Julius Caesar

100 BCE – 44 BCE · died at about 56^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Julius Caesar

• Julius Caesar was ransomed by pirates as a young man. Plutarch and Suetonius say he came back with a fleet and executed them, but the story was embellished; the pirates were more likely sold as slaves.^[1]
• According to Suetonius, the balding Caesar was sensitive to teasing, wore a combover, and was especially pleased to be granted the honor of wearing a wreath at all times.^[1]
• Caesar's last words are uncertain. Suetonius says he fell in silence, while another account has him say to Brutus, in Greek, "kai su teknon?" ("you too, child?").^[1]
• According to Plutarch and Suetonius, Caesar crossed the Rubicon quoting "let the die be cast" in Greek, a line from the Athenian playwright Menander.^[1]
• Caesar refused a bodyguard even though news of the conspiracy had leaked. He was stabbed at least 23 times at the foot of a statue of his old rival Pompey.^[1]
• A line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is sometimes taken to mean Caesar was deaf in one ear, but no classical source mentions him having any hearing problem.^[1][3][4]
• Cleopatra and Julius Caesar were not just contemporaries; they were lovers.^[1][2][5][6]
• Julius Caesar was alive at the same time as Horace — their lives overlapped for 21 years (65 BCE–44 BCE).^[1][2][7][8]

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, which contributed to the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. For his role in these events, he is regarded as one of the most influential historical figures.^[1]

Contemporaries

Cicero

56 yr overlap

Virgil

26 yr overlap

Cleopatra

25 yr overlap

Horace

21 yr overlap

Augustus

19 yr overlap

Questions About Julius Caesar

When was Julius Caesar born?

Julius Caesar was born in 100 BCE and died in 44 BCE.

How old was Julius Caesar at death?

Julius Caesar died in 44 BCE at about 56 years old (100 BCE–44 BCE).

What was Julius Caesar known for?

Julius Caesar was known for: Roman dictator who transformed the Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, which contributed to the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. For his role in these events, he is regarded as one of the most influential historical figures.

Who was alive at the same time as Julius Caesar?

Julius Caesar's closest contemporary was Cicero. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.