#julius caesar wasn't emperor

[readrantannotate]

Happy assassination of Caligula day <3

[chaberkowepole]

My hand slipped

Bonus:

[katakaluptastrophy]

So you know how the River Beyond seemed to grant Dulcie knowledge of Hamlet?

Anyway, if other aspects of pre-res culture are available, just imagine the surprise that wreath-wearing space emperor John Gaius could have in ATN...

[how-what-why-huh]

Brutus:

Get you to bed again. It is not day. Is not tomorrow, boy, the [ides] of March?

Lucius:

I know not, sir.

Brutus:

Look in the calendar, and bring me word.

Lucius:

I will, sir.

He exits.

—————————————————————————————————————

Lucius:

Sir, March is wasted fifteen days.

Brutus:

‘Tis good.

[missadangel]

The Heart of Rome (Marcus Acacius x OC)

All Chapters List

XIV. The Ambush (+18, Smut, MDNI)

Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt

Fate leads the willing and drags the unwilling.

H.

First day of the Funeral Ceremonies.

In the event of the Emperor’s death, his body was twice cremated. First, the body was burnt in the environment closest to the family, leaving this moment in the private sphere. After burning the corpses at the stake, the remains of the bones were laid in a mausoleum.

The second cremation had a symbolic dimension and was a public demonstration of the emperor’s apotheosis. Ceremonies of this type usually took place on the Field of Mars, outside the city. At that time, the wax effigies of the Emperor were burned, imitating the deceased.

On the first day of the ceremony, in the temple of Julius Caesar, you were standing right next to Marcus, and found yourself feeling somewhat sorrowful as you witnessed Caracalla's body being burned on wooden stakes. The flames soon rose, and some of the people attempted to discreetly add more wood to the fire, despite the presence of soldiers who had formed a circle around Caracalla's body. Some expressed their frustration, while others paid tribute to the deceased emperor. However, there was a notable absence of words of love, with the exception of those by Caracalla's mother, Julia. While her words may have been perceived by some as lacking sincerity, many others believed they were not, and thus, it was not seen as a significant issue.

As you held Marcus' hand at the top of the temple steps, you felt nauseous of the strong, unpleasant odour. Marcus put his arm around you and helped you down the stairs. The ceremony was already drawing to a close. When you got down the stairs, Geta and Julia came over to you while you were catching your breath. Now it was time for the evening ceremony to announce the emperor's will. All members of the senate were due to attend Domus Severiana in the evening, but this seemed unnecessary given that Caracalla would now be declared a tyrant and therefore any word or will would be invalid. However, rituals had to be honoured. Julia was reluctant to do so, as she had been closely involved with the members of the senate in the absence of Macrinus and had managed things well. And she could guess that Caracalla's will wouldn't make her happy.

But you were all taken aback when Macrinus showed up at the funeral. It was as if nothing had happened. Geta was so angry that he ordered the guards to arrest him, but it was no use. He wasn't trying to escape yet he was a member of the senate, so he was legally entitled to be there. There was no legal basis for the charges, despite Geta's desire to see him dead. Marcus was also furious, his hand on his sword ever since he saw him. But he couldn't kill him in public or even in secret. Well, not yet anyway. That is until Geta was officially declared the sole emperor and Macrinus was officially punished. He was running out of time, but instead of being afraid and running away, he was on the battlefield. This was his best move since he still held the vast majority of the Senate. Marcus had upped the number of his soldiers around the Palatine Hill as a precaution against any move or possible attack by him.

That evening, all the senators got together in the great hall for the reading of the will. Women weren't allowed, but you didn't seem to mind much. Julia was a bit of an exception though. You were in the courtyard when the scriba (chief clerk) announced the will. After a while, you heard a few murmurs and looked in that direction. The senators were now leaving. Your eyes seek Marcus. He was heading your way, adjusting the shawl he wore over his black toga. He looked pretty annoyed. Geta was right behind him, muttering and swearing under his breath.

“We need to get the Council together as soon as possible! I must stop this nonsense now!'

“I agree,” Marcus said as he approached and sat next to you.

"Is there bad news?" you asked, looking at them both.

“Acacius, that will have no force. I'll make sure of that and then that cunt will have no more excuses.” He waved his hand to the slaves. “Wine!”

“I am starting to have some concerns,” you whined.

"I wish I could say,  'no need,' but..." Geta said, throwing himself at the other lectus. His wine was served, and he drank it in one gulp and requested another. You put your hand on Marcus' back. He turned his head towards you, with a faint smile.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

"Caracalla. He’s sending him into exile," Geta replied for him. He took another sip of his wine. "And worse, he has suggested that the court order be issued for the offense of treason, which would result in the loss of his citizenship."

Your eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Marcus's expression confirmed what he had said. "They can't do that, can they?" You asked Marcus, but he covered his face with his hand.

"He couldn't get him killed, after all. He won the games and well earned his freedom, but he decided to exile him, also he said that day. But the denaturalization thing is ridiculous, it is too much. I am certain that is Macrinus' idea. According to law, your marriage will be annulled and you will be considered a widow.”

Your heart felt like it was squeezing, Marcus grabbed your hand.

"I told you that already!" Julia suddenly appeared next to you. "I told you how valuable you are, Aurelia, even as a widow."

"Don't get started, Mother! We're all on edge enough here!" He warned her, looking at Marcus, who was clenching his jaw in anger.

"If Macrinus had killed Geta, he probably would have got the will approved and your marriage would have-"

"Cease the nonsense!" Marcus yelled. He then stood up and pulled you with him. Julia stood dumbfounded.

"I warned you," Geta mumbled to her mother.

Marcus was so angry as he walked with you towards the stairs. He was holding your hand so tightly that it hurt. It seemed like he didn't realize that. He didn't say a word until he came into the room with you, and that upset you. You couldn't bear to see him like that, you wanted to lift his spirits and see him smile again, no matter what. He was still angry as he took off his bracelets. "I hate this!" He growled. "There's always someone or something trying to take you away from me. It is my deepest fear, like a curse that haunts me." He was taking his shawl off in anger but couldn’t do it properly.

You looked into his eyes as you grabbed the hem of the shawl he had wrapped around his waist, lifting it over his shoulder. "No one can take me away from you, my love. You need to have a bit more faith in that."

"If the Council agrees, they can exile me from Rome. Then I'll no longer be a General, I'll be a commoner. Being a soldier is the best I can do. I don't know what else I'm good for, but none of these is worse than being separated from you, my lady."

"Who said you'd separated from me? I would do whatever it takes to be with you." You said firmly. “I would exile myself from Rome if I had to.”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "But you're a princess, and I'm sure you realise that giving up your fame or your title isn't an option."

You embraced him, your arms encircling his neck. "I would be willing to make that sacrifice for you. After all, what use is being a princess if I'm not going to be with you? You must remember that I was not a princess when we first met, my name was not Aurelia, but Aya, an orphan."

Marcus smiled and wrapped his arms around your waist. "That's right, Aya. You were. My beautiful, innocent Aya."

"Innocent? Do you think I've lost my innocence? Or have you changed your feelings towards me?" You frowned, pursing your lips.

Marcus laughed. "I'm curious how you manage to be jealous of yourself. It must be a special talent of yours, my lady." He laughed again.

You shrugged. "You said 'Aya' so adoringly."

"You are truly astonishing. Once again, you have amazed me, princess. I'm left speechless." He leaned in and kissed you on the lips. "But would you truly consider going into exile with me as Aya?"

"I would be honored to do so if you would have me. With you, I am whole, without you, I am lost. We made a promise to each other, did we not? Where you are Marcus, I am Marca."

He nodded. "Where you are Marca, I am Marcus." His eyes sparkled as his fingers stroked your hair. "You're far too incredible to be ordinary. You must be a goddess." He kissed your temple, his lips brushing against your skin. "My goddess, I worship you. I love you, divine." He then kissed you passionately, adoringly.

"You know, this colour suits you, although perhaps not as well as your white armour, though," you murmured as you broke the kiss.

"Is that so?" He smirked. "Would you like me to share my thoughts about you as well?"

You nodded, smiling.

"I love you in every color of dress, I really do…" His hands worked skilfully, removing your stola and bracelets in a slow, deliberate manner. "However, my favourite look of yours," he said as he slowly removed your tunic, "is exactly like this." His brown eyes traced in your bare body from head to toe. "Your natural, pure beauty." His gaze soon became more intense, you could feel your cheeks flushing and your heart starting to beat faster. The light from the oil lamp illuminated your body, making your hair look more golden than ever, which he found very seductive. Marcus took you gently in his arms and laid you on the bed. He lay down beside you, put his arm around your waist, kissing your cheek tenderly. “Da mi basia mille, deinde centum, dein mille altera, dein secunda centum, deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum. dein, cum milia multa fecerimus, conturbabimus illa, (Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then another thousand, and then another hundred, and, when we've counted up the many thousands, let us confuse them so as not to know them all).” He whispered, and he kissed your chin, then your nose, then the corner of your mouth. The poet and romantic Marcus was here. “Catullus,” he explained.

You smiled. “It's a beautiful poem,” you murmured.

He ran the back of his hand along the line of your collarbone and shoulders. "You're the most beautiful, my love."

His words were so lovely, soft, and arousing, and your body was already writhing to be his. Just as his lips were about to meet yours, he pulled away and got up from bed. Before you had a chance to ask what was going on, he walked over to the desk and opened the drawer. "I almost forgot," he said, holding out a key and showing it to you. "I simply want to ensure that we have some privacy." He walked to the door and locked it. When he turned to you, a childish smile appeared on his face. "It's better to be cautious."

