7 myths about Julius Caesar that you shouldn't believe

Myth 1. Caesar was born by caesarean section

Some people are convinced that the name of the operation "caesarean section" is associated with the name of the great commander. Allegedly, his mother, Aurelius Cotta, could not give birth herself, and the future dictator and pontiff of Rome was surgically removed from her womb. But this is not true.

Romans really practicedThe Truth About Julius Caesar and Caesarean Sections / TIFO such operations, and they learned this about 700 years before the birth of Caesar. But they resorted to them only when a woman died during childbirth and it was necessary to save at least a child.

Until the 19th century, it was impossible to carry out a caesarean section, saving the life of both the mother and the child, due to unsanitary conditions and imperfect medicine.

Aurelius, on the other hand, successfully underwent natural childbirth three times and first gave birth to a daughter, Julia the Elder, then the future ruler Julius Caesar, and even later, Julia the Younger. Yes, the Romans did not have equality, therefore girls they did not give proper names, only genus names and a serial number: Prima, Secunda, Tertia, and so on.

The word "Caesar" assumptionH. T. Riley, J. Bostock, The Elder Pliny. The Natural History of Pliny Pliny the Elder, indeed has a connection with the verb caedere ("to cut"). Perhaps one of the ancestors of Gaius Julius was actually born by caesarean section and he got such a nickname.

But it is also likely that the commander received his name in mockery, due to the fact that bald: caesaries means "lush curls". Or because his ancestors were engaged in the dressing of goat skins - therefore, they also cut something.

And yes, "Caesar" for the commander is not a title, but part of the name (cognomen). But after the fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in AD 68, the word transformedA. H. M. Jones. The Later Roman Empire, 284–602: A Social Economic and Administrative Survey the title that Roman emperors assumed. And then it generally spread to a variety of languages ​​- including German (Kaiser) and Russian (Tsar).

Myth 2. Caesar was a multitasking guru

When someone tries to do several things at the same time, he is often compared to Julius Caesar (sometimes ironically). It is believed that the great Roman had some incredible multitasking skills. However, this is also a myth that has no real basis.

Pliny the Elder saidT. Henry. The Natural History of Plinythat Gaius Julius had a habit of dictating the text to several scribes at once. But this can hardly be considered unambiguous evidence of a fantastic multitasking Caesar. In addition, this historian became famous for his gullibility and tendency to exaggerate.

Most likely, the commander was engaged in “multi-tasking” only when he was bored. Suetonius in passing mentionedSuetonius. Lives of the Caesars / Loeb Classical Librarythat during the gladiator fights in the circus, Julius was constantly distracted from the spectacle and answered letters.

To Caesar's entourage, such behavior seemed uncivilized. It's like sitting in a movie and texting.

Gaius Julius, on the other hand, considered fights to be boring entertainment for the plebs, although he came to circuses - this is how the dictator demonstrated how close he is to the people. And in order not to waste time, I worked directly from the box.

Myth 3. Caesar invented the famous salad

Because one of the most popular salads is called "Caesar", it occurs to some people that this is the name of the author of the recipe. So, the great commander was also a cook?

Not really. Guy Julius was a talented person and, in addition to politics and conquests, was also fond of writing, philosophy, astronomy and dramaturgy. But here cooking he still didn't work.

Apparently, he thought that it was not his rank to cook, the first consul, after all.

And the salad is really named after Caesar, just not the one everyone thinks about. Dish createdJ. F. Mariani. The Dictionary of American Food and Drink in 1924 by the Italian chef and restaurateur Caesar Cardini. Once he ran out of food - and he hastily chopped lettuce, eggs, cheese, garlic and poured oil over everything. The visitors liked it, and the dish became Cardini's calling card.

Although there are more versionHistory of Salads and Salad Dressings / What's Cooking America, what salad the chef Giacomo Junia from Chicago could have invented, and the name was given to him simply in honor of "the greatest Italian of all time." But whoever the author is, this is definitely not the same Caesar.

Myth 4. Asterix and Obelix defended Gaul from Caesar

Caesar really fought with the tribes of the Gauls - the ancestors of the French, who lived in the territory of modern France, Belgium, part of Switzerland, Germany and Northern Italy.

But Asterix and Obelix did not exist in reality and do not even have historical prototypes. These characters are taken from comicsAsterix at 50: A French Comic Hero Conquers the World / TIME René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was their writings that formed the basis of the comedy "Asterix and Obelix against Caesar" and its sequel.

Since the real Gauls did not have any superpowers and magic potions, the disciplined and well-armed Roman legionnaires conquered them in a few years.

The Gallic Wars were fought from 58 to 50 BC, and Caesar graduatedK. M. Gilliver. Caesar's Gallic Wars 58–50 BCtheir triumphant victory. However, the barbarians were not exterminated, but assimilated. Their country became a province of Rome, and the "savages" adopted the customs and way of life of the more civilized conquerors.

Caesar himself even accepted several Gauls into the Senate, and on this occasion the Romans sangSuetonius. Lives of the Caesars / Loeb Classical Library the song "Gauls took off their pants, put on senatorial togas." Pants in Rome were considered barbaric clothing, but wrapped in a sheet with a purple border, it was prestigious to walk.

