THE LIFE OF GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR

Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BCE into the patrician Julian clan, an old aristocratic family that claimed descent from Iulus, son of Aeneas. Although noble, his branch of the family was not among the most powerful at Rome. His early career unfolded during the violent breakdown of the Roman Republic, when competition among aristocratic leaders increasingly turned to civil conflict. Ancient and modern sources alike present Caesar as a figure of extraordinary ambition, political intelligence, literary skill, and military genius, whose career decisively accelerated the Republic’s transformation into one-man rule.