You giggled. "I don't blame you.”

He put the key on the desk and stepped towards you. "Now," he said, putting his knee on the bed. "Where were we, my lady?" He crawled closer to you, with a predatory look. You bit your lower lip and put your knees together, in a teasing manner. "You still haven't taken off your tunic, general." His big hands gripped your knees. "You said you loved it," he whispered, his eyes travelling down your legs.

“I did, but I also love you most when you are not wearing any clothing."

He chuckled. "Do you really, my lady?" He glanced down at himself. "I believe I am in rather good shape, but my body bears many scars from the years. This is a soldier's body, after all, not a pleasant one, I suppose."

"That's not true." You said and got up on your knees. You helped him take off his black tunic. Marcus sat on the bed on his heels and watched you carefully as you ran your fingers over his body. You started with an old wound on his shoulder, then moved on to another. Each one had a memory, and you admired him again as he told you one by one when it happened. The most noticeable of his scars was the one on his abdomen. It was the one that almost killed him, the one you healed, and the one that made you two meet. Now it looked like it had always been there, like the others. You looked at his face then kissed it on the cheek where the wound was. "Your scars show how strong you are, how wonderful you are, how you can overcome anything. They make me love your body more, my love. The first time I saw you, I was struck by the scars you bore. I was really amazed." Your cheeks blushed.

He considered your meaning. "When I was lying unconscious in the tent?"

You nodded. "That's true."

"You never cease to surprise me, my love." He laughed. "Should I cut myself again then?" He teased.

"Marcus, don't be silly." You put your hand on his cheek. "I don't want to see you get hurt again.”

He smiled. ‘'Forgive me, my lady. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled because I already have the magical cure." He grasped you by the hips, pressing his length against your entrance. "You are such a medicine, healing my body, my soul, my senses, my heart." He whispered into your ear. "My need for you is eternal. I'll never get enough of you." You wrapped your legs around him with a little moan as he laid you back. He was right - he could never get enough of you. Every time he kissed your lips, drank from your mouth, or tasted your skin, he did it with incredible need. You weren't complaining because you couldn't get enough of him either. It was something you couldn't put into words. You wanted it the same way every time, felt satisfied with it, then wanted it again and again. It was like a necessity for your survival. His lips met yours hungrily, and he pushed his length against your walls, making you moan from the sudden pressure on your most sensitive spot. You broke the kiss by arching your back backward. But it gave him the chance to play with your breasts as he pleased. They were already hard before his tongue even touched your nipples. As they'd been quite sensitive lately, just a gentle touch was enough to send you over the edge. However, he was licking, sucking, biting and nibbling them like it was the first time he ever did it, and he was clearly enjoying himself. After a while, no matter how much you resisted, he made you reach your climax with a loud moan. When Marcus felt your heartbeat quicken under his lips, he put his cheek between your breasts and listened to it. He then lifted his head to look at your face.

"As impatient as ever." He murmured. “You couldn't wait for me, could you, my lady?”

"You made me," you panted. "You were aware of how sensitive my breasts were."

"I'm afraid I cannot apologise for that," he said. "But you've been rather impatient lately, I don't think that's the only reason."

"Do you think so?"

"Hmm, I shall prove it," he said, making you roll easily. Your face and knees were turned towards the bed. He guided your hips up towards him, positioning himself accordingly. He put his hands on the bed, on either side of your body, since your walls were already rather slippery, allowing him to slide into you from behind easily. You let out a loud moan as you felt incredible pressure on your most sensitive spot. His muscular chest brushed against your back with each of his intense thrusts, but he was careful to avoid putting too much weight on you. Marcus gathered your hair at the back of your neck and rested his chin on your shoulder. He kissed your cheek and his lips slid from your ear to your neck, then to your shoulder, licking and tasting your flesh on their path. You traced your fingers along the strong arm he'd put on the bed to support himself. And finally, he managed to prove his point, making you come for him a second time. He wrapped his other arm around you and buried his face in your hair, reaching his own climax with a loud groan. He collapsed, and you liked his strong pressure on your vulnerable body. It made you feel like he'd just conquered you all over. Keeping his arm around you, rolled onto his side. Your breathing quickened again, but Marcus's lips were soft against your skin, helping your breath to settle.

Second day of the Funeral Ceremonies.

The first thing you heard when you woke up was the soft murmuring coming from the courtyard and the knocking on the door. And then you heard the door handle being forced.

"Did you lock the damn door? How rude!" Geta's voice came through from the other side.

You opened your eyes and noticed Marcus was not in bed. You looked up and saw him sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing his burgundy tunic.

"I knew I couldn't trust him. It was no surprise. Wasn't it a good idea to lock it up?" He winked at you.

You sat up in bed and smiled. "I'm blessed with a man who is so handsome, so protective and so intelligent. Should I give you a kiss to congratulate you?"

He smiled and leaned towards you. "Yes, please."

You reached up and kissed him on the lips.

Before long, Geta's voice became more subdued, and the footsteps receded into the distance.

"I guess you'll be wearing your armour today."

"Yes, my lady, the second day of the ceremony will be held in the Field of Mars, so I need to be there with the general outfit of mine." He gave you a quick kiss on the shoulder and stood up. You reached down to pick up your tunic from the floor but you felt dizzy and fell back on the bed.

"Aurelia?" Marcus came over and sat on the bed next to you. "My Love, are you alright?" He put his hand on your forehead.

"I think I'm quite hungry, I didn't eat much yesterday."

"I will ask them to bring food for you. Please stay in the room and rest today. I may be back later this evening. I have to pay a visit to the governor afterwards." He said, helping you put your tunic on.

"The governor?"

"Yes, I need to find out where the slaves are and then I will go to check the villa."

"I'd better come with you." You were insistent.

"Aurelia," he shook his head in disapproval. "You simply stay here and rest. I'll find them and have them return to the villa, then we'll go home together, I promise." He took your hand and kissed the top of it. "I have to leave now." He stood up.

"I'll be awaiting for your return."

"Stay safe and rest well, my love." He smiled at you before leaving the room.

Marcus closed the door and made his way downstairs, calling out to Octavius as he walked. Geta heard him and came over. Marcus gave him a nod.

"Acacius, could you tell me where Aurelia is?"

"She's resting in her room, Your Majesty."

"I need to see her," Geta said, heading for the stairs, but Marcus grabbed his arm. Geta looked at him, squinting his eyes.

"She is not feeling well today, you know her condition. Let her get some rest." He spoke in a firm tone.

“Or she is not coming with us? But we'll be leaving soon for the ceremony. Is it safe to leave her here on her own? That wretched Macrinus is still on the loose."

"My soldiers will be waiting outside. The Praetorian guards are inside the palace, and they're loyal to you and the princess."

"I'm not sure, Acacius. Some of the senators are on Macrinus' side, which concerns me. It would be ideal to start ruling officially as soon as possible. I've been informed that the council can meet as an emergency no later than the day after tomorrow. So we must proceed with caution."

"We will, Your Majesty. Now, please allow me to dress properly and then be ready to leave.”

Once Marcus had left, you ate the food that had been delivered to the room and spent a little while resting there. But you soon found the room a bit boring, so you got dressed and left. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the slaves were busy with their daily duties. You went to the tomb in the palace to pay your respects to your father and then went back to the courtyard. Julia had returned from the ceremony and you observed her entering the great hall accompanied by a few people following her. Geta was not present, but it was possible that he was in the great hall as well. It seems likely that Julia was now providing guidance to her son in the running of the empire. You decided to ignore them and go to Cato to check his wounds. However, he was nowhere to be seen, so you walked to the entrance of the great courtyard. There you found him, standing by the gate with another soldier. Upon recognizing you, they saluted you.

“My lady.”

"Cato, I was looking for you. Are your wounds healing well?"

"Thank you, my lady. I am feeling better now. I am truly grateful for your help." He smiled.

"Have you two been standing here all morning? Have you had a chance to eat yet?"

They gazed at each other.

"My lady, the General's orders are clear. We shall eat once he returns." Aris said.

"Sister!"

You turned to Geta's loud voice. He was staggering a little as he walked towards you. Aris and Cato bowed to him. Geta came over, taking your arm.

“I didn't realize you were here,” you said, looking at him.

He let out a sigh. "Well, two funerals for our brother are too much for me to take. I left as quickly as I could. How are you feeling now? Acacius mentioned that you were feeling a little tired this morning."

"I am alright, now." You walked together towards the courtyard. The wound on his forehead was still a bit bad. "I guess no one has treated your wound yet?"

"Hm yes," he said, touching his wound. "Our insane brother has made sure we don't have a medicus here anymore." He let out a sigh. "Even my favourite slave died because of him, poor girl." Then he sat down on the lectus. "It hurts," he murmured.

You approached him. "I am truly sorry brother."

"I meant my wound, silly." He pointed at his forehead.

You smiled at him. "Let me bring you the ointment I prepared earlier." You said and walked towards the palace clinic.

Geta grinned. "If you insist that much."

When you returned with the ointment, you saw Julia sitting next to Geta with a few other women. You recognized some of them – they were your relatives from Leptis Magna. You figured the rest must be the wives of senators. They were all looking at you in a curious way.

"Princess Aurelia, is the child a boy or a girl?" One of them asked.

It was a bit of a strange question to answer yet you didn't want to be too friendly with them. "I suppose it's difficult to tell so soon," you said as you applied the ointment to Geta's wound.

