Gaius Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC in Rome to Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia. The calendar of the time was out of step with ours slightly, so seasonaly it was likely May or June. He is an only son and the evidence indicates he had two sisters both named Julia, known by us as Julia Major and Julia Minor. As for Caesar himself, the Romans spelled his name "CAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR" but was later known universally as just CAESAR. Gaius was his personal name, or praenomen. Julius was family name. Caesar was his 'cognomen', a kind of official nickname for his branch of the Julii family. Many Roman men had the same two first names and this third name developed over time to distinguish such men. Caesar probably meant 'curly'.

Caesar's family was for a long time not very rich or for a long time very influential. The Julii were one of the last recognized Patrician families, a political handicap at this time. Power was in the descendants of the old Plebeian families who married into old patrician ones and now joined were now known as the Nobility. Caesar's family was, when he was born, part of this group, since his aunt had married the most powerfull Plebeian of all, and raised the fortunes of her Julli family immesurabley. Caesar's uncle was Gaius Marius, who was the consul in 100 BC and the hero of the time. His wife Julia was the sister of Caesar's father. Another important relative was Aurelia's brother (or possibly cousin) Gaius Aurelius Cotta. He was a famous orator. Caesar later claimed to be descendant of Rome's fourth King Ancus Marcius and the Goddess Venus.

In 91 BC Sextus Julius Caesar is consul. He was most likely the older brother of Caesar's father. Next year in 90 BC another relative (possibly a great uncle) Lucius Julius Caesar was consul when some Italian cities forced Rome to grant them citizenship in the after the Social War. His law, the "Lex Julia", gave citizenship to every peaceful Italian south of the Po river. This war and its various command positions led to the civil war and unrest of 88-82 BC. At this time little Julius is tutored by the Alexandrian educated grammarian and rhetorican Marcus Antonius Gnipho.

After the Social War the consul-elect was Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He was a great general and was to be given an eastern war command. However his old commander Gaius Marius stole it, at swordpoint. So Sulla marched his army on Rome and drove out Marius and his supporters. The tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus was killed. Sulla is the first Roman general to act against the state in this way, and set a dangerous and often repeated sentiment. In 87 BC he left for the east to fight the war against Mithridates VI of Pontus and stayed in the east until 83 BC. Also in 87 BC Marius returned from Africa and joined up with the exiled consul Lucius Cornelius Cinna. They retook Rome with an army of freed slaves from Tuscany after first sacking the port city of Ostia. Marius was made consul again, for a 7th time, along with Cinna. As part of the purge of their enemies the consuls nominated young Julius Caesar as the Priest of Jupiter or "Flamen Dialis" to replace Lucius Cornelius Merula who had commited suicide. Marius was now about 70 years old and certainly suffering from a mild case of insanity, possibly Alzheimer's disease. He died on January 13, 86 BC the seventeenth day of his seventh consulship. Caesar may have been nominated Flamen Dialis in 84 when he was old enough. The historians Plutarch and Suetonius seem to imply that he never held the post, but actively petitioned to get it. The Flamen Dialis couldn't even touch metal or ride a horse, but was still a high honor for a boy of 15.

Caesar's father died at Pisa while on military duty in 85/84 BC (in Caesar's 16th year, so he was 15 at this time). He had not been a Consul yet but had been a Praetor and now likely part of the revolutionary government. After his death the young Caesar and his mother likely lived with Gaius Aurelius Cotta, although they did still have a house in the Suburba district of Rome. Caesar then (likely in 84 BC) broke a marriage engagement with the rich Cossituia and married Cornelia, daughter of the consul Cinna. Cinna was killed this year. Cossituia seems to have been the choice of Caesar's late father. Caesar loved Cornelia dearly and she had a large and useful dowry. Since she was also a patrician she was someone a Flamen Dialis nominee could marry.

