Did Julius Caesar think that he could grab power, reform government and society and then step back from public life the way Sulla had done?

The Optimates had killed senior leaders before, e.g., the Gracchi brothers. How did Julius Caesar miss the coming push back from the Optimates?

Did the fact that Julius Caesar did not put out proscription lists in the manner of Sulla mean that he didn't have the power to do it? Or was it an attempt to heal social divisions? In either case, did the Optimates see this as a sign of weakness?

Hi Simon, A YouTube channel called Invicta recently explored an alternate history where Ceaser survived the assassination attempt on the Ides of march. their hypothesis was that his next campaign would take him to Dacia and after that, Parthia to avenge Crassus. In your opinion, do you think he would of been met with success against both enemies? And how different would it of been to fight against the Parthians compared to his previous adversaries?

So I asked this here last year but slipped away unanswered.

I was reading into the battle of Alesia and read that the Averni tribe fought against the Romans there. After Julius Caesar and co. won they allowed the Averni to keep their Independence. Considering they defied Rome I've always wondered why that had happened?

Hi! Thanks for coming. Caesar is very well known for his self-aggrandizement, but how accurate was he as a reporter? Are his accounts of the Gallic Wars trustworthy sources in general? Can they be corroborated by other sources?

In popular culture, Roman soldiers tend to be distinguished by their uniformity in terms of weapons, armour and clothing (ok, fine, I'm mostly thinking Asterix but I believe it holds true across representations...)

How far does this uniformity represent reality in Caesar's time? Would Roman soldiers of the same legion or army really be dressed and equipped so similarly? How much did uniforms change across cultural/geographical contexts within the empire?

Hypothetical question here, how different would the Roman Empire have turned out if he was not assassinated?

I read a recent article a few years back that claimed archeological evidence shows that Caesar's invasions of Britain had a greater impact than previously thought. That he had set up defeated Gallic warchiefs as client Kings along the South Coast.

Are you able to elaborate on any of this evidence or any further details on this client kingdoms?

Did Julius Caesar realistically have a good chance in defeating the Parthian empire if he had not been assassinated?

What are some some unknown facts about Caesar most people don't know about?

Do you think that Julius Caesar after his all history-changing battles, all of his accomplishments and his relevance in the history of humanity, would had gotten pissed off with us for using his name just to name a salad?

Jokes aside, the actual question is: did he actually say the phrase: "Also you, bruto?" When he was killed? Did Brutus show remorse for what he did?

Another question: To my small understanding one reason for the victory against the Gauls and others, was that Roman infantry fighting tightly packed, which was a great advantage in combat. Was this Julius Caesar idea or Roman legions were fighting like that before him?

I have some questions.

1. Why Gaul hadn't rebelled after Caesar's death and during the subsequent chaos. Was it so devastated or was it because structures of power built by Caesar were so stable?
2. What do we know about Caesar's law on governing provinces? Did he abide to it himself while acting as governor of Illiria and two Gallic provinces?
3. Why did Caesar send most of his army away when in Egypt?
4. Lastly, this relates as much to Caesar and to other late Republican generals - how did Caesar (or Pompey, Octavian, Marc Antony etc.) was able to raise and then support for many years armies which totaled tens of thousands of enlisted men, let alone massive supporting infrastructure? Even the Empire, which had massive resources from most vast territories and could mobilize them in a centralized manner, usually struggled to support the army. And that Imperial army was often smaller than combined armies of various competing late Republican politicians. This is boggling me for some time.

Thanks for the fascinating AMA! Caesar definitely seems like a pretty ambitious man even in his youth. How true is the story about hunting down the pirates who kidnapped him?

And if I may ask a second, just how important was Mark Anthony, or some of Caesar's other seconds, in his earlier victories in Gaul or Britain?

Do we have any evidence of Caesar's martial ability? We know he was a fantastic leader and tactician, but I have never heard a word on his ability as a soldier. Surely he had to pick up a sword and poke at the enemy with it at some point in his military career.

