Julius Caesar: The Man Every Emperor Wanted to Be. Great Leaders Series

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First: I will give a brief summation of who Julius Caesar is and what role he plays in Roman society. I will then tell the story of Julius Caesar and the pirates as it sets the stage for his later steps in life. 

Second: Caesar in Gaul. Where is Gaul? Who lived there? Why did he want to conquer that area? How did he do it? This section will conclude with a discussion of how popular Julius Caesar became and why his crossing of the Rubicon was so important? It’s just a little river after all...

Third: Caesar in Egypt. What brought him to Egypt? How did he meet Cleopatra? Brief discussion of the interesting political system in Egypt and how he solved it. Caesar and Cleopatra had a son together- Ptolemy Caesar. Caesar returned to Rome, but soon Cleopatra and their son followed. Many Romans began to think Caesar might want to be a pharaoh or a king. Why would that be so bad?

Fourth: Caesar’s assassination.  A brief (non-graphic) description of the set-up on March 15, 44BC to get Caesar alone and distract Mark Antony. A description of the events that followed including the famous funeral speech given by Mark Antony and how Caesar’s assassins were defeated at Philippi. 

Fifth: Caesar’s influence continues after death. He is named a Roman god and Caesar's adopted son, Augustus, used that status to promote himself to become the first Roman Emperor. The altar to Julius Caesar still partially remains in the Roman Forum today. Discussion of the symbolism of Caesar represented as a shooting star. Caesar became the name the Roman Emperors used and it continued being used throughout history as Tsar, Kaiser, and King.  Why do you think Julius Caesar is still popular today?

The class will end in answering questions and guided discussion.