When Sulla returned from the east marched on Rome again. He won this civil war on November 1, 82 BC at battle of the Colline Gate at Rome. The next day he convened the Senate in the Campus Martius so that he would not lose his imperium (power to command) by crossing the Pomerium boundary of the city. He addressed the senators while his soldiers executed the remainder of the defeated Marian army. His power was made perfectly clear. Sulla soon became the first state sanctioned Dictator that ignored the traditional usage and circumstances of that ancient office. He was able to do this because in December both consuls were dead and the interrexes (substitute consuls for 5 days at a time) could be easily bullied into passing laws. Lucius Valerius Flaccus, the other consul when Caesar was born, passed a law (lex Valeria) that allowed Sulla to be elected Dictator to "draw up laws and ordering of the state". To the victor went the spoils and it meant changing everything. Sulla was given extraordinary powers covering justice, military, and government.

In December 82 BC or January 81 BC Sulla ordered Caesar to divorce his wife. He bravely refused. Sulla then proscribed him confiscating Cornelia's dowry, and blocked any chance of his gaining the post of Flamen Dialis. Caesar had to hide out in Rome and then later in the hilly Sabine countryside until his uncle Gaius Aurelius Cotta and other family friends finally convinced Sulla to pardoned him. Suffering from malaria and not spending more than one night in the same place and actually having to buy off one of Sulla's agents, a Roman captian named Cornelius at the cost of 2 talents (12,000 denarii), he avoided death. Eventually Caesar was freed from pursuit and pardoned. Sulla says concerning him:

"Very well, have it your way. But be warned, in this man I see many Mariuses."

In 81 BC Caesar was more grown up and now realizing this was a soldiers era, not one of a priest, he left Italy to join the army in the province of Asia (western Turkey, the Greek Ionia) under the propraetor Marcus Minucius Thermus. One of his duties was to bring back an squad of ships from King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia for the war against Mytilene, but he stayed with the court so long that it was rumoured that Caesar had a homosexual relationship with the king. The rumor was enhanced due to his quick return to Bithynia, suposedly to handle the business of a freedman of the king. This accusation would be a smear on Caesar for the rest of his life, his enemies always used it when they could.

As well in this year Sulla carried out his proscriptions against his enemies in Rome, and enemies of his supporters. This gave them great wealth and property. The richest to emerge was Marcus Licinius Crassus. The proscriptions effected 4,700 people, lasting to June 1.

In 80 BC Caesar participated in the siege of Mytilene where he was awarded the Civic crown (Corona Civica) for saving a Roman citizen. It is the highest award possible for any Roman. The holder of this award (an oak wreath) was allowed to sit with senators at the games. In 79 BC he served briefly in Cilicia (southeast Turkey) under proconsul Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus.

In the spring of 78 BC Sulla died of an intestinal illness, worms in the bowls. He had resigned the Dictatorship 2 years before and served as Consul again. On his monument in the Campus Martius the incription read "Sulla did more good than all his friends, and had done more bad than all his enemies." Hearing of Sulla's death Caesar returned to Rome hoping to profit in an anti-Sulla government movement which was lead by the consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Lepidus gives Caesar good promises but he wisely decided to stay out of the affair having little faith in it. The movement did collapse.

In 77 BC Caesar entered real politics the conventional way as a lawyer when he prosecuted the corrupt Gnaeus Cornelius Dollabella, the consul in 81 BC and a former lieutenant of Sulla. He had extorted money from Greek cities but was defended by he best defence lawyers of the time. Caesar lost the case but he was now seen as the new rising star. Cicero would later say, "does anyone have the ability to speak better than Caesar". Gnipho's teachings had paid off. In 76 BC he prosecuted Gaius Antonius Hybrida who had also plundered Greece. Antonius was forced to bribe his way out of conviction by buying the veto power of the Tribunes of the Plebs.

