Biography of Julius Caesar

There had never before been such a grand procession through Rome as the one to celebrate the military victories of Julius Caesar. The senate had decreed the celebrations would last forty days and all together there would be four processions of triumph - one each for Caesar's victories in Gaul, Spain, Asia, and Africa. On the first day of triumph the streets were garlanded with flowers and throughout the city altars were ablaze with incense. At the front of the parade were the city officials, followed by dozens of trumpeters. Then came the chariots loaded down with treasures taken from Gaul. Behind them came men bearing signs that listed the names of all the nations and towns Caesar had conquered. Behind these were the paintings, which portrayed the battles and notable events in the war. The priests followed next, with the animals that were to be sacrificed to the Roman gods. There were human sacrifices too - kings and chieftains Caesar had captured. Towards the end of the parade came the musicians, followed by an honor guard - and then - standing proud in his chariot came Caesar himself. Behind him marched his loyal soldiers.

A few days later came the second procession, in honor of Caesar's victories in Egypt. It was much like the first except this time, one of the spectators was Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, who watched with satisfaction as her own sister, who had betrayed her, marched by in chains as a prisoner of Caesar. In the days that followed there were two more processions, just as elaborate as the others. Then the other festivities began - a public banquet for the poor in which Caesar gave 20,000 people cash and gifts; a ceremony in which Caesar awarded his soldiers land, promotions, and cash bonuses; sporting and theatrical events in the stadium, including a hunt that featured 400 lions; and a mock naval battle on an artificial lake. So many people flocked to these events that visitors were camped out in tents all over the streets and roads, and the crush of people was so great that many, including two senators, were crushed to death.

It was Caesar's greatest moment of glory, a moment he had envisioned and fought for over twenty years. There would never be another moment like it, for only a year later some of the very people who joined in the celebrations that day would conspire to murder him. After his death Caesar became a legend of such gigantic proportions that he seems superhuman. He was, in fact, very human and even fallible. But he was also one of the most brilliant military leaders in history, a gifted orator and writer, a man of astounding energy and confidence, a skilled and generous ruler, and the man who almost single handedly transformed Rome from a small, powerful republic into the beginnings of a world empire.

The early life of Julius Caesar showed almost no sign of his exceptional capabilities and future. He was almost middle-aged before he showed any direction or ambition and the bulk of his career is condensed into the last two decades of his life.