Myth 5. Caesar was assassinated in the luxurious hall of the Senate

As you know, the reign of Caesar endedb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination by being stabbed to death by a group of Roman aristocrats, the nobles. The dictator concentrated all power in his hands, and even enjoyed great support from the army and the people. And the conspirators were unhappy with this situation and sought to restore the republic. Well, they decided to eliminate Gaius Julius.

In the mass consciousness, Caesar was assassinated in the luxurious hall of the Roman Senate, surrounded by statues and white marble columns. Well, or, at least, on the steps on the way to Capitol Hill.

Numerous works of art have been created to illustrate this historical event, such as paintings by Carl Theodor von Piloty, Jean-Leon Gérôme, William Holmes Sullivan, and others. The painters place the dying commander in luxurious interiors with Roman statues, columns and marble ledges dotted with rose petals.

But in fact, Caesar's death took place in much more modest conditionsSite Where Julius Caesar Was Stabbed Will Finally Open to the Public / Smithsonian Magazine. The dictator was killed not in the richly decorated huge hall of the Capitoline Senate, which is depicted by artists, but in the small semicircular extension of the Pompey Theater, where meetings were temporarily held.

The main building, the Curia Cornelia, where meetings were to be held, was destroyed in the fire. Caesar orderedb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination to build a new one - the curia of Julius, but it was completed only after his death. To imagine Roman decorations, you can see how the object looks now - not at all as presentable as one might expect from the brainchild of a great dictator. The curia of Pompeii was about the same, but it has not survived to this day.

The current Capitol, which tourists can see in Rome with their own eyes, is remakeA. La Regina. Archaeological Guide to Rome hands of Michelangelo, founded in the period from 1536 to 1538. Under Caesar architecture Rome looked somewhat more modest than the beauty that was heaped up in the Renaissance.

Myth 6. Caesar stabbed to death with writing sticks

Another legend: the conspirators killed the commander with sharp styluses. These are the metal sticks that the Romans used to write on wax tablets. This is partly logical, because the Senate building, it would seem, should be well guarded and weapons do not carry it there. But the stylus - easily.

But all ancient sources claimb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassinationthat Gaius Julius was stabbed with cold weapons - daggers.

The stylus, on the other hand, took advantageb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination Caesar himself, when one of the conspirators, Publius Servilius Casca, approached him and struck him in the chest with a blade. Dictator shoutedCasca and the Assassination of Julius Caesar / ThoughtCo something along the lines of "Scoundrel, what are you doing?", grabbed a writing instrument and stabbed the attacker's arm.

But the rest of the conspirators also drew their daggers and inflictedb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination Caesar 23 stab wounds. The second was already fatal, but the attackers decided to play it safe.

Myth 7. Caesar's last words were "And you, Brutus!"

According to legend, before his death, the wounded Caesar managed to say only “And you, Brutus!”. This happened when Gaius Julius saw that his best friend, and according to some assumptions, his illegitimate son, the people's tribune Mark Junius, was leading the conspirators. He allegedly dealt the final blow.

Caesar, having lost the will to live after such a betrayal, covered his head with a toga and steadfastly accepted death. And Mark Junius, because of his treachery, has since been compared with Judas - at the suggestion of Dante, who in his Divine Comedy thrust the poor fellow into the ninth circle of Hell, into the mouth of Satan himself.

But in fact, it was not Brutus who planned the betrayal - he only supported the coup.

To the young tribune Caesar reallyb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination well treated - because of his mother, Servilia, who was the mistress of Gaius Julius. Therefore, some historians have assumed that Brutus is the son of a dictator. And comedy films about Asterix and Obelix replicated this point of view.

But Brutus was born in 85 BC, before meeting of Caesar and Servilia, and his father was the Roman tribune Mark Junius. Yes, the Romans clearly had a fantasy problem when it came to names. Servilia met Caesar after the death of her husband, who was killed on the orders of the consul Gnaeus Pompey.

Brutus was not the head of the conspiracy to remove Caesar decidedb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination politicians Gaius Cassius Longinus and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus. Mark Junius joined them later.

Decimus lured Caesar into a trap, persuading the commander to go to a meeting of the Senate, and even had a cold-blooded dinner with him the night before the assassination. So it is precisely this figure that contemporary historians - Nicholas of Damascus, Dio Cassius, Suetonius and Appian - calledb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination the main traitor.

Brutus was made the head of the conspirators by the author of the tragedy "Julius Caesar" William Shakespeare. He misreported events, pushing Decimus to the back.

The phrase Et tu, Brute? put into the mouth of Caesar is also an English poet.

In reality, historians not sureb. Strauss. The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassinationwhether Caesar said anything at all just before his death. Most likely, the commander left this world in silence. In the end, when you are attacked by a crowd, there is no time for pathetic statements.

However, Suetonius, for example, wroteSuetonius. Lives of the Caesars / Loeb Classical Library after all, that the last words of the commander were addressed to Brutus “And you, my child!” in Greek.

But in this case, Caesar, apparently, meantTacitus. The Annals Greek proverb "And you, my child, will taste authorities». That is, he was not amazed at the betrayal of Brutus, but threatened him, predicting: “You are next, they will kill you after me!” But he didn't manage to reach an agreement.