After December 21 Caesar left for Rhodes to study oratory under the great Apollonius Molon. He needed to brush up on his public speaking abilities in order to properly climb Rome's political ladder the "Cursus Honorum." Pirates near the island of Pharmacussa (south of Miletus) captured him and was held for ransom in January or February of 75 BC. They set his price at 20 talents but Caesar demands he's worth 50 talents making it a case for the state. Held with him are his doctor and two servants. His other men go to collect the ransom money from Miletus. The time in captivity is spent writing speeches and verse and reciting it to his captors. To those that didn't like his work he threatened to kill one day. After 38 days of captivity Caesar and his men were released. Good to his word he soon returns with a hired fleet from Miletus and captures all the pirates and their money. Taking them to Pergamus Caesar travels to meet with the governor of Asia Marcus Juncus. Juncus made no decision about a punishment so Caesar himself went back to Pergamus and keeping his promise he had the pirates crucified. He cut their throats because they treated him well and it was a quicker death. Although crucifixion isn't nice Caesar abhorred cruelty. Now he continued onto Rhodes. Plutarch and Suetonius give different dates for this event, Suetonius being correct. Caesar would not be long in Rhodes.

In 74 BC using the captured treasure from the pirate affair Caesar raises an army of provincial soldiers to defeat the Prefect and vanguard of the army of Mithridates VI, who had invaded Roman territory. This was the start of the Third Mithridatic War. In this year Lucius Licinius Lucullus was consul and would later lead this war. These two acts of commanding troops by Caesar was technically illegal, but since he was aiding the state no charges were brought against him. Caesar also seems to have served on the staff of the Praetor Marcus Antonius who was charged with hunting pirates this year. After this service he returned to study at Rhodes. In 73 BC he was made a member, or "Pontifex", of the ecclesiastical college of Pontifices after the death of his cousin, Gaius Aurelius Cotta. On this news he returned across the Adriatic sea with 2 friends and 10 slaves in an open boat while trying to avoid more pirates.

Back in Rome he aids others in overthrowing Sulla's old constitution that limited the powers of the Tribunes of the Plebs. He is elected Military Tribune by the people, 1 of 24 positions. His term was likely in 72 BC. Now a Tribune and an experienced combat officer he likely had a some part in the Third Servile War against Spartacus from 73 to 71 BC. In these years we hear nearly nothing about him. In 70 BC Caesar supported a measure to grant amnesty to all that had fought in recent revolutions as his brother-in-law Lucius Cinna was one such man. Soon after Caesar is elected Quaestor, his term beginning on December 5. This more likely October/November by the later more correct Julian Calendar.

In 69 BC both Caesar's wife Cornelia and his aunt Julia (the widow of Gaius Marius) died. This gave him an extraordinary opportunity. He could see if people still were sympathetic to the memory of Marius. He even went as far as displaying Marius' image in the forum. Nobody dared do this since Sulla had seized power. It was a defining moment of his politics. In the words of Plutarch

"When some who were present had begun to raise a cry against Caesar, the people answered with loud shouts and clapping in his favor, expressing their joyful surprise and satisfaction at his having, as it were, brought up again from the grave those honors of Marius, which for so long a time had been lost to the city."

Caesar served his Quaestorship for 69 BC in Hispania Ulterior or 'Further Spain' which is today's Andalusia and Portugal. He served under the Propraetor and Governor Antistius Vetius. If Caesar didn't have a seat in the Senate before now this position gave him one, as per a law of Sulla's which survived. It was here now at the age of 31 while serving on the circuit court of the governor in the city of Gades, that Caesar saw a statue of Alexander the Great of Macedonia in the temple of Hercules. He either sighed very sadly or weeped a little. When asked why he seemed upset he says:

"Do you think I have not just cause to weep, when I consider that Alexander at my age had conquered so many nations, and I have all this time done nothing that is memorable."

