The Rest Is History Julius Caesar, with Mary Beard
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Oct 23, 2025 
In this fascinating discussion, renowned classicist Mary Beard delves into the life of Julius Caesar, comparing him to Alexander the Great. She explains how Caesar's extensive writings paint a vivid picture of his time. Mary also highlights the tensions between Rome's republican ideals and the burgeoning imperial reality. The conversation touches on Caesar's rise to power, his complex relationship with Cleopatra, and the personal armies that led to civil war. Mary encapsulates how Caesar's ambition ultimately paved the way for his tragic downfall.
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Caesar’s Exceptional Documentary Record
- We know far more about Julius Caesar than Alexander because Caesar left commentaries and contemporary observers wrote about him.
- Mary Beard stresses that Caesar's own writings give historians firmer ground despite remaining gaps and debates.
A Vast Yet Squalid Rome
- Rome in 100 BC was large and powerful but visually squalid, built of brick and local stone rather than gleaming marble.
- Mary Beard highlights the contrast between Rome's humble appearance and its vast Mediterranean dominance.
Julii: Noble Lineage, Humble Neighborhood
- Julius Caesar's family, the Julii, claimed descent from Venus but lived in a degentrified area, the Subura.
- Mary Beard notes the Julii's unimpressive neighborhood contrasted with their political influence over the Mediterranean.
