Julius Caesar and Roman Kingship

By Pierce K. Kozlowski

The Royal Title

Did Caesar want to be acknowledged as king? Based on primary source readings, no.

Interestingly, while ancient intellectuals share a relatively broad consensus on that answer, ancient thinkers such as Cassius Dio have suggested that Caesar had covert motivations which contradicted his supposed negative position towards the crown. Cassius Dio (155-235 CE), a statesman and historian of ancient Rome, talks about how Caesar's political enemies attempted to quip Caesar and his allies by addressing him as “King.” Caesar had famously “refused” and “rebuked” this monarchical title for a time, sometimes even showing his “evident irritation” to those who persisted in addressing him by the title. As previously mentioned, however, it is likely that Caesar may have yearned for the title of King. Dio raises this very point, suggesting that, “while [Caesar] pretendedly shunned the title [King], in reality he desired to assume it.” Essentially, Dio’s account serves to highlight the possible discrepancy between Caesar's supposed public view towards the Republic, versus his alleged monarchical view towards the Republic.

While Dio’s position on Caesar is notorious throughout the halls of academia, it is not a blanketed opinion that represents the broader intellectual consensus.

Other ancient thinkers, such as Nicolaus of Damascus, have offered counter-points to Dio by investigating other aspects of Caesar's political career. Nicolaus of Damascus (64-4 BCE), a Jewish Historian and Augustan Philosopher, gives an account which diverts slightly from the account of Dio. During the notorious Lupercalia festival, Nicolaus noted the multiple consuls which attempted to crown Caesar with kingship: Lincius, Longius, and most notably, Antonius. Despite the numerous attempts by Lincius and Longius to crown Caesar, "Caesar kept rejecting it." Antonius would then go on to make two attempts to do the same: On the first one, “Caesar snatched it off and threw it into the crowd;” On the second attempt, Caesar “ordered it be taken to the temple of Capitolme Jupiter.” Intriguingly, Nicolaus then shifts focus onto Antonius, suggesting that Antonius’ attempts to crown Caesar were to “ingratiate” himself with Caesar in the hopes that Caesar would adopt him as his son. Similar to Dio, Nicolaus mentioned Caesar’s decrying of the crown. However, Nicolaus cleverly explored the motivations of Antonius, who apparently desired for Caesar’s kingship; whereas Dio myopically focused on Caesar, and Caesar’s potential double opinion regarding kingship.

Surprisingly, the two camps of thought are not diametrically opposed, as one does not seek to refute the other. However, both camps possess separate perspectives on the topic of Caesar’s broader political motivations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the debate between Dio and Nicolaus centers around two perspectives. On the one hand, Dio noted that Caesar harshly rejected the efforts made to recognize him as king. By that same token, however, Dio suggested that Caesar’s public decrying of kingship was in sharp contrast to the reality; the reality being that Caesar actually had underlying motivations which, in fact, longed for and desired the crown.

On the other hand, similar to Dio, Nicolaus also made particular note of Caesar’s denial of the title king, pointing out four public instances which occurred during the Lupercalia festival. Out of respect for the counsels of the gods, Caesar even orders the wreath that Antonius tried to crown him with to be put in the temple of Capitoline Jupiter. In lieu of arguing that Caesar had despotic motivations that were hidden from the public eye like Dio, Nicolaus instead puts Antonius under the microscope for analysis after his two bold attempts to crown Caesar at the Lupercalia festival. Nicolaus ultimately concluded that Antonius sought to crown Caesar because he desired to gain favor in Caesar’s eyes, most likely in the hopes to become adopted as his son.

Based on these readings alone, it could be logically concluded that either Caesar, in truth, may have had surreptitious motivations for the crown and masked them; or that Caesar was, in fact, appalled by the Roman Crown, but interestingly, Antonius attempted to crown Caesar regardless in the hopes of potential adoption from Caesar. The double interpretation is important as not one answer alone can be satisfied by the evidence. Therefore, granting equal weight and possibility to both answers without partially favoring one for the other is the sufficient conclusion to reach given the available readings and resources.

References

1. Cassius Dio, 44.8-11, trans. By H. B. Foster, pp. 414-417, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1961.

2. Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus, 19-22, trans. By Clayton M. Hall (Menascha, WI: George Banta, 1923).