The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Classics/History – Essay Assignment
Please read through the following guidelines fully. You will have the choice between a Greek or a Roman history essay. Choosing one of the following topics you will produce an essay of between 5-6 double-spaced pages in length on the basis of your own research and interpretation of the ancient evidence
- Discuss the role of Alcibiades in the sacrilegious events of 415 BC
- Discuss the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC.
In separate files in the ‘Essay’ folder on ATL, you will find the materials needed to conduct research into these topics: for Topic 1, see “Religious Scandal of 415”; for Topic 2, see “The Ides of March”
In these files, you will find several of the most important passages of ancient (primary) evidence that bear on the subject. Throughout the semester, you have been working on short, passage-for-comment exercises meant to train you in your handling of ancient evidence. You now should have a developing sense of how to spot the most important information in historical passages and how to critically analyze this information and interrogate its sources.
Throughout these early exercises, you have sometimes been guided by questions. In your initial reading of materials for your chosen essay topic it is recommended that you try to come up with a guiding research question that will help focus your selection of materials and guide your essay preparation; that is, come up with the kind of research question that can be reasonably answered in the space allowed and using the available sources.
The goal of this (and any other) essay should not be to produce a report that merely describes what you find in your sources, but to produce an argument based on your reading of those sources; hence the word ‘essay’ from the French essayer (‘to try’ as in “to try to convince” your reader of something). Your argument will take the form of a thesis, a central claim supported by the presentation of subordinated claims based on your analysis of primary evidence and engagement with secondary scholarship.
Your essays will be evaluated on the quality of the ideas and argumentation they contain. Ideas and arguments, however great, cannot be appreciated unless they are well articulated. As such, a considerable part of your grade for this essay will depend on its clarity and quality as a piece of writing. The essay should develop one central argument, set out in its introduction (the thesis statement). This argument should be developed clearly and consistently in the body of the essay. Each paragraph should be rooted in analysis (not summary!) of the primary sources (i.e., the ancient evidence).
Any quotation (direct quotations should be used very sparingly in such a short essay) or reference to a source (primary or secondary) must be accompanied by a citation (Chicago or MLA style are preferred. Any factual claim should be supported by citation of a source unless it is general knowledge.
Assignment steps:
- Choose your topic.
- Read as much (especially primary) material on the topic as you can get your hands on. It is not required, but it is okay to read material on your topic additional to that provided, which comprises the main primary sources.
- Come up with a research question based on you reading. (What puzzles you? What contradictions between the sources arise or what gaps appear in their coverage of the topic? What problems or unanswered questions do you encounter in one or more sources that could be resolved by appeal to another source?)
- Try to answer your research question in the form of a two or three sentence statement. This will be your working thesis. Note, this should be an argumentative, precisely worded statement rather than a vague description of your topic. A good, full, but precise statement should include some combination of a motive (a problem or issue), a proposed solution (your thesis), a plan to support your thesis, and a payoff (why the reader should care).
- E.g., “In this paper, I will argue that contrary to most scholars’ opinions, Pericles’ head was not in fact shaped like a squid.” [he is famously called SQUILL-HEAD by Athenian Comic poets] “I shall demonstrate this by, in the first two sections, surveying the known evidence for squids in the ancient Aegean. In the following paragraphs, I shall demonstrate that the word ‘squill’ has nothing etymologically to do with squids, and I shall propose a new interpretation of the famous Squill-Head moniker. This new interpretation helps to explain why Pericles habitually wore a helmet in public.
- Prepare and submit a final paper based on your research, and your refined thesis and outline. Aim to finish a few days before the final deadline and be sure to think about the feedback you have given and received over the course of the essay project as you self-edit your final draft.
Instructor’s Name
Course Code
Date
Classics 1M03 History
Julius Caesar's assassination is one of the most popular assassinations in the history of Rome and globally. Despite this assassination occurring in 44 BC, people continue discussing it in the 21st century. One of the reasons that made it more popular is that it happened as a surprise since, during his death, Caesar gained huge popularity, having conquered one of the greatest battles, such as Pompey, one of his greatest rivals during a civil war, attaining great influence since he became a dictator after defeating Pompey. Moreover, his assassination is popular since different individuals have disagreed about the factors that caused his assassination. For instance, some individuals have highlighted that his dictatorial leadership played a critical part in his assassination, while others highlight that the political conspiracies are the ones that caused it. This paper will argue, varying from many scholars, how the Conspiracies regarding Julius Caesar played a huge role in his assassination rather than his method of leadership, which most people have believed was the cause.
One of the reasons that played a critical role in causing Caesar's death was the outstanding conspiracy the assassins used. Varying from many leaders who were assassinated after an uproar by society, Caesar was killed while his popularity and acceptance in Rome had greatly developed. During this period, most people were praising him as a result of the wars that he had won during his era. Most enemies could not convince the general public and other leaders to collaborate in his assassination by highlighting his weaknesses. This was the main reason that they decided to use conspiracy. Furthermore, it was evident since, at the beginning of the conspiracy, only a few people had joined it; after the conspiracy spread, more people started to join the opposition against him.
The other reason the individuals chose to employ conspiracy was that these individuals had been his enemies since time immemorial. Most people at the forefront of leading the conspiracy were originally Caesar's enemies who previously supported Pompey's leadership. However, after Caesar defeated Pompey, they changed their allegiance to him (Bellemore 59). Even though they were previous enemies, these individuals had nothing to highlight against Caesar since he decided to be kind to them because he chose a peaceful settlement rather than punishing them. However, rather than supporting him fully, they were plotting against him. One of the reasons which prompted them to plot a conspiracy is that they wanted to lead the state rather than Caesar. Moreover, others were angry due to the suffering they experienced with their families during the Civil War. This prompted some to plot revenge even though Caesar was nice to them.
The other people who supported his assassination were his previous friends. In most instances, after the leader overcomes war, the friends of the leader who won usually expect the individuals allied to the other opposing leader to be punished rather than forgiven. However, rather than punishing them, Caesar surprised most of his allies by forgiving those opposing him as long as they would start supporting him. This move angered these individuals since they believed that the benefits of the forgiven individuals were supposed to belong to them. Furthermore, some soldiers and officers complained they failed to receive adequate satisfaction. One reason for their dissatisfaction was that despite participating in the war and helping him, they were counted as the original army and given equal pay. These individuals were highly disappointed since they expected that Caesar would offer them an outstanding price for the great work they had played in protecting the country. This reason made them support his assassination due to dissatisfaction with his failure to meet their expectations, even though they ...