One of the problems with the dating of Caesar's life is the statue incident in Spain. Plutarch and Suetonius say the same things but at different times. Suetonius said it was during his Quaestorship in 69 BC, which is correct. Plutarch mentions it in the description of Caesar's later governorship. He was a finance magistrate in 69 and he was in the Temple of Hercules in Gades (modern Cadiz) on a boring job and he was probably reading about Alexander when he saw the statue in the temple and the incident occurred. Caesar turned 31 on July 13, 69 BC, almost the same age when Alexander died at the height of his career on June 11, 323 BC.

In 67 BC Caesar married for the 2nd time to Pompeia, Sulla's granddaughter and daughter of the consul of 88 BC Quintus Pompeius Rufus. This was odd since Caesar would later ally with the son of the man who killed the father of his new wife. Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, father of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) had killed him. Now it was unimportant as Caesar supported the "Lex Gabinia", a motion proposed by the tribune Aulus Gabinius to give Pompey a special command to deal with the pirate problem once and for all. Mediterranean pirates like those that captured Caesar had run the waters freely for 30 years because they supplied slaves for Rome's aristocrats. Now in 67 BC they are annihilated in only 40 days by Pompey. Clearly Caesar made a good choice in his new wife and her family. In 66 BC Caesar supports the further grant of the "Lex Manillia" to conquer and reorganize the entire eastern Mediterranean world except for Egypt. It was Pompey's only real lasting success.

Caesar served as surveyor or Curator of the Appian Way in 67 or 66 BC. The upkeep of such an important route was a great way to be noticed by regular people and businessmen, especially since he used much of his own money for its upkeep.

Caesar was next elected Curule Aedile for 65 BC. He uses vast sums of money loaned to him by Marcus Licinius Crassus to stage games for the Roman people. Crassus always loaned new politicians vast sums of money. Caesar put on 320 single combats, 640 Gladiators with equipment decorated with silver. Laws were soon passed so no one could have that many gladiators in Rome at one time again. Caesar was probably nominated to take charge of Egypt which was in revolution and still an ally. The Optimates prevented this. In responce to this Caesar builds replicas of Marius' war monuments in the forum. They were put up at night so the surprise would be public and it was. This outraged the Optimates with one saying that Caesar was "using battering rams" against the state. However he was so popular that they couldn't touch him when he appologized to the senate. He also earned the scorn of his co-Aedile Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus who said that Caesar received all the glory for "their" accomplishments. In 64 BC a relative Lucius Julius Caesar is Consul, most likely the son of the Consul of 90 BC.

In 63 BC Caesar's debts were enormous but still further bribed his way to be elected "Pontifex Maximus" when the current chief priest Caecilius Metellus Pius died. He ran against Servilius Isauricus, consul of 79 and Quintus Lutatius Catulus, consul of 78. On the day of the election Caesar's mother gave him a good luck kiss. He said to her: "My mother, today you will see me either high priest or an exile". He wins the election and it gave him the highest religious power, such as being responsible for the calendar. Later he was elected as a Praetor for 62BC.

63 BC was the year the Republic was rocked by the Catiline conspiracy, the idea to overthrow the corrupting republic by armed force. Lucius Sergius Catilina, a consul candidate for 63 and 62 BC led it. In this year Marcus Tullius Cicero was consul. Catiline wanted to be elected without bribery, impossible at this time. Cicero was kept well informed of the plot but it was not critical until late September. After the consular elections for 62 BC around July, Crassus was delivered an anonymous letter that told him to leave the city. He gave the letter to Cicero, exposing a plot against all government leaders. The massacre of Cicero and others never happened and the writer of the letter was never found.

Meanwhile, on September 23 on the east end of the Palatine hill the future emperor Augustus is born. His birth name is Gaius Octavius. A shrine was later put there. His mother is Atia, daughter of Caesar's sister Julia and therefore Caesar's great-nephew. He is given the cognomen Thurinus as a child, and later by Mark Antony as an insult, so he would himself never use this name. His father also called Gaius Octavius and was a Praetor from Velitrae and served as governor of Macedonia. He dies in 58 BC at his home in Nola when his son is only 4. If he had lived longer he would certainly have been consul and a helpfull ally to Caesar.

