A Companion to Julius Caesar

In both the ancient and modern world, few historical figures are more recognizable – or more controversial – than Julius Caesar. After ancient Rome was plunged into civil war, Caesar emerged to become the undisputed master of the Roman world. Indeed, his subsequent assassination in 44 BC marked one of the great turning points in world history as Rome made its epochal transition from republic to empire. A Companion to Julius Caesar examines the great man – and great polarizing figure – from a variety of illuminating perspectives: military genius, ruthless tyrant, brilliant politician, first class orator, sophisticated man of letters, and more. Essays by leading scholars in classics, ancient history and art, modern history, and European literature approach Caesar from many viewpoints, including that of his contemporaries, and explore how Caesar has been portrayed by artists, writers, and poets from antiquity to the present day. Lively, engaging, and comprehensive in scope, this Companion is one of the richest and most vivid portraits of Julius Caesar available today – a triumphant addition to classical scholarship.

List of Figures. Notes on Contributors. Preface. Reference Works: Abbreviated Titles. 1 Introduction. Part I Biography: Narrative. 2 From the Iulii to Caesar ( Ernst Badian ). 3 Caesar as a Politician ( Erich S. Gruen ). 4 The Proconsular Years: Politics at a Distance ( John T. Ramsey ). 5 The Dictator ( Jane F. Gardner ). 6 The Assassination ( Andrew Lintott ). Part II Biography: Themes. 7 General and Imperialist ( Nathan Rosenstein ). 8 Caesar and Religion ( David Wardle ). 9 Friends, Associates, and Wives ( Catherine Steel ). 10 Caesar the Man ( Jeremy Paterson ). 11 Caesar as an Intellectual ( Elaine Fantham ). Part III Caesar′s Extant Writings. 12 Bellum Gallicum ( Christina S. Kraus ). 13 Bellum Civile ( Kurt Raaflaub ). 14 The Continuators: Soldiering On ( Ronald Cluett ). Part IV Caesar′s Reputation at Rome. 15 Caesar′s Political and Military Legacy to the Roman Emperors ( Barbara Levick ). 16 Augustan and Tiberian Literature ( Mark Toher ). 17 Neronian Literature: Seneca and Lucan ( Matthew Leigh ). 18 The First Biographers: Plutarch and Suetonius ( Christopher Pelling ). 19 The Roman Historians after Livy ( Luke Pitcher ). 20 The First Emperor: The View of Late Antiquity ( Timothy Barnes ). 21 The Irritating Statues and Contradictory Portraits of Julius Caesar ( Paul Zanker ). Part V Caesar′s Place in History. 22 The Middle Ages ( Almut Suerbaum ). 23 Empire, Eloquence, and Military Genius: Renaissance Italy ( Martin McLaughlin ). 24 Some Renaissance Caesars ( Carol Clark ). 25 Shakespeare′s Julius Caesar and the Dramatic Tradition ( Julia Griffin ). 26 The Enlightenment ( Thomas Biskup ). 27 Caesar and the Two Napoleons ( Claude Nicolet ). 28 Republicanism, Caesarism, and Political Change ( Nicholas Cole ). 29 Caesar for Communists and Fascists ( Luciano Canfora ). 30 A Twenty–First–Century Caesar ( Maria Wyke ). Bibliography. Index.

Miriam Griffin is Emeritus Fellow of Classics at Oxford University. She is the author of numerous books and articles on Roman history and philosophy, including Nero (1987), Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics (1992), and Philosophia togata I & II (with Jonathan Barnes, 1991 & 1997). She was until recently editor of the Classical Quarterly .