BEFORE HEROD

JULIUS CAESAR, born on 12th July 100 BCE., within the city of SUBURA, of ROME, a PATRICIAN. He claimed to have been descended from the gens JULIA. The gens JULIA, are ancestors of a common ancestor of ROME. The gens of JULIA, were of the most prominent PATRICIAN Families of ancient ROME.

These families attained the highest dignities of the state, and were known as the JULII’S. The First of the families to have obtained the CONSULSHIP was GAIUS JULIUS IULUS in 489 BCE, he was a ROMAN POLITICIAN, and it appears that JULIUS CAESAR, might have been the last to ‘use’ the Title of PATRICIAN.

This Title of PATRICIAN, waned after various conflicts of the orders, which were constant distracting struggles between the commoners and the aristocrats of Ancient Rome. These struggles lasted from about 500 BCE to about 287 BCE.

These struggles resulted in the writings of the ROMAN CONSTITUTION of the REPUBLIC. The commoners then ‘won,’ the battle of ‘belonging,’ which led to the creation of the PLEBEIAN TRIBUNE, with its first acquisition of shared power. PLEBEIAN’S were members of the common folk, farmers, and working class, getting a say in how ROME was to be ‘managed.’

JULIUS CAESAR had an interesting genealogy. The family name on CAESAR’S side was SEXTUS JULIUS CAESAR I, followed by GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR I, followed by GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR II who married MARCIA REGIA, the daughter of QUINTAS MARCIUS REX, all descendants of the ROMAN KING ROMULUS.

GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR II, marries MARCIA REGIA and their children were, JULIA CAESAR, SEXTUS JULIUS CAESAR III and JULIUS’ dad, GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR III, who was married AURELIA COTTA, the parents of JULIUS CAESAR or GAIUS V.

His mother AURELIA COTTA, also came from an influential family within ROME.

85 BCE, CAESARS’ father dies, when JULIUS is only sixteen years old and he now finds himself as head of the family. He marries CORNELIA, his first wife. CORNELIA, was the daughter of LUCIUS CORNELIUS CINNA. She was just 28 years old when she died in 68 BCE.

Their only child was JULIA CAESAR, and she died in 54 BCE during child birth, as did her mother. She was married to POMPEY, and they had one child POMPEIUS. This marriage forged a strong bond between two powerful men, which scared the political parties of ROME.

CAESAR becomes a HIGH PRIEST of JUPITER, and gets to work with his father-in-law, who was head of the army, along with his father’s brother GAIUS MARIUS. They convinced him to give up his PRIESTHOOD and to join them in the army. Joining the army he walks into a fight with SULLA, a nasty individual and they lose ROME, along with their personal inheritance. CAESAR, goes off and joins MARCUS MINUCIUS THERMUS in ASIA more TURKEY where he won the CIVIC CROWN for his part in the SIEGE OF MYTILENE on the ISLAND of LESBOS, off the coast of ASIA in 81 BCE.

SULLA falls out of friendship with GAIUS MARIUS. However, SULLA continues his march on ROME and in 83 BCE he takes ROME. He successfully appoints himself as a ‘dictator’ and changes his name to FELIX and gets to re-establish the POWER of the SENATE. He increases the number of criminal courts. However, as we know evil does not last long and in 79 BCE he resigns and dies. How? A story for another BLOG.

JULIUS CAESAR, continues his army life and goes onto BITHYNIA, a region of NORTHWEST ASIA MINOR, adjoining the SEA OF MARMARA, the BOSPORUS, and the BLACK SEA. It is rumoured that he could have fallen in love with the area, but he denied it until his death.

He hears of SULLA’S death and JULIUS, returns to ROME, but having lost his inheritance, he could only acquire a modest home back in SUBURRA a low-class area, where he re-joins the church. He remains there, until he was elected PONTIFEX MAXIMUS, at the age of 39 Years. The title of PONTIFEX MAXIMUS, means he became the CHIEF HIGH PRIEST OF THE COLLEGE OF PONTIFEX.

In 60 BCE, CAESAR, now in a position of power, gets elected CONSUL of ROME, one of two leaders who ran the REPUBLIC, a position equal to being CO-PRESIDENT of ROME.

It was during this time that he met POMPEY, and CRASSUS, who had the money, with POMPEY having the muscle. The three of them became the first TRIUMVIRATE and got to control ROME with bribes and backdoor political deals and brute force. These three men, were the first TRIUMVIRATE, the second was between ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIAN in 43 BCE, and we see that ROME was captured twice during those ancient times.

CAESAR, gets to form a POLITICAL ALLIANCE with the POPULAR PARTY. He marries his second wife CALPURNIA, the daughter of a POLITICAL PARTY Leader, POMPEY. During those times, marriage was an incredibly powerful Political Tool.

However, CAESAR, through his illegal dealings as CONSUL, finds himself owing a lot of people a lot of money and favours. His only way out, was to take an army and march on GAUL, which he conquers, a territory of ROME, today located as part of FRANCE.