Cicero was convinced that Catiline was behind the plot but many senators disbelieved it. Some thought it was all Cicero's idea. In fact anti-government protest was growing due to the failure of small farms in Etruria. They couldn't compete with huge slave operated estates or 'latifunda' owned by aristocrats. Former Sullan army members were gathering arms. News reached Rome that revolt would begin on October 27. On October 21 Cicero denounced Catiline as a traitor of the state and got a declaration of martial law passed. Catiline fled Rome by November 8 after an attempt on Cicero's life failed the day before. He joined the soldiers in Etruria. In late November Catiline's supporters in Rome approached the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe from Gallia Narbonensis for military support. The tribesmen revealed the plot to their patron Fabius Sanga. He told Cicero and now the consul used the tribesmen to get the conspirators to send documents to them. On the night of December 3 as the tribal leaders were leaving Rome they were stopped and a conspirator was among them. Documents were seized proving the conspiracy beyond any doubt. Other members were then arrested. On December 5 the Senate met to decide their fate. The first suggestion is of course death. But when Caesar speaks he proposes the unheard of penalty of life imprisonment. This could indicate that Caesar was previously involved in the conspiracy, and was hoping for the future pardon of the guilty. The idea holds up until Marcus Porcius Cato, soon to be Tribune of the Plebs (he would enter office 5 days later) and great-grandson of the man who demanded the destruction of Carthage in his speeches (Cato the Elder), convinced the senate that the death penalty should be upheld. The motion carries and the conspirators are taken to the Mammertine prison and strangled that night. So ended the political problem. Catiline and his allies are defeated while trying to reach Gaul in January of 62. So it all ended. It is quite possible that both Caesar and Crassus were implicated in this plot but they seemed to gave up the conspiracy early since it was Crassus who gave the first real alert to Cicero.

In 62 BC Caesar served his term as Praetor, a kind of vice-consul and judge. Caesar on the first day of his praetorship asked for an account to be given to the people on the cost of restoring the Capitol. He was unsuccessful. Later he was removed from office when he was involved with Caecilius Metellus Nepos. Nepos supported Pompey who was about to return to Rome from the east. Caesar also supported Pompey. Nepos wanted Pompey to land in Italy to "restore order" which means become dictator like Sulla did. In the uproar martial law was passed again and so Caesar was suspended as Praetor. He relented his position and was allowed to return to duty. Nepos now fled to Pompey.

On December 3, 62 BC the scandal of the century occurred in Caesar's own house at the Bona Dea festival, an event held annually by the wife of the Pontifex Maximus. At the women only event Publius Clodius Pulcher, the son of Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul of 79 BC) was said to be dressed as a woman in Caesar's house. Word leaked out and the ensuing scandal roared like fire. It seems that Pompeia was involved and Caesar wisely stayed out of site. Cicero took interest and prosecuted Clodius the next year unsuccessfully due to bribery. Clodius would wait for his revenge on Cicero. It seems that he did invade the house and Caesar's mother Aurelia seems to have been the one who spotted him. He was dressed as a harp player. He either wanted to 'visit' Pompeia, or perhaps one of the six Vestal Virgins.

At the same time (mid-December 62) Pompey landed in Brundisium and disbanded most of his army. Crassus had fled the city but soon returned to oppose Pompey. Pompey didn't want to side with any extreme groups in the senate, he just wanted to rule as dictator but in no reign of terror. He was not to have help since Caesar was about to leave Rome who by now had divorced Pompeia. He didn't hate her but his mother and sister and he himself had to testify at Clodius' trial. Caesar gave no damning evidence against Clodius, which seemed odd for a man who divorced his wife over this. What Caesar did say about his divorce:

"Because I maintain that the members of my family should be free from suspicion, as well as from accusation."

