Professor Catherine Steel

So we're probably talking about liquidity issues rather than actual impoverishment. But Cicero certainly owes a lot of money, which is borrowed against property that may not be very liquid. We just don't, I think, have good evidence about how the Iuli Caesare's family wealth matched up against other families.

What we do, I think, know fairly confidently is from the second century BC onwards, senatorial wealth is not only increasing as a class, as a result of conquests of the Eastern Mediterranean, but also diverging within that class. And, you know, it is true that the Julii Causaris have not produced any of the great generals who have been conquering the Eastern Mediterranean.

What we do, I think, know fairly confidently is from the second century BC onwards, senatorial wealth is not only increasing as a class, as a result of conquests of the Eastern Mediterranean, but also diverging within that class. And, you know, it is true that the Julii Causaris have not produced any of the great generals who have been conquering the Eastern Mediterranean.

What we do, I think, know fairly confidently is from the second century BC onwards, senatorial wealth is not only increasing as a class, as a result of conquests of the Eastern Mediterranean, but also diverging within that class. And, you know, it is true that the Julii Causaris have not produced any of the great generals who have been conquering the Eastern Mediterranean.

And so some of the more spectacular wealth may not have been part of that family. Equally, I'm ever so slightly hesitant about kind of taking all the stories on face value. I mean, the most famous one is about the election to the Pontifex Maximus in 63, where Caesar is supposed to have said to his mother Aurelia, I'll come back Pontifex Maximus or I won't come back.

And so some of the more spectacular wealth may not have been part of that family. Equally, I'm ever so slightly hesitant about kind of taking all the stories on face value. I mean, the most famous one is about the election to the Pontifex Maximus in 63, where Caesar is supposed to have said to his mother Aurelia, I'll come back Pontifex Maximus or I won't come back.

And so some of the more spectacular wealth may not have been part of that family. Equally, I'm ever so slightly hesitant about kind of taking all the stories on face value. I mean, the most famous one is about the election to the Pontifex Maximus in 63, where Caesar is supposed to have said to his mother Aurelia, I'll come back Pontifex Maximus or I won't come back.

The point being that he had bribed so heavily to win that election. He was therefore so heavily in debt that if he didn't manage to secure election, you know, disaster. And again, these stories about Caesar as a man who is prepared to take enormous risks. You know, that kind of bold visionary.

The point being that he had bribed so heavily to win that election. He was therefore so heavily in debt that if he didn't manage to secure election, you know, disaster. And again, these stories about Caesar as a man who is prepared to take enormous risks. You know, that kind of bold visionary.

The point being that he had bribed so heavily to win that election. He was therefore so heavily in debt that if he didn't manage to secure election, you know, disaster. And again, these stories about Caesar as a man who is prepared to take enormous risks. You know, that kind of bold visionary.

Well, Caesar is clearly a very effective orator. You only have to read the Gallic Wars to see that this is somebody who is a genius with language. It's a different kind of genius from Cicero, but it's doing something equally extraordinary with Latin. But it's completely, completely novel, right? I mean, we tend to regard Caesar as a model of how you write Latin. He created that model, right?

Well, Caesar is clearly a very effective orator. You only have to read the Gallic Wars to see that this is somebody who is a genius with language. It's a different kind of genius from Cicero, but it's doing something equally extraordinary with Latin. But it's completely, completely novel, right? I mean, we tend to regard Caesar as a model of how you write Latin. He created that model, right?

Well, Caesar is clearly a very effective orator. You only have to read the Gallic Wars to see that this is somebody who is a genius with language. It's a different kind of genius from Cicero, but it's doing something equally extraordinary with Latin. But it's completely, completely novel, right? I mean, we tend to regard Caesar as a model of how you write Latin. He created that model, right?

It's all new. And it's bizarre. There's a lot about Caesar's litany that is absolutely extraordinary. I mean, totally wonderful. I remember just being bowled over by Caesar when I started to read a bit when I was at school. I mean, extraordinary stuff. But we shouldn't make too much of Caesar as an orator or at least as a lawyer.

It's all new. And it's bizarre. There's a lot about Caesar's litany that is absolutely extraordinary. I mean, totally wonderful. I remember just being bowled over by Caesar when I started to read a bit when I was at school. I mean, extraordinary stuff. But we shouldn't make too much of Caesar as an orator or at least as a lawyer.

It's all new. And it's bizarre. There's a lot about Caesar's litany that is absolutely extraordinary. I mean, totally wonderful. I remember just being bowled over by Caesar when I started to read a bit when I was at school. I mean, extraordinary stuff. But we shouldn't make too much of Caesar as an orator or at least as a lawyer.

I mean, you're absolutely right that one of the things he does early on in his career is he brings some prosecutions, a couple of prosecutions. Which is interesting because actually, I mean, there's no Crown Prosecution Service or anything.

I mean, you're absolutely right that one of the things he does early on in his career is he brings some prosecutions, a couple of prosecutions. Which is interesting because actually, I mean, there's no Crown Prosecution Service or anything.

I mean, you're absolutely right that one of the things he does early on in his career is he brings some prosecutions, a couple of prosecutions. Which is interesting because actually, I mean, there's no Crown Prosecution Service or anything.

Every prosecution at Rome in the so-called Judicia Publica, the big jury courts, for charges which we would generally call criminal, though that, as you know, that criminal civil distinction in Roman law is a bit problematic. So being a prosecutor is one of the relatively few ways in which a young man in his 20s can make an opportunity for himself on the public stage.