Is it true that Senators locked up their wives when Caesar was present?

I never understood the real reason Julius Cesar left Cleopatra? Was it because she remarried her younger brother and had him and her sister killed and did Calpurnia know he had a kid with Cleopatra? Soo many questions.

Everything I've read suggests that Caesar's interactions with Octavian were fairly limited over the years. Is that accurate? If so, what do we know about why Caesar chose to posthumously adopt him and declare him his heir?

Bit of an obscure question; but as far as I've understood Caesar had a travelling military mint with him on his conquests.

How did the logistics of this work and do we have any evidence on this outside of numismatic evidence?

Hello there, grateful for the opportunity to ask this.

Is there any evidence of Julius Caesar serving in the Third Serville War as depicted in television programs such as Spartacus: War of the Damned?

Im doing a paper on Caesar, and how he was a rebel in Rome. Besides the civil war, and mostly focusing on his reforms and changes, would you agree?

Apologies in advance for asking a counter factual. If Caesar had gotten his war with the Parthians, how would you see that panning out? Do you think his lifetime reign as dictator would just be endless expansion?

Hello Dr Elliot! My question pertains to the rumors of Caesar serving as a lover to the King of Bythinia, potentially to secure his fleet for a Roman mission. Though he fiercely denied the rumors, is there any evidence to suggest that he did or did not have a romantic fling with the Bythinian King?

Hi Dr. Elliott!

What do you make of Caesar's policy of clemency towards the senate. Romans were not known for showing leniency, and it was often seen as a point of weakness. Caesar surely knew this, and knew as a representative of the populares, and a leader seeking reform and concession from the optimates, that he would have a kingly target on his back. Why do you think he chose forgiveness over violence?

How well-liked was Caesar among his soldiers and among the general population of Rome?

Do we know when Caesar decided to change his will to make Octavian his heir and adopt him? Also, aside from further training what did Caesar plan for Octavian next? Was a non-posthumous adoption in the works, or just a climb through the political ladder and junior partnership in a co-regency followed by eventual posthumous adoption?

How did Ancient Romans pronounce his name?

If the opportunity to invade Gaul not occurred would Caesar have gone straight to Dacia instead?

What's your opinion on Netflix's Roman Empire?

How do you pronounce Caesar: Kai-sar or Keh-sar?

Did caesar want the title of King?

Why did Caesar march on Rome instead of setting up his own kingdom in Gaul?

When looking into the history of the Gaul tribes, it’s often states that Caesar respected (or feared) them the most out of any of his enemies. Why was that?

I recall hearing that when Caesar was presented with Pompey's head, he was distraught and upset. I've heard a few theories:

• Caesar was upset because he wanted Pompey's submission, not his death. This would have eased his transition into power as he could have shown mercy.

• Caesar was upset because he wanted to be able to execute Pompey himself, and was now robbed of that opportunity.

• Caesar was genuinely mourning Pompey, and was always hoping to prevent his death.

Is one of these more likely / more supported by historical record? If the answer is "no" and it remains unconfirmed, which of these do you believe is most likely based on your knowledge of Caesar's character?

Thank you :)

Did you see the HBO series Rome? What did you think of it?

The ROT-13 cipher is called the Caesar Cipher, as lore has that he invented it. Do you know the origin story or the use of the Cipher during any important political or military campaigns, during Caesar's time?

I heard that before be died, Caesar planned to lead a campaign that would go through the Caucasus and circumnavigate the black sea - is this the case?

Please forgive my ignorance, what does Sea Eagles of Empire refer to?

Are there any interesting dog facts about him or his reign?

What, if any, relics do we still have possession of that belong to Caesar himself? It'd be fascinating to see the armour he wore in battle, or the books he read at home, but something tells me it's all been destroyed/lost over the 2000 some years. :(

What do you make of Caesar’s interactions with Ptolemy XII? Was Ptolemy a mere pawn for him?

