Synopses & Reviews
In this story of the most famous assassination in history, and#8220;the last bloody day of the [Roman] Republic has never been painted so brilliantlyand#8221; (andlt;iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt;).andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BCand#8212;the Ides of March according to the Roman calendar. He was, says author Barry Strauss, the last casualty of one civil war and the first casualty of the next civil war, which would end the Roman Republic and inaugurate the Roman Empire. and#8220;andlt;iandgt;The Death of Caesarandlt;/iandgt; provides a fresh look at a well-trodden event, with superb storytelling sure to inspire aweand#8221; (andlt;iandgt;The Philadelphia Inquirerandlt;/iandgt;).andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Why was Caesar killed? For political reasons, mainly. The conspirators wanted to return Rome to the days when the Senate ruled, but Caesar hoped to pass along his new powers to his family, especially Octavian. The principal plotters were Brutus, Cassius (both former allies of Pompey), and Decimus. The last was a leading general and close friend of Caesarand#8217;s who felt betrayed by the great man: He was the mole in Caesarand#8217;s camp. But after the assassination everything went wrong. The killers left the body in the Senate and Caesarand#8217;s allies held a public funeral. Mark Antony made a brilliant speechand#8212;not and#8220;Friends, Romans, Countrymenand#8221; as Shakespeare had it, but something inflammatory that caused a riot. The conspirators fled Rome. Brutus and Cassius raised an army in Greece but Antony and Octavian defeated them.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;An original, new perspective on an event that seems well known, andlt;iandgt;The Death of Caesar andlt;/iandgt;is and#8220;one of the most riveting hour-by-hour accounts of Caesarand#8217;s final day I have read....An absolutely marvelous readand#8221; (andlt;iandgt;The Timesandlt;/iandgt;, London).
Review
"[A] compelling, clarifying account of one of history's most dramatic assassinations. . . . [Strauss] conveys the complexity of late republican Roman politics while keeping up a lively pace."
Review
and#8220;[A] page-turner. . . . Detail after detail clothes the familiar facts of Caesarand#8217;s seemingly inevitable murder with fresh images. . . . The last bloody day of the Republic has never been painted so brilliantly."
Review
and#8220;With keen historical insights and the pace of a thriller, Barry Strauss brings vividly to life the Rome of 44 B.C., the final days of Julius Caesar, and the men who killed him. This is history as it should be writtenand#8212;a deeply human story of all the men and women caught up in these famous events.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The superb storytelling of Barry Strauss shows that the details of history's most famous assassination are just as fascinating as why it happened. . . . andlt;iandgt;The Death of Caesarandlt;/iandgt; provides a fresh look at a well-trodden event, with storytelling sure to inspire awe.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;I have never read so detailed an account of the worldand#8217;s most famous assassinationand#8212;how the plot was planned, the many personalities, the killing itself and the bitter aftermath. andlt;iandgt;The Death of Caesarandlt;/iandgt; brings back all the suspense of an extraordinary story, as if we werenand#8217;t sure what was going to happen next. An unputdownable book.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This history of Caesar by the American academic Barry Strauss is a romp, yes, but a glorious one, through the final months of Romeand#8217;s most famous ruler. . . . One of the most riveting hour-by-hour accounts of Caesarand#8217;s final day I have read. . . . An absolutely marvelous read.and#8221;
Review
"Barry Strauss, as both sleuth and classicist, guides us through the why and how of the killing of Julius Caesar. A riveting blow-by-blow account by a masterful scholar and story-teller of a human drama that changed the course of Western history."
Review
"This stupendous book has all the pace and action of a top-quality thrillerand#8212;murder, lust, betrayal and high politicsand#8212;yet it's all true, and comes from the pen of the world's senior academic expert in the field. A lifetime's study of the ancient sources has gone into Barry Strauss's utterly gripping account of the day that the course of human history radically changed. Superbly researched, wittily written, but above all driven by a truly exciting narrative that never lets up, this is history-writing at its best. Our understanding of what happened on the Ides of March and its chaotic, bloody aftermath is forever changed, and this will be the standard work for decades to come."
Review
and#8220;I always knew the plunging of those fatal daggers was an epochal moment in Western Civ, but I never knew why and#8211; until now. Barry Strauss is our all-knowing Vergil, escorting us across the dim landscape of history, enlightening us with precious insight.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A classics thriller. . . . andlt;iandgt;The Death ofandlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;Caesarandlt;/iandgt; teases apart this paramilitary operation of 60 or more conspirators and, in reporting the facts, revokes much of Shakespeareand#8217;s poetic license in and#8216;Julius Caesar.and#8217;and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Strauss takes us deep into the psyche of ancient history in an exciting, twisted tale."
Synopsis
In this story of the most famous assassination in history, "the last bloody day of the Roman] Republic has never been painted so brilliantly" (The Wall Street Journal).
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BC--the Ides of March according to the Roman calendar. He was, says author Barry Strauss, the last casualty of one civil war and the first casualty of the next civil war, which would end the Roman Republic and inaugurate the Roman Empire. "The Death of Caesar provides a fresh look at a well-trodden event, with superb storytelling sure to inspire awe" (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Why was Caesar killed? For political reasons, mainly. The conspirators wanted to return Rome to the days when the Senate ruled, but Caesar hoped to pass along his new powers to his family, especially Octavian. The principal plotters were Brutus, Cassius (both former allies of Pompey), and Decimus. The last was a leading general and close friend of Caesar's who felt betrayed by the great man: He was the mole in Caesar's camp. But after the assassination everything went wrong. The killers left the body in the Senate and Caesar's allies held a public funeral. Mark Antony made a brilliant speech--not "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" as Shakespeare had it, but something inflammatory that caused a riot. The conspirators fled Rome. Brutus and Cassius raised an army in Greece but Antony and Octavian defeated them.
An original, new perspective on an event that seems well known, The Death of Caesar is "one of the most riveting hour-by-hour accounts of Caesar's final day I have read....An absolutely marvelous read" (The Times, London).
About the Author
Barry Strauss, professor of history and classics at Cornell University, is a leading expert on ancient military history. He has written or edited several books, including andlt;iandgt;The Battle of Salamisandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Trojan Warandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;The Spartacus Warandlt;/iandgt;. Visit BarryStrauss.com.