Ides of March

March 15^th is identified in ancient Roman history as the Ides of March. The original significance of that date is that it identifies the middle of the month.  Of the ten months that made up the first Roman calendar, each one had a middle date called the ides. The 15^th day of March is recognized now because the Roman leader Julius Caesar was assassinated on that date in 44 BC.

Caesar was a war hero, a genius in military strategy, a winning politician, a charismatic communicator, an intellectual, and an historian.  He also was a ruthless leader, a murderer, a liar, an egomaniac, and a sexually prolific man who bedded many women in spite of their or his marital status.

He was stabbed to death on the notorious date by members of the Roman Senate. The 60 members of the Senate unanimously agreed that Caesar must die. They feared his growing power, influences and well known goal to become emperor and king of the Roman Empire.

On the morning of the March Ides, Caesar was walking to the Senate building with his trusted friend Mark Anthony. One of the conspirators stopped Anthony to separate him from Caesar and to clear the way for the slaying.

Bust of Caesar

Tradition indicates that some time during his walk to a meeting in the Senate, Caesar confronted a soothsayer (fortune teller) who previously warned Caesar to “Beware the Ides of March." That phrase is a figure of speech that’s been used more than 2,000 years after the killing of Caesar to warn of impending trouble and tragedy.

Caesar belittles the soothsayer’s prediction and says nothing that day has shown any problems. The soothsayer shoots back with a comment that the day is not yet over.

When he walks into the building, Caesar stops at the statue of Pompey. That’s where he is first attacked from behind.  The Senators swarm to stab Caesar, and they move back to allow their colleagues a chance to stick their daggers into him.  He falls and endures the attack for a few minutes as he pulls out several of the knives. Reliable historical accounts mention Caesar suffered 23 to 30 stab wounds before he died at the foot of the statue.

Not every conspirator could get close enough to use his knife. The scene resembled a blood lust of animals killing prey. Some of the knife welding assassins suffered superficial wounds during the bloody frenzy. All the senators were charged with the murder whether they actually stabbed the Roman leader or not.

The statue of Pompey was erected a few feet outside the senate chamber by Caesar’s own decree. Pompey and Caesar were once close allies before they had a falling out, and Pompey was killed during a campaign in Egypt. Caesar never lost his respect and admiration of Pompey. The senators planned to kill Caesar in front of the statue to avoid desecrating the Senate Chamber.

Caesar is assassinated in front of the statue of Pompey.

Four years before his death, Caesar travelled to Alexandria, Egypt. He went there to establish a military presence in the country that was conquered by Rome. During a stay of several months, Caesar met Cleopatra who was a member of the royal family of Egypt. Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian. Her relatives were part of the Ptolemy (TOL-e-me) family that were Greek and direct descendants of Alexander the Great.

The 21-year-old Cleopatra was Egypt’s current pharaoh, but internal family fights with her brother and sister convinced the queen that her life was in jeopardy. She made a move to become politically attached and protected by the then 52-year-old Caesar. An intelligent woman who spoke several languages and who understood the vanity of powerful men such as Caesar, she used her sex appeal to seduce the Roman general.

Nine months after the two leaders met, Cleopatra presented Caesar with a baby boy. The child pleased Caesar and fed his enormous ego in showing the world he was sexually potent.  He eventually presented the Egyptian Queen to the people of Rome. His wife was the daughter of an aristocrat, and the scandal with Cleopatra was even worse in the eyes of the senators when he presented the Egyptian and her son with high honors. 

It was a tradition in Rome that the leader of a vanquished country would be chained and dragged behind the chariot of the general in charge of the campaign during a victory parade in Rome. Caesar not only elevated Cleopatra’s position, he also presented her as his queen with his son. The senators felt insulted by his actions.

Caesar showed his genius during all the turmoil he created in Rome.  While living in Cleopatra’s country, Caesar met a brilliant Egyptian astronomer and mathematician. The two of them worked out the need of a leap year to accommodate Caesar’s concept of a 12-month year that consisted of 365.25 days. The assassinated Roman left his mark on the most accurate calendar of its day.

Caesar almost got it right with the 12-month calendar that drifted three days every 60 years. This reoccurring error was significant since the calendar was dependent on the seasons.  In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII modified the calendar close to the one we have today by dropping 10 days off that year. On September 2, 1752, the next 12 days were dropped from that month to give us the accurate calendar we use now.

Bust of Cleopatra

Cleopatra demonstrated the modern method of match making.  She understood that similar interests and personalities are what count in attracting a mate. This is what online dating websites emphasize in helping men and woman attract mates. Opposites don’t attract when love is concerned. Cleopatra understood that being similar or making herself appear similar to the men she wanted to influence is what worked.

The Egyptian queen used her sex and personality to attract Mark Anthony who replaced Caesar as the main leader of Rome. That union was passionate and resulted in at least three children. However, Anthony followed Caesar’s bad example of thinking he was above the rules of Rome.  The love affair ended tragically and makes for interesting reading.

This week’s blog is different from the usually instructional post given here. I hope you enjoyed the information and will visit us next time. See my web page at www.joevlatino.com.