Gaius Julius Caesar the Elder
Encyclopedia
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman senator, supporter and brother-in-law of Gaius Marius
, and father of Julius Caesar
, the later dictator
of Rome
.
Caesar was married to Aurelia Cotta
, a member of the Aurelii and Rutilii families, and had two daughters, both named Julia
as was common in Rome, and a son, Julius Caesar
, born in 100 BC. He was the brother of Sextus Julius Caesar
, consul in 91 BC and the son of Gaius Julius Caesar
.
Caesar's progress through the cursus honorum
is well known, although the specific dates associated with his offices are controversial. According to two elogia erected in Rome long after his death, Caesar was a commissioner in the colony at Cercina
, military tribune
, quaestor
, praetor
, and proconsul
of Asia. The dates of these offices are unclear. The colony is probably one of Marius' of 103 BC. Broughton dated the praetorship to 92 BC, with the quaestorship falling towards the beginning of the 90s. Brennan has dated the praetorship to the beginning of the decade.
Caesar died suddenly in 85 BC, in Rome, while putting on his shoes one morning. Another Caesar, possibly his father
, had died similarly in Pisa
. His father had seen to his education by one of the best orators of Rome, Marcus Antonius Gnipho
. In his will, he left Caesar the bulk of his estate, but after Marius's faction had been defeated in the civil war of the 80s BC, this inheritance was confiscated by the dictator Sulla
.
In 2007, he was portrayed by Will Thorp
in the Doctor Who
audio adventure 100
.
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
, and father of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, the later dictator
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
of Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
Caesar was married to Aurelia Cotta
Aurelia Cotta
Aurelia Cotta or Aurelia was the mother of Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar .-Family:...
, a member of the Aurelii and Rutilii families, and had two daughters, both named Julia
Julia Caesaris (sister of Julius Caesar)
Julia is the name of two daughters of praetor Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia Cotta, the parents of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar. The sisters were born and raised in Rome....
as was common in Rome, and a son, Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, born in 100 BC. He was the brother of Sextus Julius Caesar
Sextus Julius Caesar
Sextus Julius Caesar was the name of several men of the Julii Caesares family in ancient Rome.-Sextus Julius Caesar I:Lived circa 200 BC. Son of Lucius Julius Caesar I and grandson of Numerius Julius Caesar. Sextus was a military tribune under Lucius Aemilius Paullus, as well as a governor of Liguria...
, consul in 91 BC and the son of Gaius Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar II
Gaius Julius Caesar II, son of Gaius Julius Caesar I, married to Marcia, sister of the consul Quintus Marcius Rex. He was the father of Gaius Julius Caesar III, Sextus Julius Caesar III and Julia Caesaris, wife of Gaius Marius...
.
Caesar's progress through the cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
is well known, although the specific dates associated with his offices are controversial. According to two elogia erected in Rome long after his death, Caesar was a commissioner in the colony at Cercina
Cercina
Cercina is a frazione of the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, in the province of Florence, central Italy, located on the slopes of Mount Morello....
, military tribune
Military tribune
A military tribune was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion...
, quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
, praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
, and proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of Asia. The dates of these offices are unclear. The colony is probably one of Marius' of 103 BC. Broughton dated the praetorship to 92 BC, with the quaestorship falling towards the beginning of the 90s. Brennan has dated the praetorship to the beginning of the decade.
Caesar died suddenly in 85 BC, in Rome, while putting on his shoes one morning. Another Caesar, possibly his father
Gaius Julius Caesar II
Gaius Julius Caesar II, son of Gaius Julius Caesar I, married to Marcia, sister of the consul Quintus Marcius Rex. He was the father of Gaius Julius Caesar III, Sextus Julius Caesar III and Julia Caesaris, wife of Gaius Marius...
, had died similarly in Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
. His father had seen to his education by one of the best orators of Rome, Marcus Antonius Gnipho
Marcus Antonius Gnipho
Marcus Antonius Gnipho was a grammarian and teacher of rhetoric of Gaulish origin who taught in ancient Rome.Born in Gaul, he was exposed as a child, but was found, and grew up a slave...
. In his will, he left Caesar the bulk of his estate, but after Marius's faction had been defeated in the civil war of the 80s BC, this inheritance was confiscated by the dictator Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
.
In 2007, he was portrayed by Will Thorp
Will Thorp
Will Thorp is an English actor.-Early life:Living in Frome as a youngster, Thorp attended a Catholic college in near-by Trowbridge, Wiltshire. He studied at Bath College and joined Musical Youth Theatre Company at an early age. Thorp was also a member of the National Youth Theatre...
in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio adventure 100
100 (Doctor Who audio)
100 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. As the 100th release, it is made of four one-part stories, by different authors, rather than the usual multi-part serial...
.