highest value at a small price. We are told, accordingly, that before he entered upon any public office he was thirteen hundred talents in debt.”
“Immediately after his praetorship Caesar received Spain as his province, and since he found it hard to arrange matters with his creditors, who obstructed his departure and were clamorous, he had recourse to Crassus, the richest of the Romans, who had need of Caesar's vigour and fire for his political campaign against Pompey. And it was only after Crassus had met the demands of the most importunate and inexorable of these creditors and given surety for eight hundred and thirty talents, that Caesar could go out to his province.”
As it was said in class, Caesar had racked up a considerable amount of debt in his political, and war campaigns. Cicero, said that in most of Caesar's political plans and projects he saw a tyrannical purpose. It would seem that Caesar would do what ever it took in order to become more powerful, as long as he was able to cover his tracks.
-Nate Mills
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