Life and Career
What was the Cursus Honorum? With one example
The sequence of public offices Roman politicians progressed through (e.g., quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul).
What did crossing the Rubicon signify?
Caesar’s declaration of civil war against the Senate and Pompey (49 BCE).
Name one author that writes about caesar
Caesar, Plutarch, Suetonius, Appian etc.
What does TADPOLE stand for in evaluating sources?
Type, Author, Date, Purpose, Opinion/fact, Language, Evidence
When and how was Caesar assassinated?
Ides of March, 44 BCE — stabbed 23 times by senators led by Brutus and Cassius.
Which two powerful men did Caesar form the First Triumvirate with?
Pompey and Crassus.
What was clementia and how did Caesar use it?
Mercy toward defeated enemies; used to win loyalty and project benevolence.
Who was Cicero and how did he view Caesar?
A republican orator and senator who opposed Caesar’s tyranny but admired his intellect.
What does it mean to “corroborate” sources?
Show how two or more sources agree on an idea or perspective.
Who wrote a p[lay about caesar
Shakespeare
What did Caesar gain from his campaigns in Gaul?
Glory, wealth, loyal troops, and political dominance in Rome.
What title did Caesar receive in 44 BCE that alarmed many senators?
Dictator Perpetuo (Dictator for Life).
Why is Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico a biased source?
It was political propaganda, written to justify his actions and glorify his leadership.
What are “cohesive ties” and why use them in synthesis writing?
Linking words/phrases connecting evidence from different sources to create a unified argument.
How did Augustus use Caesar’s image after his death?
Promoted him as a god and used his legacy to legitimise his own rule.
Why was Caesar’s consulship in 59 BCE controversial?
He bypassed procedures, ignored Bibulus, and forced through legislation using violence and bribery.
Why did many senators grow suspicious and fearful of Caesar after his return from Egypt?
His behaviour appeared monarchical - wearing purple, and welcoming Cleopatra and Caesarion in Rome — which reminded Romans of kingship.
What type of source is Suetonius’ Divus Julius and when was it written?
Secondary ancient biography (~120 CE, under Hadrian).
What are the three main criteria for judging usefulness of a source?
Relevance, insight, and limitations.
How do modern historians debate Caesar’s legacy?
Some see him as a reformer ending corruption; others as a dictator who destroyed the Republic.
How did Caesar’s actions in Gaul threaten the Republic?
His personal army and political popularity undermined senatorial authority, provoking fear of tyranny.
Bonus easy question: When was Caesar born?
100BC
Compare Suetonius and Plutarch as biographers. How do their accounts corroborate and contest each other?
Both show ambition as central to Caesar’s character; Plutarch is moralising and balanced, Suetonius sensational and focused on scandal.
Explain one difference between evaluating and synthesising questions in the exam.
Evaluation = judge reliability/usefulness of individual sources; Synthesis = combine multiple sources to form an argument on a historical issue.
Synthesise: To what extent does Caesar’s assassination demonstrate he was a failed dictator?
combine multiple views - his reforms and popularity vs senatorial fears and concentration of power.