New research The death of Caesar

“What do you say, Caesar? Will someone of your stature pay attention to the dreams of a woman and the omens of foolish men?” So asked Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus of Gaius Julius Caesar. The 36-year-old Decimus spoke frankly to a man his elder by nearly 20 years, a man who was not only his chief but also Rome’s Dictator for Life.

Yet Caesar was fond of Decimus, a longtime comrade-in-arms and a trusted lieutenant, so he let him speak when they met in Caesar’s official residence in the heart of Rome.

It was the morning of 15 March 44 BC – the Ides, as the Romans called the approximate middle of each month: the Ides of March. The Senate was in session that day, its members eagerly awaiting the dictator’s arrival. Yet Caesar had decided not to attend – allegedly because of bad health though, in fact, the real cause was a series of ill omens that had terrified his wife, Calpurnia.

Decimus changed Caesar’s mind. Caesar decided to go to the Senate meeting after all, if only to announce a postponement in person. What he didn’t know was that more than 60 conspirators were waiting for him there, daggers ready. Decimus, however, was all too aware – he was one of the plots’ ringleaders, and his actions that