To what extent have the interpretations and images of Julius Caesar changed over times?
The interpretations and images of Julius Caesar have changed dramatically over time.
In Ancient times, Caesar was regarded as a powerful, important man who affected the Roman way of life positively. Caesar was viewed as an outstanding soldier and military leader who was ambitious for glory. Caesar had many supporters who regarded Caesar as a a highly intelligent and cultural man. However, Caesar had a range of enemies in the form of the senate and optimates which influenced the ancient images and interpretations of Caesar. Despite this, even Caesar’s enemies regarded the positive aspects of Caesar’s character. Cicero himself, who was highly suspicious of Caesar’s actions and motives since time of First Triumvirate and criticised Caesar’s lack of future plans for Rome admired Caesar’s literary works, stating that Caesar was ‘cleanly, directly and gracefully composed”. Ancient images and interpretations of Caesar are also often biased and sensationalised such as that of Sallust who was a friend and supporter of Caesar, meaning that most of his writings are inaccurate and display personal bias. A similar case is seen in that of Suetonius’ (born 70 AD) accounts of Caesar, who focussed on the negative aspects of Caesar’s image “Not only did he accept excessive honours but took others which as a mere mortal he should have refused”.
During the middle ages, Caesar was interpreted to be the first emperor and the founder of the monarchy. It was during this time that Caesar’s image was further sensationalised, with the supreme power in the west taking its name Kaiser from Caesar’s. It was during the renaissance period that the interpretation and images of Caesar began to change. During this period, Caesar’s personality and ‘mind behind the name’ were discovered, with society regarding Caesar as “the important writer, the great organiser” (Christian Meier), with society even crediting Caesar with reconstituting Rome after its long lasting crisis. Caesar’s image was now often associated with his capabilities as a strategist and military leader.
The Century of enlightenment and the French revolution saw the interpretations