"I have heard some people say that you will give General Acacius a son." One of them said.

"It is necessary to continue the General's family name after all." Another one said.

All of them looked at you, seeking to ascertain any information that might satisfy their curiosity. Julia laughed hysterically. "Aurelia's mother gave birth to a girl, just like her aunts. Given that she has so many girl cousins, I'd say this one will be a girl too.”

One of them, whose demeanor you found to be friendly, made eye contact with Julia and then with you. "After all, Lady Aurelia's mother gave birth to a princess, not an ordinary girl. It is always a possibility that you may give birth to a prince of Rome, my lady."

They all fell silent and glanced furtively at Geta. You put your hands on your belly and smiled. You were almost sure it was a boy, but you had no intention of sharing it with them.

"Stop the nonsense now! You gossipy old women! What difference does it make if it's a boy or a girl? It is going to be my nibling after all. Don't you have a home to go to? I've had enough of you today, so get out of my sight at once!" He waved his hand in a shooing gesture.

They all got up at with murmurs and headed towards the entrance. Julia squinted at you and Geta before following them behind.

"Thank you," you mumbled.

"Don't mind them, they must all be jealous of you."

"Jealous of me?" You asked as you applied the ointment to his wound.

He sighed. "I don't think you realise how splendid and significant you are." He said in a serious tone, like scolding you.

You looked into his eyes but he looked away. "I mean, you're a princess, that's what I mean."

You were startled by the sound of a deep, masculine voice clearing his throat. When you looked in that direction, you saw that Marcus was standing there. You were curious as to how much he had heard. He did not appear angry, or perhaps he was simply trying to keep his promise to you. You stood up and went towards him. You smiled when you noticed the flowers he was holding. They were golden-coloured trollius europaeus (globeflower).

"Or are those for me?" You asked.

"I thought of you when I saw them, my lady. Their colour reminded me of your hair. Did you like them?"

"Yes, they're so lovely, thank you." You said, taking the flowers from him.

"They're overshadowed by your beauty." He said, smiling. Your cheeks flushed.

"Oh, Acacius, you're so romantic!" Geta chuckled.

You both ignored him. "Are you hungry?" you asked. "Come, let me feed you." You said, taking his hand.

"Acacius, where have you been?" Julia asked, walking towards you.

You'd already seen enough of her arrogant face today, and it was starting to bother you.

"I could not see you after the ceremony. We need to talk.’

"I have been preoccupied with personal matters, Lady Domna. What is it?"

Julia looked at you and Geta. "Not here," she said, "Come to the great hall."

“You're so persistent, Mother,” Geta said with a sigh.

You gave your flowers to one of the slaves to take them to your room. Then you followed Julia and Geta to the great hall with Marcus.

"I've been keeping an eye on Macrinus' consuls for a while now," Julia said. You all gathered around the desk with some papers and maps on it. "I've been thinking about how we can get them on our side."

"We? There's no such thing as 'we'." Marcus said firmly.

You smiled when he said exactly what you said before, to the same person.

"You do want to finish Macrinus, don't you? I told you before, that if you had been made a consul by now, maybe we could have stopped him from becoming powerful."

"And I said I'm a soldier, not a politician."

"Yet here we are General. Don't you see how dangerous he is? Caracalla died because of him. Geta and you were close to dying too.”

He put his hands on the desk. "Once the Council declares Cracalla's death a rightful tyrannicide, his will, and all his acts become null and void. Macrinus will be nothing, and I will surely kill him then."

"Even if he dies, his consuls might still support him and not support Geta. I need to get rid of that threat. 'We're on the same side here. He wants something you and I have, right?'

Geta interjected. "I think Acacius is right, Mother. When I rule, Macrinus will lose everything he has. Then we'll kill him easily."

"You're underestimating him. Macrinus has been preparing for this for years, he is so smart yet close to his end now. We just need to give it the final push. I've already won over some of them, but a few are still on his side. I don't know what he's promising them, but if they vote on whether to honour Caracalla's will, he could win."

"We can convince them," You said. "If we tell them the truth; what he's done to Caracalla, how he manipulated him. Then there will be those who want to side with Geta, won't there?"

"You seem pretty sure you can convince them, Aurelia," she said, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea how tough it is going to be?"

Marcus let out a sigh.

You decided to talk back to Julia. "Maybe they need something to believe in then? If we present Geta's possible policy of rule to them and if we can convince them that we need their support to build Rome's future together, those who are truly willing will accept it, won't they?"

"Aah! If they refuse, we'll slaughter them and do it for Rome! Remarkable, sister!" Geta clapped his hands.

"Is killing really the only solution for you?" you said, squinting.

"With your approach, we can only hope, Aurelia," said Julia.

"Lady Aurelia is right," Marcus said. "Emperor Geta needs to convince them." He looked at him sincerely. "They need to see that Macrinus has no power compared to the emperor himself. Show them that you are your father's son, Your Majesty. It's time to behave like a true emperor."

“Acacius, how dare you say that to me?” Geta shouted at him.

Marcus approached him with a stern look on his face. "You must show them, to your people, that you have changed, that you are capable of more than simply acting as a spoilt emperor."

"Don't cross the line!" Geta pointed a finger at him.

"Maybe later Acacius, we do not have time for that. My son is right," Julia said, crossing her arms. "Anyone who supports Caracalla, anyone still backing Macrinus, we must butcher them and seize all their assets. It will make the others fear and obey."

"This is insane,’’ Marcus growled. He looked at Geta. "Then how would you be any different from your brother, the tyrant?"

Geta thought for a moment, looking a little indecisive.

"That's why you wanted to speak with my husband, isn't it? This was not about politics. You want him to do your dirty work!" You walked over Julia. 

She ignored you. "If you don't, the Praetorians will, Acacius."

"I will not kill Roman consuls." He said firmly.

"Well, that's the last resort anyway. It might not be necessary. I've spoken to the consul Albanus' wife." Julia looked at Marcus a little weird way. "If all goes to plan, she'll help us get more than half the council on Geta's side. You must know her Acacius, she was your former wife after all."

Before Julia could say more, Marcus grabbed her by the throat.

"What are you trying to do?" Marcus yelled.

“Acacius!” Geta shouted. You froze.

Julia was having trouble breathing. You grabbed Marcus's arm with both hands and tried to pull it away from Julia's throat, but he was too strong, and you failed. There was pure anger in his eyes, the kind that always makes you feel scared.

"Marcus, please, you'll kill her!" You begged.

But he didn't. The guards drew their swords.

"General! Release the Lady Domna at once!"

"Acacius, are you mad?" Geta shouted. "Take your hands off her now!"

You knew you were the only one who could calm him down, so you touched his face. "Marcus, please, please! She's not worth it. Please! You promised me," you reminded him.

That's when he looked at your eyes and pulled his hands away. Julia started coughing violently. Geta put his hand on her shoulder. The guards sighed with relief and sheathed their swords with his signal. You grabbed Marcus' hand who was still looking at Julia with a deadly stare.

"Enough talk. We're going to retire to our room now." You said, looking at them, tugging Marcus to the outside. Julia was too shaken up to speak, rubbing her throat. Geta wrapped his arm around her, but he wasn't angry as he looked at you.

"Get out of my sight you two!” He said, hoping his voice sounded sharp. He then gave you a wink. You rolled your eyes.

Marcus was still visibly angry, but he didn't resist your tugging. When you left the great hall, it was his turn to tug.

"That's enough! We're not staying here any longer!" He yelled, his voice echoed across the courtyard. Cato and the others came running towards you.

"Where might we go?"

"Sir!" Octavius called out to him. Marcus stopped him by raising his hand.

He then looked at you. "I've spoken to the governor, and we now have some idea of where the slaves are. We must await the council's decision, however.”

"Have you seen them? Are they alright?" You asked. Marcus looked at Octavius, and so did you.

He didn't seem down anymore. "They'll be fine, my lady," he said with a half smile.

Marcus gave his shoulder a little tap. "I sent Octavius to check them. They'll be out of there soon and we'll return our home, together." He smiled.

"We will," you smiled back.

Marcus turned his head to Octavius. "I need you to get the horse ready a bit earlier than planned."' He said.

"As you wish." He nodded and left.

"But if we're not staying here, and if we're not staying in the villa either, then where are we staying?" You asked Marcus curiously.

He touched your face. "Can I ask you to be patient, my lady? I want to surprise you."

"Surprise me?" You raised your eyebrows.

Marcus smirked. "Make sure you get your things from the room because we're not coming back here again." He said as you walked to the room together.

It was fair to say you didn't have much stuff anyway, given that you were brought here by force. Your old clothes were in a bad state, so they were thrown away. Marcus told you to wear ordinary clothes, and you did. He dressed similarly too. Then you both put on your black cloaks to avoid attention outside. The bad memories you had of this room in the last few days had turned into good memories with Marcus there, so you never thought you would feel a little bit sad when you were about to leave the room.

"My love." Marcus wrapped his arm around you. "If you're not feeling well, we can stay here another night."

"No, I'm fine, we can leave, now," you said with a smile. He put your things in his pera bag and hold your hand. You looked around one last time before leaving the room, noticing the flowers he had brought you on the table. "Marcus! My flowers!"

He stopped you from going there by pulling your hand. "Why don't you leave them here? There are plenty more where we're going. Come."

"What kind of place are we going, I wonder?" You asked as you walked towards the stairs.

"Patience is a virtue, princess." He said, smiling cockily.