Did Caesar had any interest in philosophy? In the fictional book The ides of March he is shown as having a great interest in philosophy, discussing the existence of gods, the existence of the soul, the problem of mortality, etc. Do we have any evidence about that?

I'm studying Caesar's Civil War and I was interested in the unauthorized Gallic expeditions that spurred on the war. How was he able to perform that expedition despite lack of the senate's approval?

I feel like I can learn the answers to my questions in your books, where can I find them?

What did Caesar think of Leibinus after his betrayal on him?

Great point about Caesar intending to take on the Parthians. My question is - did Caesar ever fight against skilled horse archers or cavalry in his battles? If so - whom and when? My understanding is that his campaigns in Iberia, Gaul, Germania and Italy would not have brought him in contact with such forces.

I watched the tv show spartacus a while ago, and they depicted julius ceasar as someone who would infiltrate the ranks of rebel slaves and was a master of hand to hand combat. How accurate is this? Was ceasar actually a fighter?

Did Caesar's relationship with Mark Anthony really deteriorate due to his alleged missmanagement of Italian politics during the dinast's absence? I get opposite impressions from Geltz's and Seyme's approaches.

Hi. How many times was caesar stabbed?

How long would the Roman Republic have held together without a Ceaser? Or, put another way, was the fall of the Roman republic inevitable or was Ceaser just super talented?

What do you think the impact of being pontifex maximus was on Caesar's career? Also might it have anything to do with Sulla and his previous removal from the priesthood?

Another question I’d like to ask is what historians such as yourself make of media portrayals or Caesar in movies such as Cleopatra (1963) or video games like Assassin’s Creed Origins? Do you believe that such depictions are fairly accurate or do you believe that there were areas they could have improved?

Hi Dr. Elliott, I have an odd question that's been rolling around in my head for a while. If someone blended the fall of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire with the Star Wars version, where do you think Caesar would fall? Would he be closer to like an Anakin character? A Darth Vader? Palpatine? Or none at all, and Caesar is too singular an individual?

I know it's an odd question. Thank you for the book recommendations!

A seemingly trifling question, but I've read that Caesar had taken to wearing boots similar to what the kings had worn, long and red, and that his opponents used this to claim he wanted to elevate himself to king, the boots being a prime example. We know Caesar was an excellent statesman, so why wear the boots, or why didn't he wear a different color of boots?

I'm in no way well versed in History, but i heard that Roman emperors all had two lovers "assigned" to them, a woman and a man. I also heard Julius Caesar was the first, if not the only one to opt for a woman lover only.

Is this real? Is it just misinformation? If it is real, why exactly did he do that?

I'm going to take advantage of the second A in AMA and ask about Septimius Severus - I often see his reign described as more of a military dictatorship in comparison with the reigns of previous emperors, although I don't understand the extent to which this is true. It seems like Augustus was as much a military dictator as any of them. Was life more restrictive or harsh under Severus, or was he not especially different from other emperors in this regard?

Just wanted to thank you for the interesting ama i took a class on the Roman Empire and for my final paper may have accidentally written just about Julius and Augustus Caesar and didn’t have the space for the too much of the rest of the empire but still got a B. They were just too damn interesting to not write about even though his only negative comment was that it shouldn’t have been about the republic oh well. Only question about Caesar that i wanted to clarify from the class was about how he choose who his theoretical successor was going to be?

Hey thanks for doinge this i am a VERY big fan of Caesar my question is: Do you honestly think Caesar would have declared himself king? Or he would just be content with beinge king in basically all but name i personally think he would have tested it more like he most likely did during the final months of his life if he saw that the romans would never accept it probably just not go to the trouble of risking another civil war or else if it did make the senate that the majority of which was filled with caesar's supporters declare him king problary not Rex but like Domius or like his grand nephew princeps "First Citizen" thank you for your time.