Things goes bad for CAESAR, whilst at war. His banker CRASSUS dies and so did his daughter who married POMPEY, thirty years her senior. A powerful alliance PARTNERSHIP had been forged at the time.

Whilst CAESAR was at war, and POMPEY loses the love of his life during childbirth, he focuses on POLITICS again and gains power in ROME. He turns on CAESAR and strips him of his title and demands that CAESAR get back to ROME to be prosecuted for his crimes during his political reign. Unfortunately, the supposed powerful alliance, was not as sound as JULIUS thought it to be.

CAESAR was left with only two options; he could go back to ROME and face the music or fight POMPEY. His choice was pretty obvious and that was to kill POMPEY and take ROME.

POMPEY, was no fool and knew that he would not stand a chance against CAESAR, and he runs to SPAIN, later to GREECE but CAESAR’S troops defeat POMPEY in GREECE, forcing the ROMAN RULER, as POMPEY was known to be, one final stop in EGYPT.

POMPEY, thought he would be welcomed in EGYPT, thinking of the many friends he encountered from EGYPT in ROME. But EGYPT took one look at POMPEY and consulted their ‘gods’ and determined that the ‘ROMAN’ was unwelcome news. Before CAESAR could get to EGYPT, POMPEY was already dead.

CAESAR IN EGYPT

When CAESAR heard of POMPEY’S death, he was angry. It might have looked like he was sad to have lost a friend, but more than that, he saw that it was an excuse to take over EGYPT. He decides to delay his travels to EGYPT.

Then on a day, he moves into the EGYPTIAN Palace in ALEXANDRIA and gets rid of the EGYPTIAN Leader PTOLEMY XIII, in a cunning take-over without going to war with EGYPT.

At the time PTOLEMY XIII was co-ruler of the EMPIRE with his sister CLEOPATRA. PTOLEMY and CLEOPATRA had some serious sibling rivalry and PTOLEMY had actually kicked CLEOPATRA out of EGYPT, and he was on his own and did not have the muscle to ‘take on’ CAESAR.

Not much is known about CLEOPATRA’S early life, so we will piece together her life as we find the information . . . CLEOPATRA VII PHILOPATOR, born in 70 BCE some say 69 BCE. Daughter of PTOLEMY I AULETES and a descendant of PTOLEMY I SOTER, the founder of the PTOLEMAIC LINE of EGYPT. She was QUEEN of the PTOLEMY KINGDOM of EGYPT from 51 BCE to 30 BCE. SOTER was a MACEDONIAN GREEK and a General and Companion of ALEXANDER the GREAT, so it was written, but I could not find this ‘friendship’ on my DATE LINE.

Her mother was believed to be CLEOPATRA V TRYPHAENA, the kings wife and his half-sister. In 51 BCE upon the natural death of PTOLEMY I AULETES, the EGYPTIAN Throne passed to CLEOPATRA and her 10-year-old brother PTOLEMY XIII. This was when her brother’s advisors acted against CLEOPATRA, who was then forced to flee EGYPT for SYRIA in 49 BCE.

She raised an army of mercenaries and returned to face her brother’s forces in a civil war at PELUSIUM on EGYPT’S Eastern border.

In the meantime, after allowing the ROMAN General POMPEY to be murdered, PTOLEMY XIII welcomed the arrival of POMPEY’S rival, JULIUS CAESAR to ALEXANDER.

In order to help her cause, CLEOPATRA sought CAESAR’S support, smuggling herself into the ROYAL PALACE to plead her case with him.

But CAESAR had to find his own return to power in ROME and needed EGYPT to repay the debts incurred by AULETES. CAESAR goes to war with PTOLEMY XII, and after a four month of war, CAESAR realised that his forces were outnumbered by the forces of PTOLEMY. But just in time his reinforcement arrives, and PTOLEMY XIII was forced to flee ALEXANDRIA. CAESAR restores the throne to the equally unpopular CLEOPATRA and her young brother PTOLEMY XIV then only thirteen years old.

CAESAR remains in EGYPT with CLEOPATRA for a while and around 47 BCE she gives birth to a son PTOLEMY CAESAR or DRUSILLA, the son of JULIUS CAESAR. This child was known by the EGYPTIANS as CAESARION or LITTLE CAESAR.

Sometime between 46 BCE or 45 BCE, CLEOPATRA travels with her brother PTOLEMY XIV and CAESARION to ROME to visit CAESAR, who had returned earlier. They lived well until CAESAR was murdered in 44 BCE, and she returns to EGYPT.

PTOLEMY was killed soon after, by CLEOPATRA’S agents, and the 3-year-old CAESARION was named CO-REGENT with his mother.

It was at this time that CLEOPATRA, identifies herself with the goddess ISIS, the sister-wife of OSIRIS and mother of HORUS. This was consistent with ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TRADITION of associating Royalty with divinity in order to reinforce the position of kings and queens.