"It wouldn't be very virtuous not to answer the Princess's question, would it, General?" You teased him.

He laughed. "So as a princess, you're going to rule over your husband, are you?"

"Can't I?" You asked in a sweet voice.

He stopped and looked at you, his eyes were buttery and intense. "As if you had not already conquered me, as if I were nothing but your humble servant." His voice was really deep, and you could feel your heart beating faster. As he spoke, he brought his lips close to yours.

"Gods above! Are you abandoning me?" Geta's voice interrupted you.

You both looked back at him, his lips twisted like a little boy.

“We can't stay here any longer, brother.”

"But isn't your villa still under repair? And isn't it dangerous out there, Acacius? Where do you think you're taking her?"

"My wife, Lady Aurelia, will be with me. So there's no need to worry, Your Majesty." Marcus spoke in a firm voice. "The soldiers will stay here with you, please do not leave the palace until the day of the council."

Geta kept his eyes on you as if he couldn't hear him. "Make sure of her safety," he muttered.

Marcus squinted at him. "I will."

You sighed. "I'll be fine, brother. I wish you the best of luck with Lady Domna, though." You said quietly.

"I suppose I'll just have to hope that God Fortuna is on my side on that one.” He laughed. He then stepped closer and hugged you. Marcus tensed but remained still. "Take care of yourself and my nephew, or it'll be bad for you."

You smiled and nodded. Marcus squeezed your hand. "We'd better leave now. Your majesty." He bowed his head and turned around, pulling you with him.

The sun was about to set when Marcus stopped the horse on the slope of a hill. It had been quite a long and jarring journey for you. While you were on the horse, he walked the other half of the way so as not to tire the horse out with the weight of the two of you. Thankfully, you arrived soon after.

"My lady." He held out his arms and helped you down. It was a wooded area, with the city silhouetted in the distance, and the Colosseum was the most prominent silhouette.

"We need to walk the rest of the way. Do you think you can make it?"

"I believe I can manage, but this is the middle of the woods."

He smiled. "We're not quite there yet, princess." He took your hand, holding the horse's reins in the other. The path was uneven, with many stones and bushes along the way. After a while, you were sweating and out of breath. Marcus tied the horse and slung the saddle bag over his shoulder.

"We're almost there, let me carry you.” He carefully lifted you in his arms. He was considerate and careful when carrying you. After a little while, you became aware of a rumbling sound, which you thought might be water, and turned your head in that direction. After walking among a few trees, Marcus carefully set you down.

"We have arrived."

Your mouth opened in awe as you looked around, taking in your surroundings. Beautiful meadow field with fresh grass and multicolored flowers in nature against a blurry blue sky with clouds. A waterfall was cascading on mountain rocks ahead, the trees with flowers blooming in heavy clusters all over their branches. The gentle chirping of birds and the soothing sound of the waterfall blended together, creating a harmonious ambiance. Could this be what Elysium on Earth is like?

You were blown away by the view. Marcus' arms wrapped around you from behind. "Are you pleased, my love?"

"Marcus, this place is incredible." You murmured.

He leaned down, rested his chin on your shoulder, and whispered in your ear. "A place where no one can find us or bother us. I think I've kidnapped a beautiful princess from the palace for myself." He laughed.

You turned your head towards him. "Oh, that can't be. I'll have to call for help," you teased.

"Do as you please, my lady." His hands grabbed your thighs and pulled against his crotch. "But I must say, no one can hear you here." He grabbed your chin, turned you around and kissed you passionately.

The kiss became heated and all-consuming. Marcus' eager hands quickly found the belt of your dress and quickly undid it. For a moment, you realised you were overexcited and then you tensed up.

"Marcus, are we really going to make love here?" you asked, glancing down at the grass and flowers.

He shrugged. ‘Why not? No one could come here. Besides, I have come prepared." He bent down and opened his saddle bag. "I must ensure my princess is comfortable." He took a linen blanket out of it and laying it down on the grass. Then he held out his hand to you. "My lady.”

As soon as you touched his hand, he pulled you to him, making you gasp. "Relax, my love. Only the birds can see us here." He slowly he lowered the straps of your dress down your arms. "Let them bear witness to our love." He gave you another kiss, and then he carefully slid your dress down your waist let it fall to the ground. Then he took you in his arms and carefully laid you down on the blanket.The gentle breeze from the waterfall caressed your back, but as your body was filled with a sense of desire, burning with lust, you felt no chill. Marcus removed his shawl and tunic with haste and lay down next to you. As his warm hands explored your body, you shivered with excitement at the change in atmosphere. It was unlike anything you had ever experienced before, a blend of primal and seductive.

"You look absolutely breathtaking lying in the meadow among the flowers." He said it in a husky voice. He took your face in his hands and kissed you deeply. His hands explored every inch of your body, while yours travelled over his shoulders. His warm and inviting lips traced a path to your chin, and his knee pressed firmly between your legs. He sensed your unease and knew how to ease it. He slowly moved his lips from your knees to your hips, and you opened your legs for him, your nervousness now replaced by desire. His strong hands gripped your hips firmly and he smiled triumphantly. All you could feel was his wet tongue, his lips and his beard tickling you as he continued to devour you, all of you. You let out a loud moan as Marcus licked, sucked and bit your aroused folds, most sensitive spot, taking you to the edge. You gripped the hem of the blanket and grass, as moaned loudly not caring if anyone could hear. Gasping for breath, you were surprised to feel the grass between your fingers that you had unintentionally plucked. Marcus wiped your wetness from his chin with his fingers and licked it and settled between your legs. You put your arms around his neck as he kissed you adoringly, hungrily. Both of you savoring the unique feeling of him having you on the meadow under the dark sky. His eager thrusts got deeper, and your back arched, making you look up at the sky. The light was fading, and the birdsong had given way to the sound of crickets. He placed his big hand tenderly under your head as if it were a special pillow for you. His other hand gripped your thigh possessively. His lips traced over your flesh more tenderly and possessively than his hands as he made you his. After a few wonderful thrusts from him and a cry of pleasure from you, his hand grasped the nape of your neck and his mouth found yours. He groaned loudly, almost animalistic as he filled you with his hot liquid, accompanied by the sound of water cascading in the darkness. It was a rather blissful sound to hear. He rested his sweaty forehead between your breasts and remained until your breathing settled. As you ran your fingers through his hair, you felt his lips curl into a smile on your belly. Then his lips moved from your sternum to your collarbone, to your chin and finally to your lips. When his big body was pulled off of you, the cool night wind licked your damp body and made you shiver.

"You must be feeling cold, my lady," he said, standing up.

"A little," you said, hugging your arms, and rubbing them.

Marcus returned with another blanket. He wrapped it around you quite tightly.

"You came well prepared, General," you giggled.

"I told you so," he smirked. He put on his tunic and started picking up some twigs. "I need to start a fire, so you won't be cold anymore." He said.

You watched him as your whole body was wrapped in the blanket. He picked up some stones from around and put them on the grass. He put the twigs and woods he'd collected in the middle of the stones and opened his saddle bag again. He picked up a flint with a sharp point and a piece of steel, the materials needed to start a fire. He put the flint in the thin bushes and struck the flint with the steel in his hand, and after a few strokes, a spark appeared. Marcus blew on the twigs and it burst into flame. You smiled and clapped your hands. "Impressive, General.”

"The perks of being a soldier, I suppose." He said, smiling, as he threw a few thick sticks and pieces of wood on the fire. You wanted to move closer to the fire to warm your body up, but Marcus had swaddled you like a baby, so you couldn't move. He laughed at your stubborn effort and came to you, wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to the fire. You tugged the blanket and spread your arm to the side, inviting him in. "My love, the fire is good but I need your warmth, will you?"

He smiled. "Whatever my lady wishes for I shall treat as a command." He said and sat down next to you and snuggled up to you under the blanket. His arms wrapped around you and made you lie down with him. "There's no moon tonight, so you can see the stars clearly," he said.

He was correct in his assertion, that the sky had a marvelous sight, akin to a feast of stars. The wood burning with crackle and the sound of the waterfall cascading, as if determined to flow forever, the crickets and the two of you breathing, and the stars themselves—all these elements combined to create a scene that was nothing short of sublime. You simply enjoyed gazing at the stars until you felt your eyes growing heavy.

The day before the Council.

As the first light of the day began to illuminate the meadow with its gentle yellow light, the birds had already started their cheerful songs, welcoming the new day. You continued to listen to the sound of the waterfall and the song of the birds without opening your eyes, and after a while, when the bright sunlight filtered through the trees and fell on your eyelids, you closed your eyes tightly. However, you then became aware of a certain darkness, as if a shadow had fallen, and you decided to open your eyes. When you did so, you were somewhat surprised to see that Marcus's big hand was right above your face. Had he perhaps been protecting you from the sunlight? You took his hand, brought it to your lips and kissed it.

“Morning.” You murmured into his palm, his thumb tracing the curve of your lips.

"My lady, I've decided to forego making a list, but I wonder if I might call this morning the best morning ever?"

"You may do so, General." You smiled.

He smiled back, then locked his eyes on yours. "Your eyes shine almost green in the sunlight like an oasis in the desert, so beautiful." He touched your face with his hand and leaned in to kiss you, with love, passion, and devotion. "You must be hungry," he said after breaking the kiss. He lifted the blanket from around himself and stood up. You sat down and looked at him curiously.

"Did you bring food too?" You asked while you were fixing your hair, taking a few leaves out with your fingers. You got up, found your tunic in the grass and put it on.