In 61 BC Caesar served as Proconsul (governor) in his old province of Further Spain. His Quaestor was Antistius Vetius, the son of Caesar's own old governor of 69 BC. Before he left Rome, actually fleeing before ratification of his new office passed, he got Crassus to pay off a quarter of his debts since Caesar now had no armed troops. The amount was 830 talents. Caesar was in debt about 20 million Dinarii (3320 talents). He reached the Rhone in only 8 days on horseback. Later when he is passing through a barbarian village where the people are wretched, his companions make fun of the villages but Caesar replies to them:

"For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome."

For most of 61 and the start of 60 BC he was governor and led very successful military campaigns against the tribes of Calaici and Lusitani and conquered them. He advanced as far as the Atlantic Ocean and subdued tribes in the northwest which never before had been subject to the Romans. The booty from these victories (the silver mines) paid off all of Caesar's debts and made him and his soldiers rich and left an amount for the treasury in Rome. His men hailed him as "Imperator". He also helped secure peace on the Gallic border on his trip back. The experience gained in Spain was the shades of what Gaul was destined for.

In 60 BC Caesar wanted to run for the consulship and hold a triumph. To do this he faced problems. He left Spain too early, even before his replacement had arrived. All commanders must wait outside the city of Rome for the Senate's answer to hold a triumph. However to stand for the consulship he must be in the city. Most triumphs took place in autumn or later after the elections. Pompey's triumph for his eastern campaigns took place on September 28-29, 61 BC his 45th birthday. The election for Consuls of 59 BC took place in late July or August 60 BC. Caesar realized that running for the consulship would benefit him better. Pompey had wasted the last 2 1/2 years trying to lobby the senate for land for his troops, partly due to Crassus. Running for the consulship was the better idea. Caesar easily won the election, partly by siding with a former candidate and new friend Lucius Lucceius, but mostly from the support of Pompey and Crassus. Pompey owed Caesar this support and and he could use him. The patching up of differences between Crassus and Pompey before the election was one of Caesar's great political achievements. This was not a legal pact to run the government but more a coalition of influence to force actions by the state in a legal way. It was done mostly through bribery and threat of violence. Caesar being consul in 59 made it a reality.

The pact formed in June or July and sealed in December of 60 BC was to be known for all time as the "First Triumvirate".

Still Marcus Porcius Cato and the rest of the Optimates did all they could to secure the second consulship for Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, Caesar's former co-Aedile and now the new Optimate front man. Luckily for them they were able to choose the military duties for the next year. The consuls-elect were given the forests and cattle trails in Italy as their province known as "Calles Silvaeque Italiae". This was meant to keep Caesar away from military ability to threaten the senate.

On January 1, 59 BC Gaius Julius Caesar at 40 entered office as Consul of the republic of Rome. He was 2 years younger than was normally allowed leading to confusion of his age. It appears that this problem was overlooked early on, each office he had was 2 years in advance of the traditional legal age. It seems that since Caesar was a Civic crown winner he was allowed this. This may be why no special measure was passed to allow Caesar to hold offices early, which certainly would have been mentioned.

Both Plutarch and Suetonius say that Caesar died "in" his 56th year. On July 13, 44 BC he would have turned 56, thus completing 56 years of life. Since the Romans almost always counted like this, he was born in 100 BC with absolute certainty!

The year of 59 BC was the year that anyone who opposed Caesar realized that they would not be around long. Above all else it was the consul Bibulus who suffered. Although he was consul for the Optimates the real leader was still Marcus Porcius Cato, the ultra-conservative.

