Cassius Dio

Julius Caesar is upheld as one of the most influential politicians of European history. Caesar was truly influential for every man and women of Rome. Caesar was successful in the battle field and had a large group of dedicated followers, but more importantly Caesar caused some anger and some extreme hatred towards himself. Julius Caesar was assassinated because the people of Rome stood firmly against a tyrant, rumors regarding Julius Caesar caused fear and uncertainty of Rome’s future, and…

The Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome: Comparison Introduction History shows that the Parthenon was built on a raised platform, and consisted, basically, of a cella (enclosed room) surrounded by a peristyle of free-standing columns. The entire building, including the roof tiles, was constructed of white pentelic marble. Large areas, such as the columns, were left white, but most of the details, such as the sculptures, were brightly painted (Hopper 122). The temple had seventeen…

In my empathetic response I have written from the perspective of a Roman senator who lived and served during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. The response is intended to have been an extract from the autobiography of my senator, as an impression of Tiberius from contemporary sources, though coloured by the influence of more modern findings. The identity of my senator is important in understanding his stance on the attitudes concerning Tiberius held by the general public, and to this end I have…

Sicily “All through the night he was preceded by a torch blazing in the sky up to the moment when the squadron made harbor in Italy.” In a modern time this light could be more than just a light and there are many other stories about UFOs. 196 AD Cassius Dio wrote “a fine rain resembling silver” which fell over the city of Rome despite the sky being clear. This ties in because the “rain resembling silver” can be seen as angel hair, a phenomenon that occurs in the form of wispy strands…

In this chapter, I will investigate the various meanings of auctoritas through the works of Latin authors. The theme of my chosen vocabulary is the language of power and thus it is necessary to compare actual power to the air or appearance of power. The word derives from the Latin agent noun ‘auctor’ which is itself derived from ‘augeo’ meaning to ‘increase’ and the suffix ‘-tās’ which forms abstract nouns (LS 1879). I will be contrasting the use of auctoritas with that of imperium from the…

described as “a man of aristocratic birth and strong democratic leanings who addressed some of the afflictions that beset Rome and Italy most notably the crying need for more equitable land distribution”, hence the Lex agrarian (Parenti pg. 60). Dio Cassius is the first to think differently of Tiberius as he sees him as “turning aside from what was best” in order to drift “into what was worst” by bedeviling and disturbing all established customs,” and making “any statement or promise whatever to…

In what ways did the Julio-Claudians use traditional and foreign religion as a political tool? In this essay I will investigate the ways in which the Julio-Claudian dynasty used traditional Roman religion alongside foreign cults as political tools to legitimise their imperial role by emphasising divine heritage and by providing religious cohesion by conflating traditional Roman religion with aspects of foreign cults. I will use both ancient authors and modern scholarship to analyse the ways in…

Boudica: The Celtic Warrior Queen In society today, many women still feel the need to silence their opinions due to the historical pretense that women are not to speak out against others, particularly men. This stereotype helps show off the women that did speak out in a way that eventually benefited their own lives. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, showcases the personalities of the Bennet sisters and their journey to an ultimate goal, marriage. The two characters that stand out…

The 15th of March 44 BCE, also known as the Ides of March marks an important moment and turning point in history as the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination and the fall of the Roman Republic. At Caesar’s assassination, the 500-year-old republic was severely destabilised in a series of civil wars, executions and political conflict. Caesar was reportedly stabbed 23 times by approximately 60 members of the Republic Senate, who had feared his growing power and recent title of dictator. By the act…

Emperor Commodus Born on the 31st of August, 161 AD, Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, later known as Commodus, was the Roman Emperor from 180 AD to 192 AD. He was the first Emperor to succeed his blood father since since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79, and was also the first Emperor to be born “in the purple”, which means he was born during his father’s reign. Commodus is largely considered one of the worser Emperors to have ruled the Roman Empire. Though he ruled for quite a…