"I need to make sure my princess is well-fed." Marcus returned to your side with the bundle in his hand. He sat down next to you and undid the bundle's knots, taking out a few pieces of bread and fruit. He popped a piece of bread into your mouth and then into his own. He peeled the apple for you and made sure you ate it all.

"My lady, I must give this back to you."

"Hmm?" When you looked at him he was holding your scabbard in his hand. You opened your eyes wide and grabbed Marcus' wrist with both hands. "Marcus! This was poisoned!" You shouted.

"Calm down, my love. I've washed and cleaned it. Look." He pulled the knife out of its sheath with a sharp metal sound, it was shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Then, you know what I've done." You mumbled. You bowed your head, that tormenting feeling was there again. He put a finger under your chin and lifted your head to look at him.

"I know, and I'm proud of you. Honestly, I'm impressed, I don't think even I could have thought of such a thing." He kissed the tip of your nose. "I've fallen in love with you once again, princess."

You raised your eyebrows. "Really?"

"Indeed. I think it's an act quite befitting the wife of a Roman General, so you needn't feel guilty, my love."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your head in his collarbone. "Thank you. I don't feel guilty anymore, I guess."

He wrapped his arm around you. "Good. It's a relief to know that he died in the same pain I suffered before.”

You felt a pang of sadness when you thought about how you'd seen him suffer the first time you saw him.

You heard a horse approaching, its hooves striking the ground with a sudden, startling noise. Marcus quickly stood up and reached for his sword. "You stay here," he said, gesturing with his hand. It sounded like it was coming from where you first came from. Marcus drew his sword and made his way forward with caution. You got tense, but then he put his sword back in its sheath.

"Octavius," he said quietly, looking at you and then walking over.

"Sir!" You felt a sense of relief when you heard Octavius' voice. He gave you a salute from a distance.

"Why have you come? Is something wrong?" Marcus asked.

"The Council has decided to meet urgently today, sir."

"How? It was scheduled to meet tomorrow."

"Sir, I believe it was a unanimous decision, although I'm not entirely sure. I am here to inform you and also..." Octavius looked at you hesitantly.

"Continue."

"Lady Aurelia must be in the palace, as Caracalla's act has not yet been invalidated and she is therefore still under house arrest. The Praetorian guards are looking for her everywhere."

Marcus clenched his jaw. "Damn you Caracalla." He hissed.

You stood up and approached the two of them. "If that's what it takes, I must go, Marcus. I will be free after the council declares so, right?"

"No, something doesn't feel right. And I can't just trust the guards with Macrinus still out there. That cunt will surely do something to disrupt the council."

"So what do we do, sir?”

"It would be best for her to wait elsewhere until the council has made its decision."

"Where else can I stay for the time being?" You asked, looking at him.

"Somewhere where he or the guards can't find you easily," he murmured. Then something must have occurred to him because he smiled and turned to Octavius. "Inform a few men and station them by the poorhouse. Lady Aurelia will stay there until the council is over."

"Yes, sir."

"Off you go, quickly!"

Octavius nodded and rushed towards his horse.

"Will I be staying in the poorhouse?" You were surprised.

"Yes, my lady, it is safer for you to stay there. Most of the Praetorian guards are still on Macrinus' side. Why do you think I put men in the palace in the first place? Come now my love, I need get you to there as soon as possible.”

Upon your arrival at the poorhouse, you were greeted by the soldiers he had sent for, who were already there. You were feeling somewhat fatigued. The children approached you and gathered around you, expressing their longing for your presence. You smiled at them, although your body was rather tired. Marcus was quick to perceive this and called out to the women in the vicinity.

"Princess is to take a seat and make sure she is comfortable."

They nodded and carried a lectus to the courtyard. Marcus made you sit and knelt next to you, taking your hand in his.

"My love, please await here patiently. Once this is all over, I shall send the carriage to retrieve you."

"Do not concern yourself with me. Please attend to Geta at the council; he will need your presence, there.”

He nodded. "It will all be over soon, my lady and I will then be solely focused on exploring the possibilities of returning home from my duties at an earlier hour." He kissed the top of your hand and stood up. "I will arrange for you to be taken as soon as the council makes a decision.” He said, mounting. He looked at you one last time before he kicked his horse forward. You smiled at him.

Once he'd left, you closed your eyes and leaned back to get some rest. The soldiers who had stayed to keep an eye on you spread out and, like you, waited to see what the council would decide.

After a short rest, a few of the boys you had met earlier approached you and asked you questions about Marcus. They saw him as a hero. You had a long chat about his armour, his sword and the tigers he killed in the Colosseum. You found yourself hoping that one day you might be able to have a chat with your own children about their father and his victories. You had hoped to give Marcus a son. You hoped to raise a son who was as brave, fearless, and good-hearted as Marcus.

It was not long after noon when the sound of a carriage's wheels and the echo of horses' hooves pounding on the stone streets was heard. When the soldiers gathered there, you stood up and looked around curiously. One of the soldiers then demanded that the coachman identify himself.

"Sir, General Acacius sent me here to take Lady Aurelia to Palatine Hill." He said to them.

"Has the Council announced their decision?" You asked.

The man bowed his head. "Forgive me, my lady, I am not yet informed, I am merely following orders, the General has ordered me to take you."

"We will accompany you, my lady," said one of the soldiers.

You nodded. Marcus had given them strict orders, after all. One of them helped you into the carriage and you sat down. The council meeting was over sooner than you thought it would be, but Marcus wouldn't have sent it for you if the decision hadn't been made. You couldn't wait to get back to him and then back to the villa together. You were filled with excitement.

However, the carriage suddenly stopped with a loud horse neighed. You gripped your seat tightly to prevent yourself from falling.

"My lady, forgive me!" the coachman called out to you.

You peeked out the door to see what was going on. The road ahead was obstructed by the overturned carts of market vendors. It seemed as though the owners of the carts were engaged in a discussion.

"Head to the other way, turn round now!" One of the soldiers shouted at the coachman. He then turned toward you. "My lady, please get inside and sit down."

You did as he said. The coachman turned his horses in the other direction and entered a narrow alleyway, causing a slower pace of travel while the soldiers followed the carriage from behind. After traversing a few streets, the coachman brought his horses to a halt once more. And before the soldiers had a chance to react, they were struck by arrows that came from nowhere. When you heard horses neighed loudly by fear, you rushed out and were shocked by the sight you saw. They had fallen from their horses and perished from the arrows that had struck their bodies. You looked ahead and saw a few Praetorian guards with bows in their hands.

"Lady Aurelia."

A chill ran down your spine as you heard the familiar voice. You turned your head slowly to face him.

Macrinus approached you with an arrogant grin. "Did you miss me?”

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[memories-of-ancients]

Just curious, why do you think Rome fell?

OMG do you really have to ask such a big question right before I was going to bed anon? Well, here are the primary reasons IMO as a Roman history buff.

Lots of Civil Wars --- The Romans going way back to the days of the Republic were constantly fighting over who was going to be boss. Sulla fought a civil war and took over Rome and declared himself dictator, ditto Julius Caesar, and of course Octavian did the same and became the first emperor. During the empire there were many civil wars over who would be emperor as the Imperial system often lacked rules for succession resulting in dynastic struggles and civil wars. Not that it would have mattered if they did, as they probably would have just ignored the rules. In the 3rd century the empire underwent a 50 year period of near constant civil war known as the Crises of the Third Century. Constantine became emperor after killing all his opponents in a civil war. The later half of the 4th century had more civil wars. Even in the 5th century factions were fighting each for control of an empire that was collapsing all around them. No side wins a civil war because they are bloody, destructive, there are no spoils of war. There is only self destruction, they are about as helpful to a country as would a person shooting himself in the foot. All the money and resources that went into fighting civil wars and rebuilding after the war was money and resources not being used to maintain infrastructure, maintain public works, regulate the economy, defend from outside threats, and maintain the government.

2. Political Instability --- Most emperors did not die of natural causes, most emperors were murdered, or committed suicide, or died in battle, or died in a prison cell. Roman government was chalk full of power hungry psychopaths who were willing to murder their way to the top. Sometimes emperors could come and go quickly, with reigns lasting 2-3 years or less in the 3rd century.

Roman political history was rife with intrigue, assassinations, and coups occurring all the time. It was like Game of Thrones except instead of lasting 8 seasons it lasted 500 years.

3. The Army Became a Powerful Interest Group --- If you were a Roman emperor the army was a double edged sword. They were good in that they maintained peace and order in the empire and protected it from invaders. They were bad for you in that they could revolt and murder you, replacing you with someone they liked more. Even your own guard, the Praetorian Guards, couldn't be trusted as they could easily slit your throat in your sleep and declare someone else as emperor. To make sure the army was happy, you gave them big pay bonuses called donatives. Basically official bribes paid to keep the soldiers of the army loyal and happy. With each successive emperor the annual donative became bigger and bigger and thus a greater strain on the Imperial Treasury. If an emperor didn't pay up, he could be murdered by his own soldiers. Thus a lot of public money was paid just to keep the army happy so they didn't end up starting another civil war.

4. A Fucked up Economy --- Maintaining a large standing army to defend a large empire is expensive. Fighting civil wars is expensive. Rebuilding after civil wars is expensive. Constant regime change is expensive. Political intrigue is expensive. Eventually it got to the point where there just wasn't enough money to pay for all that. So emperors just minted more money, decreasing the silver content and minting more copper coins until eventually Roman money became worthless.

