Caesar: more than just a salad

I tried to schedule this to come out on Saturday- I may have got it wrong and if this has screwed up Friday's poster I'm sorry! If this does turn up on Saturday- then woo! Again, if I have messed it up I apologise!

I watched the film Alexander this week (and nearly wrote a post on Alexander the Great- until I realised Emily had beaten me to it! Oh well- I have a good idea for a follow up on that but may have to have some discussion with Emily about it first) and despite it not being bad per say, maybe genuinely heart-wrenching at points, I could not take it seriously. My classicist friends and I just burst out laughing at every sentence- mostly due to the Irish accents. This is how I learnt the hard way studying Ancient History had ruined any chance of enjoying a historical film.

I digress, however. This week’s theme is determination, drive, and ambition. To make my life a little easier, these are three qualities held very dear in the hearts of the roman emperors.

To be a roman emperor was a bloody, and unrewarding job. Very often you had the life expectancy of a slug in a saltshaker- around half of the roman emperors were deposed by means of assassination, usurpation or execution. Only 20 between 14AD and 395AD died of natural causes, and as one was supposedly hit by a bolt of lightning, I think this can be examined with reasonable doubt.

And if we are to examine the ambitious men who sought this coveted position, there is surely no better place to start than with Julius Caesar.

The Asterix Caesar is the most accurate version... obviously

Caesar is awesome. He is a captivating mix of political genius and arrogance that has fascinated historians for millennia. When he was kidnapped by pirates- he actually complained his ransom wasn’t high enough, so his family had to pay even more to get him back. A young Caesar apparently cried at a temple to Alexander the Great, distraught that by the time he was Caesars age, the deified hero had conquered most of the known world- while he was little more than a glorified civil servant. His rise to power is thrilling- yet complex. He was pretty much hated by most of Rome’s aristocracy and ruling class- mainly for his tendency to go on long and expensive military campaigns without asking anyone- but also because he had the support of the plebeians, and there has never been a bourgeoisie in history who likes the figurehead of the proletariat. When his governorship of Gaul came to an end, and he was recalled to Rome, he feared he would be prosecuted by the civic leaders in the city- so brought a legion with him. But by bringing an army into Italy he automatically incited civil war with his previous ally Pompey. Caesar won- and his ambition was achieved when he was subsequently granted the role of dictator. It has often been questioned whether he wanted war, and whether he truly sought to be emperor (which he achieved in all but name). Regardless of his intentions however, the ambition and drive of a man heartbroken by his inadequacy to Alexander, led to the downfall of the roman republic, thereby changing the face of European, if not world history, forever.

Plus, Caesar is fantastically quotable. Between 'Veni, Vidi, Vici', 'The die is cast 'and Shakespeare's wonderful addition of 'Et tu, Brute?' it's pretty hard to avoid anything Caesar said, or supposedly said. 

I think I will end this post with Caesar. I had written another paragraph about Constantine- but I reckon I talk about him a little too much anyway, and perhaps I should stick to earlier history this week. Unfortunately not everyone is as into Byzantium as me! Also- I am meant to be doing work as I am taking tomorrow off to go visit Emily. However- as the reading I am meant to be doing is on the Roman republic- I insist writing this counts as revision!

I shall be back again next week!

-Rachael

xxx

Howdy, Words on Wednesdays.

Okay, I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Emily, I am a first year History student at Cardiff University, I enjoy reading, swimming, Doctor Who and the Eurovision Song Contest, and I have been asked to join this little team on a Wednesday. On my days I shall mostly be discussing my twin passions: literature and history.

This weeks theme is a tricky one; Why fit in when you were born to stand out - Dr Seuss. The obvious topic here would be to talk about Mr Theodore Geisel himself, undoubtedly talented writer, poet and cartoonist, adored by children worldwide. Yet, in light of the theme, I am going to step away from the obvious, and instead I will talk about a young Greek who was definitely born to stand out; Alexander the Great.

There is no denying that Alexander III of Macedonia was a young fellow determined to stand out from the crowd. His unrivaled military prowess took him from the city of Pella in Greece, to conquer an empire spanning across modern Greece, parts of Northern Africa and India, pakistan and many more places by the time he was thirty.

His desire to stand out started early. When our young prince was just ten, a horse was brought to the palace claimed to be unridable. A massive black beast with the best war breeding, but he refused to be mounted. King Phillip ordered the horse taken away, but young Alex stood forward from the crowd to examine the horse, offering to pay for it himself should he fail to tame it. He surprised all, slowly approaching the horse, letting his cloak drop to the floor and turning the beast into the sun. Miraculously, the horse let Alex ride him. 

Alexander had stood out by realising what none other had: the horse was blind in one eye, his own shadow was spooking him. According to the Historian Plutarch, King Phillip cried out 'My boy - you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions, Macedon is too small for you.' And Alexander was inspired to stand out.
The horse, Bucephalus (Ox-Head) lived amost to the end of Alexander's life, the Bassileus (King) died in 323BC, only three years after his beloved horse (Bucephalus died 326BC). Even then, Alexander was not ready to be forgotten, having named dozens of cities 'Alexandria' or 'Alexandropolis' for himself and even 'Bucephala' for his horse. Alexander had famously never lost a battle, and his legacy lived on to inspire other great European military leaders - General Pompey and Napoleon Bonaparte - both whom later invaded Egypt to emulate Alexander - Because in a long line of military leaders, Alexander the great stood out to them.

Like many figures in history, Alexander wanted to stand out, and his popularity and deeds show this to us, but unlike the other he didn't drift away into obscurity only be dug up by archaeologists years later. He was actually never forgotten. To quote author John Green:

 'Although Alexander was mostly just conquering territory for the glory and heroism... in his wake emerged a more closely connected world that could trade and communicate with more people more efficiently than ever before.' (1)

Alexander stood out because he made a difference, because he didn't just accept the boundaries passed to him by the generation before, because he used his own attributes (intelligence, strength) to become so memorable. And, broadly speaking, I think that is the point Dr Seuss was trying to make: Don't let yourself be restricted by what others simply accept or tell you is right.

I hope I haven't bored you with my first post, I have certainly enjoyed writing it. Let Alexander inspire you to go off and be an individual.
Emily


((1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg )