“Caesar” by Christian Meier is the greatest modern work of ancient biography.
Its opening chapter is titled, “Caesar and Rome: the Two Realities.” Two realities? For a history? Anyone would be skeptical. Meier pulls it off.
Rome: A territory governed by families. A well to pour blood in: slave and barbarian. Own a horse, have class.
If you don’t know what a hoplite really is you shouldn’t throw dice, gamers.
Caesar was bloody. He decimated - killed one in ten - one of his own less than favorite legions, for mutiny. He had a thing about protecting property.
He was not afraid of water.
Lighting was used by Caesar, in his role as Pontifex, to delay an act ‘on the Hill.’ In the ancient world lighting is a broad communicator and Caesar was an out of touch politician with a gift for official stage craft. Something like that, it’s been a while since I read it.
The dates are wonderfully simple.
It has pictures. It has a picture of a coin with Cleopatra’s head on it which looks like Stacy Schiff and she wrote a book about Cleopatra and that’s interesting.
It’s Gaius, Gaius Julius Caesar.
Civil war after expansion is disaster. There was like one other guy that was important at that time. He built stuff and had a pleasant face.
Assassination, Meir is fatalistic. But you know the killers when it comes.
They had a wealth of knowledge to replace him with, and didn’t give a damn about “France.”
Christian Meir’s “Caesar” is the best.