Today Roman money is still worthless. Go on ebay and find the cheapest Roman coins you can buy. Except for rarer collectibles Roman coins are still very plentiful and thus very cheap to collect. Worthless money made trade and commerce difficult, and thus the economy suffered. Not to mention constant bloody and destructive civil wars were damaging the economy. Political instability also damaged the economy.

5. Growing Disparity in Wealth --- Over time with civil wars and political instability the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Eventually wealth became so concentrated in the upper class that the middle class disappeared entirely by the late 4th - 5th century. By then the average Roman was in a bad way. They had no opportunities and most Romans were forced to live as tenant farmers, essentially sharecroppers.

6. A Corrupt Tax System --- Meanwhile the wealthy became so powerful that they were able to wield that power so that they did not have to pay taxes. They could exploit loopholes, manipulate laws in their favor, or bribe their way out of paying. To try to make up the revenue, tax collectors attempted to squeeze the lower classes, which of course, didn't have any money. Thus by the late 4th - 5th century the empire was severely underfunded. This resulted in the degradation of infrastructure, public works, the army, the weakening of the government, and less investment in the economy and commerce.

7. Patronage --- By the 5th century the average Roman was out of opportunities and the middle class was gone entirely. More and more the lower class Roman was being squeezed for tax money, money which they didn't have. So in order to survive, Roman lower classes sold their services to a wealthy patron. The patron would house you and protect you and take care of your tax problems. If you were lucky and had special skills like a craftsman or artist you could make a good living under a patron. If not, you probably ended up a tenant farmer tied to the land of the patron, essentially a sharecropper, a serf, or a peasant. Due to this change in the socio economic system power was drawn away from the Imperial government and was redirected to the wealthy patrons. Thus the empire was becoming decentralized.

This would become the basis for medieval feudalism.

8. No One Wanted to Join the Army --- Why would you? You're dirt poor and have no opportunities. If you joined the army you may not even get the opportunity to defend the empire, as you're gonna get killed in a stupid civil war fighting a fellow Roman who is also dirt poor and has no opportunities. Your government is corrupt, your emperor is a snobbish entitled incompetent dipshit who was out of touch with reality, the tax man is trying to squeeze you for money you don't have, you have no rights, you've been forced to become a peasant to a proto-feudal lord, and it is clear the empire is dying. By the mid 5th century most Romans were like, "let it fucking die". As a result, the army suffered severe manpower shortages. Right at the time when Goths and Franks and Vandals and Huns are going to start swarming into the empire.

These to me are the primary reasons for the fall. Anyone have anything else to add in addition to this?

[ducktoonsfanart]

Scrooge McDuck as Julius Caesar and the March Ides and Donald Duck as an ancient Greek mathematician (Pythagoras and Archimedes) and Pi Day - Fearsome Four (Bushroot, Liquidator, Quackerjack and Megavolt) from Darkwing Duck and March and April holidays - Duck comics, Darkwing Duck and Duckverse - My style

Even though I'm late and don't arrive on time, I still decided to draw something related to the international days that are celebrated during March and early April. So I drew a few drawings related to that. The first drawing I drew shows Donald and Scrooge dressed from the classical period (the time of ancient Greece and ancient Rome) related to March 14th and 15th, or according to the ancient Romans, the days of the Ides of March. Ides, or in Latin Idus, means the middle of the month, and on that March 15th in 44 BC, before the birth of Christ, a terrible event occurred in the then Roman Republic when corrupt senators led by Brutus and Cassius killed the Roman dictator and leader Gaius Julius Caesar, which put the Roman state in danger and a new civil war. In the end, the senators who killed Caesar were punished and after more than 15 years, the civil war ended with the victory of Caesar's grandson-nephew Octavian Augustus, who declared himself emperor, and Rome became the capital of the Roman Empire. Scrooge McDuck is here as Gaius Julius Caesar and it's part of my Duckverse in History, luckily he wasn't killed, but he got a lot of knives in his salad like Caesar's salad. By the way, Caesar's salad was only created in 1924, named after the Italian chef Caesar Cardini who worked at Caesar's restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, so it has nothing to do with Gaius Julius Caesar, but that's how a meme related to it was created. You can imagine Scrooge's reaction to that. "Beware of the Ides of March!" By the way, if you are more interested in Scrooge as Caesar, look here:

Donald Duck is here as an ancient Greek mathematician like Pythagoras who gave the Pythagorean theorem regarding a triangle and how it is calculated. "The sum of the areas of the two squares on the legs (a and b) equals the area of ​​the square on the hypotenuse (c)." You can see the given formula in the drawing. By the way, Pythagoras is one of the greatest mathematicians of all time and lived in the 6th century BC and came from the Greek island of Samos. He was an excellent geometer and was a lover of music, and he also founded a secret order related to that. More precisely, I was inspired by the cartoon "Donald in Mathmagic Land" from 1959 in which Donald goes to the land of mathematics and then goes back in time to Ancient Greece and meets Pythagoras and becomes a member of his society. March 14th is the International Day of Mathematics because of the infinite number Pi, which is a Greek letter in their alphabet and is often used in mathematics and physics. "It is defined as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle or as the ratio of the area of ​​a circle to the square over its radius." The number is actually 3.14159…It is also called Archimedes' constant by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes from the third century BC who lived in Syracuse, now Sicily. The number Pi was introduced there by William Jones and popularized by Leonard Euler in the 18th century. On that March 14th, 1879, physicist Albert Einstein was born, so that day is also celebrated as Einstein's Day. That's why I drew Donald wearing ancient Greek clothes with the letter Pi on his T-shirt, and wearing a green laurel wreath.

The other two drawings are related to Darkwing Duck, or rather the villainous team of the Fearsome Four consisting of Bushroot, Liquidator, Megavolt and Quackerjack, certainly a great team and I drew them also related to international days. Dr. Reginald Bushroot wears a Leprechaun hat and a four-leaf clover, which also marks St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17. Bud Flud (Flood), or Liquidator, presents his product of bottled plastic water, which marks International Water Day, which is celebrated on March 22. Water is certainly important to us, and plants and water definitely go together. And finally, Quackerjack and Megavolt together while Quackerjack holds a toy tooth that winds up, and they mark International April Fool's Day, which is celebrated on April 1. I haven't drawn them in a long time, and they deserve it so I drew them, and they are also one of my favorite characters.

I hope you like these drawings and that you like these characters, especially from Darkwing Duck and that you like these ideas, and feel free to like and reblog this, just please don't copy this without mentioning me and without my permission. Thank you! And I apologize for the long post. Also happy holidays celebrating this that I tagged.

[inahandful-of-dust]

I keep seeing Ides of March posts so I feel the need to point out some facts:

1 - first of all: his name wasn't JULIUS - he was Gaius Iulius Caesar

Romans (men) were given three names at birth: the first (called praenomen, basically how we think of first names today), the nomen (which was the name of the gens, meaning the "family"(/dinasty in the imperial age); and the cognomen which originally was basically a nickanme, and only later (republican period and imperial age) were passed down from father to son, even if it still reflected some (mainly physical) characteristics

for example the Emperor Caligola is so called because Caligola was his cognomen (because of a habit he had in his youth of wearing a specific type of shoes) - or Cicerone (= Cicero) which derived form one of his ancestor's physical traits

the cognemon is what most latin/roman people are known as today - just off the top of my head: Cicerone (Cicero), Caesar, Caligola (Caligula), Catullo (Catullus), Marziale (a poet),

so yeah, just thought I would bore you all with this short "history lesson"

2 - - he was not an emperor

I understand why people have the wrong notion that: Caesar was the first roman emperor - because, for thos who lear rushed roman history it goes something like: Caesar was murdered because he was becomign a tyrant, and then there was another civil war and his son (technically nephew but he was adopted so lets simplify this a bit, shall we?) took over as the first emperor

which. yeah. sort of

politics are a complicated thing tho

for those who didn't study roman history, here is a brief sum-up:

the roman republic (literally: res publica, meaning literally: public affair, or, from the ltieral words used in latin: thing of the people) has a series of institutions and roles, all of which were not a one-man-job, but of at least two people for mandate

there was, however, a specific position conferred by the consuls (dictator) which conferred unlimied power - even over the consuls - for a limitated period of time, usually given to go through a particualrly dire emergency; this usually lasted only six months, after which the power and higher title went bck to the consuls

Caesar was named Dictator, and only after the time limit on said postion was removed (and he was called dictator perpetuus) did his political enemies start to feel threatened - but he was never neither an Emperor nor what we nowadays consider a "tyrant" (which, as it happens, in my language is literally the translation of the latin word dictator, but it holds a completely different meaning from what romans used it for)

(for your information, after Caesar's assassination, the position of dictator was abolished and never revived)

if you keep being confused because Caes was, in fact, called imperator that is easily fixed: while (again, in Italian) imperator IS the word from which the title of imperatore (emperor) derives from, in latin it means, and was used for, the highest commander of an army, specifically someone who had won an important war/battle - which Caesar did with the conquest of the province of nowadays(roughly part of) France

[barbwritesstuff]

Is Gaius named after emperor Caligula by any chance?

No.

Ancient Roman names are confusing. I'm not going to dive too deeply into it (because I don't fully understand it), but the Romans usually had three names. Eg. Gaius Julius Caesar.

The first name was called a praenomen and was an intimate name usually used only by close friends or family.

Which is why we usually just say: Julius Caesar.