As consul Caesar's first act was to pass a law that called for the records of all debates and procedures of the government to be published. His next act was to bring forward the agrarian bill that Pompey wanted for his soldiers. In this law he carefully developed it so the senate couldn't oppose it. He did this by offering debate and said he would delete any disliked part. The bill would not upset land in Campania but restore wasteland in Italy. Also Caesar could not benefit himself from this bill. As well it would put homeless people from the city streets on farms where they wouldn't riot. Still Cato opposed it simply because it was Caesar's idea. Eventually he lost patience and had Cato arrested, illegaly. The senate however would often meet near his prison so Cato could take part in debates. Disgruntled Caesar released him and went straight to the people.

In the forum Caesar asked for Bibulus to speak his opinion on the bill. He had nothing to offer and Caesar then forces him to speak to the people. Bibulus says: "You won't get this law this year, not even if you all want it". Caesar then led Pompey and Crassus to the rostra. Pompey words of support made clear what was happening. Even more was that Crassus spoke in favor of the bill. Bibulus tried to stop the vote by proclaming bad omens and holidays. Caesar went ahead with the voting. The optimates and Bibulus went to the temple of Castor to stop him. When Bibulus tried to veto the vote, the crowd threw a basket of dung on his head and smashed the rods of his lictors. The optimates were driven away and the law passed. The day after Bibulus tried to have martial law declared. He failed to get support. In fact the optimates were forced to uphold the law. A victory for Caesar but achieved through mob violence. Bibulus retired to his house in disgrace so Caesar was practically sole Consul. The people joked of reffering to the year as that of "Julius and Caesar". Later in the year another law was passed because there wasn't enough available land. The new lands were in Campania.

After the land settlement fiasco, which was in March, Caesar brought no more measures to the senate for their approval. His proposals went straight to the People's Assembly and that was that. The Senate never had its own legal power at any time but its wishes were so influential that most men did what it wanted. Only the Peoples Assembly could 'pass' the laws. Pompey's eastern settlements and Crassus' tax proposals were passed by the people. Caesar also enacted laws that made sure that provincial governors were more responsible with their duties.

Caesar also secured his future in late March or so. With the support of the Tribune Publius Vatinius he was given the "Proconsulship" of Cisalpine Gaul (north of the Rubicon river) and Illyricum (north-east Adriatic coast) for five years. It was called the "Lex Vatinia". Next month in April the Proconsul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, Consul of 60 BC and now governor of Transalpine Gaul or "Gallia Narbonensis" (southern France) also died. Caesar was allotted this province too. The term was to run until March 1, 54 BC, February 28 was to be his last day.

Caesar now solidified his alliance with Pompey by marrying him to his daughter Julia in May. Pompey was older than his new wife's father by six years. Pompey was 46, she was probably 24! Never the less they did love each other. Julia would later die in childbirth in 54 BC. Caesar also got himself a new wife Calpurnia, the daughter of a leading popular party member Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. He would replace Caesar as consul in 58 BC. Caesar would stay married to Calpurnia for the rest of his life but would not stay faithfull to her at all. One reason was that Calpurnia was barren. It is said Caesar seduced Pompey's earlier wife Mucia, and Crassus' wife Tertulla.

Here we can imagine Caesar the man. Many times this is overlooked in the long list of the deeds of Caesar. He was a small man by modern standards, only about 5'7". He was slightly built but kept in shape. He had dark brown eyes and soft and white skin. He kept his face clean-shaven throughout his life. He was balding prematurely and was sensitive when people commented about it. He liked to wear a tunic with a fringed sleeve. He suffered from headaches and nightmares, but his most serious illness was epilepsy, known then as the "falling sickness." However Caesar was a remarkably healthy and energetic man. The main reason for this was that he drank very little wine and was not drunk all the time which can account for his successes. He could think clearly when necessary. Caesar was also a self-serving man. He used opportunies to the fullest. Such self-confidence and charisma made Caesar a natural leader.

So then continued 59 BC. Caesar had his support, power, future, and popularity. But as soon as he left office on December 29 (December had only 29 days at this time) the Senate would want his head, until he got to his provinces.