While Julius Ceaser was campaigning in Gaul for much of the 50's BC, did he ever see his children and wife? What do generals and leaders do in regards to their family and wealth when they are gone for extended periods of time?

by daimposter
XenophonTheAthenian

Caesar's daughter was a grown woman early in 58 when he entered his province, and had married Pompey in April 59. She was no longer in his household, legally or physically, and died in September 54. There is no evidence to suggest that she ever met with her father between her marriage and her death. Caesar married Calpurnia in 59 and according to Suetonius, Plutarch, Dio, Valerius Maximus, and Velleius Paterculus was apparently staying with Caesar in March 44 while he was in the city. Beyond that we know little of her life with Caesar; their marriage was childless at the time of his death. It is possible that Caesar might have met with Calpurnia during his stays in Cisalpine Gaul or even on campaign? Sure, I guess. She's not mentioned. We're not likely to know without asking her, and she's not likely to answer.

This silence is common for women in antiquity. It's not even all that uncommon for most men. Certainly some women accompanied their husbands into their provinces. Inscriptions attest to this commonly, and notable wives like Agrippina the Elder even made names for themselves in the provinces. Tacitus at Ann., 3.33 has Caecina deliver a speech in favor of a motion to prevent wives from accompanying husbands into the provinces, stating that despite having gone on some forty campaigns and fathering six children his wife had never left Italy. The motion in Tacitus fails, but the implications are obvious. There's some work on this, mainly epigraphical, but it's difficult to generalize such things.

kd_is_a_bitchboi

In Caesar's case, he returned to Cisalpine Gaul several times during his campaigns and remained there for the winter. I don't believe there is any direct evidence that he saw his family during this time, as sources mainly say that he returned there to fulfill his duties of governor of the region and to manage his political entity in Rome given the closer proximity to the city compared to Gaul. After all, Caesar was first and foremost, a politician. It's certainly possible that his family ventured North to see him, but we ultimately can't be certain.

Source: Julius Caesar, by Philip Freeman