The second name is a nomen which is typically a family name. The third name is a cognomen, which is kinda like a nickname that most people used to get by day to day.

In Blood Moon, when Gaius was first introduced, I wanted Gaius and Lucius to use praenomans when speaking to each other (because brothers), and Gaius gave the wolves permission to use his given name too, which was a) for ease of readership and b) because he's weird and deranged and wanted the wolves to talk to him as if they were close friends.

Now, according to Wikipedia:

By the first century BC, the praenomina remaining in general use at Rome were: Appius, Aulus, Caeso, Decimus, Gaius, Gnaeus, Lucius, Mamercus, Manius, Marcus, Numerius, Publius, Quintus, Servius, Sextus, Spurius, Titus, and Tiberius.

There are only 18 choices.

I couldn't use Marcus (because Marco was already a character in the story and that might be confusing) but I also wanted names that wouldn't throw modern readers too much, which excluded a lot on this list. Remember, I wasn't planning a sequel at this stage. These were originally just going to be characters that appeared once in one playthrough.

Quick, easy to remember names were key, especially as the court was going to be chock full of various new vampire characters.

(This is also why I used the name 'Medici' in this scene. Quick, easy to remember, and some worrying implications for those that might know a bit about history).

So I picked Gaius and Lucius for the vampire brother kings.

Gaius Dominus (no noman because he has no real Roman family) and Lucius Hostus Dentatus.

Cartoon bad guy names, but they're vampires, so they get a pass.

When I started writing Thicker Than I tried REALLY hard to make Gaius go by his other name/title, Dominus. But my brain wasn't doing great when it came to renaming him, so he's still just Gaius.

Eventually I also gave him a second cognomen (Caesar) because that literally just means king and it makes sense he'd have it.

I can't believe I lay in bed for 15 minutes typing this out on my phone. 😅 I hope it's not too long or boring.

[inhumanliquid]

Julius Caesar was never an emperor, by the way. Rome wasn't an empire until after he died. He was the last ruler of the Roman Republic, yes. But not an emperor. The first Roman emperor was Augustus Caesar.

[inspofromancientworld]

Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

Source: By Sergey Sosnovskiy from Saint-Petersburg, Russia - Caligula. Copenhagen, New Carlsberg Glyptotek., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132607286

Born 31 August 12 CE, Gaius Caesar Augusts Germanicus, known as Gaius or Caligula, was the third of six children of Germanicus Julis Caesar, the grandson of Mark Antony, and Marcus Vispanius Agrippina, also known as Agrippina the Elder to distinguish her from Julia Agrippina, her half-sister. His mother was the daughter of a close supporter of Augustus, the first Roman emperor and her brothers, Lucius and Gaius, were adopted by Augustus. His father, his mother's second cousin, was adopted by Tiberius Julius Ceasar Augustus, the second emperor of Rome. He was two years old when Tiberius took the throne.

At about four or five, Gaius went with his parents and siblings to Germania while on campaign. His mother made him a tiny uniform to wear, including tiny boots (caligae), leading the soldiers to call him 'Caligula' ('little boots'). His father was well respected among his troops and expected to follow Tiberius as emperor. He did so well in Germania that he was awarded a triumph and had his children ride in his chariot during the procession. The family was then sent on a tour to Rome's allies and Caligula gave a speech publicly at the age of six. His father contracted a fatal illness and died in Antioch, Syria in 19 CE at the age of 33. He believed he was poisoned by Gnaius Calpurnius Piso, though popular opinion believed he was poisoned by Tiberius to clear the way to become the next emperor.

After his father's death, the family returned to Rome and Agrippina made no secret that she planned for her sons to take the throne, which soured her relationship with Tiberius. Tiberius already believed he was constantly under threat so he tried Agrippa and her son Nero Julius Caesar for treason and 'shameful sexual activities' with each other. They were banished when Caligula was 17. Nero was sent to the island of Pontia and was either killed or encouraged to kill himself two years later. Agrippina was sent to Pandateria where Drusus was later exiled for 'sexual misdemeanors' when Caligula was 18. Drusus was starved to death in prison three years later. Agrippina died the same year as Drusus. This left Caligula as Tiberius' heir.

When Agrippa was first exiled, Caligula was sent to live with Liva Drusilla, his great-grandmother and Tiberius' mother, though he remained a hostage of Tiberius along with his three younger sisters. After Nero died, Tiberius brought Caligula to Capri, where he was living at the time. According to Philo, a Jewish diplomat and witness, Caligula befriended Naevius Sutorius Macro, a Praetorian prefect. Macro was able to protect Caligula from Tiberius' suspicions about his ambitions. He was described as well-informed and -spoken, intelligent, a 'natural actor', and well aware of his tenuous safety under Tiberius. He hid his resentment of how Tiberius treated him and his family by being obsequious to Tiberius.

The same year his mother and brother Drusus died, Tiberius married Caligula to Junia Claudilla, who was the daughter of an allied Senator Marcus Junius Silanus. He was given many political promotions until he was a consul. The next year, Junia and her child died in childbirth.

When Caligula was 23, Tiberius named him and Gemellus, Tiberius' 16 year old grandson, joint heirs with the assumption that he would live to Gemellus' majority. According to Philo, Tiberius preferred Gemellus but doubted his ability to rule and was convinced that Gemellus would meet some type of mischief if Caligula ruled. Tiberius wasn't convinced by Caligula's apparent obsequiousness and thought him 'erratic and unreliable', believing that Caligula was fond of 'cruelty, torture, and sexual vice of every kind', calling him a 'viper'. Later scholars question the validity of this view, given Tiberius' known paranoia as well as blending in sensationalized accounts of Caligula's later rule.

By Gryffindor - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1021153

Tiberius died at the age of 77 on 16 March 37 CE. Rumors were circulated that either Caligula or Macro or both were responsible for his death. Philo, and later Josephus, claimed that Tiberius' death was natural. The Praetorian guards called 25 year old Caligula emperor the same day. As the acknowledged heir and sole heir of his father's household, he was ratified as imperator two days later and named principate on the 28th or 29th of March when he entered Rome, granting him the 'right and power to decide on all affairs'. It wasn't until he was confirmed that Caligula began using the titles he'd been granted.

Some people resented the games that Caligula played, thinking he manipulated his way to the throne, having made a study on his anticipated role of primus inter pares ('first among equals') and as princieps legibus solutus ('a princeps not bound by the laws'). He treated the Senate with tact, though much of their imaged power actually was held by the emperor and performed his duty by requesting divine honors for Tiberius, but this was voided. Gemellus' co-reign because he was still a minor, and the Senate rationalized that Tiberius was 'insane' to name two heirs. Despite the fact that Tiberius' will being voided, Caligula upheld many of the stipulations, including a payment to each of the praetorian guards, which Caligula doubled. He also made payments to every citizen in Rome and started building projects with large budgets.

Macro is credited with preparing Caligula for his accession, leading to a 'brilliantly stage-managed affair' as Caligula was sworn in, especially for someone who was previously unknown to the public. His lavish funeral for Tiberius, including his eulogy gained him good will from the people, which Philo indicated was universal, especially after the introduction of grand games.

This universal good will lasted seven months, according to Philo and two years by Josephus. Caligula accepted every honor and title except pater patriae ('father of the father land'), which he later accepted on 21 September 37 CE. He named his uncle Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Claudius, his consular colleague despite Claudius' limp and stammer, which were 'something of a public embarrassment'. He also made a grand spectacle of burning Tiberius' secret papers, which were records of treason trials of high ranking Romans, claiming falsely he hadn't read them before doing so. In this act, he claimed to have restored the 'security of the laws' after Tiberius' illness.

In mid-October 37 CE, Caligula fell gravely ill, taking a month to fully recover. In the aftermath of the worst of his illness, Caligula began a purge of suspected adversaries. Withe the forced suicide of the eminent Senator and Caligula's former father-in-law Silanus. Gemellus also was 'disposed of' as he turned 18 and was considered a legal adult, though exactly how is uncertain. In early 38 CE, Macro was forced to commit suicide as well.

In 38 CE, Caligula named Marcus Ameilius Lepidus, a Patrician and Caligula's brother-in-law and possibly his lover, married to his sister Julia Drusilla. He also married his sister Drusilla, but Drusilla died on 19 June of that year. Bereft, Caligula named her Panthea ('All Goddesses') and declared a period of universal morning.

Caligula enjoyed the plebeian spectacles of gladiator contests, chariot and horse racing, gambling, and theatre. He was granted an exemption to sumptuary laws and increased the number of gladiators in Rome for his games. He made no secret of his favorites in sports or theatre, generally being 'one of the crowd' when he was a spectator. He even drove his favorite racehorse, Incitatus ('Speedy') for the Greens. This brought censure from the aristocracy. This was compounded by bringing back actors and other performers from exile, then lavished gifts on them. He promoted those of the equestrian class to the Senate and then recruited more members from wealthy people across the empire after ensuring they were free of scandal.

In 38, Caligula also made finance records public again and restored the comitia (the right to public assembly), which had been removed under both Tiberius and Augustus. This made it so that those who held elected positions, or wished to, to spend lavishly to win the popular vote. This further upset the upper classes, leading one scholar to write 'though delighting the rabble, grieved the sensible, who stopped to reflect, that if the offices should fall once more into the hands of the many…many disasters would result'. When Senate refused to accept the results of the elections, Caligula restored the nominal power to then, though he held the ultimate power to decide who would hold the office.

