Heritage Auctions - This Saturday, March 15th, marks the closing of our Spotlight: The
Twelve Caesars Ancient Coin Showcase Auction, as well as the anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC.
Caesar had an unremarkable early political career, holding many of the offices expected of a man of his standing. He first held the consulship in 59 BC following successful military campaigns in Spain, winning the election thanks to his supporters among the aristocracy and the general populace. Once he was in office, Caesar forged an informal political alliance now known as the "First Triumvirate" with Pompey, a political powerhouse, and Crassus, the richest man in Rome, using his position in the Senate to push forward bills on behalf of his new allies.
Following his consulship, Caesar and his fellow triumvirs at first aimed to stay in the good graces of the simultaneously infamous yet extremely popular Publius Clodius Pulcher, though when Clodius turned against Pompey in 58 BC, they quickly switched tactics to recalling Cicero from exile in hopes that he would speak out against Clodius in favor of the triumvirs. Indeed, Cicero successfully urged the Senate to vote for an unprecedented fifteen days of thanksgiving for Caesar for his victory in Gaul, allowing him to maintain support for his position in Transalpine Gaul.
After Crassus died in battle in 53 BC, tensions began to build between Caesar and Pompey. Many in the Senate urged Pompey to recall Caesar from his command in Gaul. Eventually, this faction was successful in convincing Pompey to take a firm stance against Caesar's continued command. In response, throughout 50 BC, Caesar built up troops in southern Gaul while Pompey fortified northern Italy. As the threat of a civil war loomed, attempts from Caesar to negotiate disarmament were rejected by hardliners in the Senate, with Caesar eventually being named an enemy of the state.
In response to this decree from the Senate, Caesar ignited civil war when he marched troops across the Rubicon River, crossing a line and making a decision which could not be undone — the origin of the phrase "to cross the Rubicon." Pompey fled south immediately, believing correctly that Caesar would be quick to march on Rome. As Pompey escaped to Greece, Caesar occupied Rome for about two weeks, forcefully seizing the treasury and having his ally Lepidus name him dictator so that he could conduct the consular elections. Pompey was eventually pushed towards Egypt, where he was killed upon arrival. Caesar arrived in Egypt soon after in October for 48 BC and was prevented from leaving by unfavorable winds, though he was appointed in-absentia to a year-long dictatorship of Rome.
By April 46 BC, Caesar was given a new dictatorship annually. While not a direct source of legal power, the dictatorships reflected his dominant position in the state. The Senate gave unprecedented honors to Caesar, such as the title praefectus moribus, historically associated with the power to censure senators and control over war and peace, a power traditionally held by the comitia centuriata. He was also the first living Roman to ever have his portrait on a coin.
In January 44 BC, two tribunes shut down attempts to call Caesar rex-literally "king" — a title associated with the cruel tyranny of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. Caesar had these tribunes ejected from the Senate for supposedly infringing on his honor and angering the public, which viewed tribunes as protectors of popular freedom. In February of that same year, Caesar assumed the dictatorship for life, making clear that he had no intention of restoring a free republic.
On March 15th, 44 BC, as Caesar sat on a golden throne, he was approached by conspirators against him and stabbed at least 23 times, poetically dying at the feet of a large statue of Pompey. The last words of Caesar remain a source of disagreement. In popular culture, Caesar is remembered by the famous words "et tu, Brute?" However, this phrase is not attested by ancient sources, rather being invented by Richard Edes for his play Caesar Interfectus, which would later inspire Shakespeare's dialogue in his own Caesar play. Ancient sources vary on whether Caesar said nothing at all in his last moments or if he instead uttered the Greek phrase "kai su, teknon," translating literally to "and you, child." Despite the recent discontent of the people towards Caesar, the assassins were received coldly in the Forum and made to flee the city, subsequently minting the famous "Eid Mar" coin commemorating this event. Caesar's heir, Octavian, would go on to exploit the chaos following Caesar's death to seize the consulship and establish his autocracy under the guise of restoring a republic he would eventually destroy.
Octavian's subsequent rise to power and the early years of the empire can be traced in the iconic coinage of the Twelve Caesars. Join us Saturday to witness the rise of the Roman Empire as told through numismatics.
Posted 03/13/2025 4:25 pm