Despite his capricious behavior, Caligula was able to recognize his own faulty decisions. Philo wrote that he could accept advice, but then also respond to it '[w]ho dares teach me?' when he felt it was insulting to his age or understanding. He abandoned his plan to turn the Temple of Jerusalem into a Temple of Zeus when told it would cause mass revolts and harm the economy. He removed an extremely unpopular sales tax and helped those who had lost homes and property in fires. Exactly where his gifts to his favorites came from, his own wealth or the public offers, is unclear.

By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132123632

According to Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, a Roman historian better known as Suetonius, claimed that 2.7 billion sesterces (a Roman coin) in his first year and then made up for short-falls by confiscating estates of wealthy individuals after false accusations, or as fines, or just seizing property, or outright killing them. Later historians point out that Suetonius overlooked what Caligula would have received from Tiberius' estate, much of which was hoarded from the general economy and what he would have received from Livia, which was distributed among those she nominated as beneficiaries. Given Claudius' actions upon the beginning of his reign, the treasury must have been in a good state at the end of Caligula's reign. Caligula's spending, though, exceeded his income. Though he abolished the sales tax, he introduced new ones, many of which didn't affect those in Italy or Rome. He made the Praetorian Guards tax collectors and taxed things that were considered shameful or petty, including taverns, slaves, edibles, litigation, weddings/marriages, wages of porters or couriers, and prostitutes ('active, retired or married') or their pimps.

While stories of a brothel in the Imperial palace were taken literally by Suetonius, modern scholars think this might have been a single incident that took place in about 40 CE when nobles lived in a newly built suit of rooms and were forced to pay exorbitant rents to do so was exaggerated into more. Caligula also accepted payments from 'friends' to join him for 'morning salutations, evening banquets, and bequest announcements', with meticulous records kept of who owed how much and when it was paid. People working for Caligula would visit the Senate and simultaneously rail against their treachery and ask for 'gifts' to express their loyalty.

The increasing tension between Caligula and the Senate led outright hostility and confrontation and and increase in treason trials, showing that he had read and kept Tiberius' records. Those who had testified against Caligula's family found themselves under investigation. Caligula preferred public humiliation to death, especially of ancient families, and stripped them of their various titles, honors, and dignities. He even dismissed those who didn't celebrate his birthday enough or celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of Actium (when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra) too much.

It's also thought that his supposed idea to promote Incitatus (the horse) to Senate was to humiliate Senate, perhaps pointing to the 'race' to become consul, aristocrats' highest ambition throught he Senate. He also had a temporary 'floating bridge' built to Baiae, a resort about two miles from Naples. This required many ships, some built in Naples, some grain ships requisitioned for the bridge, which were then covered with earth. Exactly the purpose is unclear, though there was a two day festival to Neptune and Invidia (Envy). It's possible that this bridge relates to a prophecy attributed to Thrasyllus of Mendes, Tiberius' soothsayer, that Caligula had 'no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse acros the Bay of Baiae'. These incidents were used as evidence of Caligula's spiraling mental health and stability.

During 39 and 40 CE, there were many problems around the empire, including in Judaea, Egypt, Germania, and Mauretania. In the winter of 39 CE, Caligula was wintering in Lugdunum, (modern Lyon), Gaul. He auctioned off his sisters' property, including Jewellry, slaves, and freedmen. During this auction, there was a combination of intimidation and fawning to raise the prices. The first was such a success that he brought items from the palace to Lugdunum and auctioned those off as well. In the spring of 40 CE, Caligula tried to expand Roman rule to Britania, but for some reason, whether he was cowardly or mad, there were mutinies, or the Britain rulers bending to Roman demands is unclear, but it is known that he did not sail to Britania.

By Sailko - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62281219

Philo records that Caligula enjoyed dressing up as heroes and deities as part of a personal pantomime. Philo, as a monotheistic Jew, took these activities as proof of Caligula's insanity, though it is known that Augustus had at least one party where gusts were encouraged to dress as Olympian gods and dressed as Apollo himself. No one took this as indication of Augusts' insanity, so it's questionable that this was evidence against Caligula in and of itself though it was taken as near-blasphemous and insensitive. Roman and modern scholars take Caligula's penchant as theatrical and mischievous. Caligula was the pontifex maximus (high priest) and took his role as such seriously.

On 24 January 41, Caligula was assassinated by the Praetorian Tribunes Cassius Chaerea and Cornelius Sabinus and some centurions. There were many attempts before this, but they fell apart for various reasons. According to Josephus, Chaerea was motivated by 'resentment of Caligula's routine personal insults and mockery', for his 'weak, high voice', being 'soft-hearted', or his role as collecting the tax on prostitution. The Senate tried to restore the Republic. Lucius Annius Vinicianus apparently saw it as a time to attempt a take over and he may have been the primary instigator of Caligula's assassination. The senators who had been sycophants to Caligula claimed to know that there had been a conspiracy. The public was appalled by Caligula's murder.

Fearing continued support for Caligula, the assassins sought out to kill Caligula's wife and daughter, but they couldn't get to Claudius because loyal guards hid him and smuggled him out of the palace. The Praetorian Guard nominated Claudius to follow Caligula as emperor and the Senate had no choice but to confirm him in the face of popular support of the lesser citizenry.

[greatwyrmgold]

The English word "tyrant" is ultimately derived from the ancient Greek word túrannos. A túrannos was not just any cruel or powerful ruler; he was specifically a ruler who co-opted control of the entire city-state outside typical channels.

The city-state functioned more or less as normal, but one person held multiple magistracies which were intended to be separate, or they were split between a small group of collaborators, or the other magistrates complied under threat of force. One way or another, rules were broken, and the means to punish the rules were either ignored or subverted.

This is a common pattern in historical tyrants, even outside the Greek mainland, from Julius Caesar to Napoleon Bonaparte to Adolf Hitler. Caesar was Pontifex Maximus, then he became a popular statesman-general in the Gallic Wars, and that was before he was appointed dictator (or started serving as consul in consecutive years). With the Triumvirate and the fears of another civil war at his back, Caesar more or less directed Rome until he pushed his luck a little too far and got assassinated for his troubles. Hitler became chancellor as a compromise after the elected officials failed to form a majority government without his support. The Hitler-lead legislature proceeded to pass several laws that expanded the government's power while supporting Nazi paramilitary groups, ultimately leading to the Nazis forcibly preventing Communists and other political opponents from voting against the Enabling Act, essentially giving Hitler and his cabinet full executive and legislative control of Germany. Napoleon mostly found allies in the French government and did a coup (supported by his status as a popular general, like Caesar), before introducing reforms that made him the First Consul of France and later the Emperor. He was trying to speedrun the Julius Caesar Golden Path.

The details change from one empire to the next, but the shape remains the same. In the absence of a monarch, you can become a monarch by bending every institution into a monarchy-adjacent bow. And when people complain, apply generous quantities of violence. Ancient Greek platoons of "bodyguards," Caesar's victory in the civil war, Hitler's SA and SS...history may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

Sure, these tactics don't usually last long. Nazi Germany famously collapsed in a war it started. Napoleon was famously defeated by the armies of Europe and forced into exile on a small island (twice), Julius Caesar was famously assassinated after having himself declared Dictator Perpetuo. Thales of Miletus said the strangest thing he'd ever seen was an aged tyrant. There is no Julius Caesar Golden Path.

But they can cause a lot of damage. In the short term, there's all the violence. But in the long term, these dictators often erode the norms that threatened to restrain them. The institutions of Weimar Germany had to be rebuilt or replaced after the war, though the Allies disagreed on the details. Post-Napoleonic France suffered a century of cruel kings and revolutions. Julius Caesar was the last nail in the Roman Republic's coffin, letting his great-nephew Octavian become what we recognize as the first Roman Emperor.

The only Julius Caesar Golden Path is the Julius Caesar Augustus path. (That's Octavian's legal name. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus.)

...

It's cliché to compare Donald Trump to historical tyrants. It's also worrying. The past eight years saw Donald Trump ramming into every check and balance against presidential overreach and coming away consequence-free. Even being convicted of 34 felonies wasn't enough. He faced no punishment and entered office again and started acting like checks and balances don't exist.

They do. For now, the courts are stalling Trumps unconstitutional executive orders. At worst, they'll slow Trump's attempts to reshape American society in his image. At best, some things might be blocked completely.

But even in that best-case scenario, even if 2025-8 passes without further incident, we still have 2029-32. What stops J.D. Vance or some other MAGA bastard from winning that election and trying the same thing again? Will America be able to repair its democracy while it's under siege? Or are we just waiting for our Octavian?

[jojo-chan]

Hello!

I know I've always been an anime-oriented blog, but I wanna change that and make this a personal blog! So, my name is Mery and I love history!

I wanna talk about Andrea Frediani, an Italian author whom I read two books from.

The First book I read is "Dinasty: the romance of the five emperors" (I read it in Italian so I just translated the Italian title, I don't know if the English one is different since his writings have been translated into five languages) it's about the Julio-Claudian dynasty which is my fav dinasty of the Roman empire btw and I really enjoyed it, but there are a few things I disliked:

Livia Drusilla was only pictured as a ruthless murderer and a manipulator, one who just craved power for her family and didn't have any genuine affection for the emperor. I personally stand by the thesis that she really loved Augustus (or at least cared for him) and the two got very well along (it is said Augustus would ask her for political opinions and take notes of what she said) and besides she was much more than that: she was an icon for women's rights and was able to influence her husband's decisions (which no one was ever able to do) so I would've liked for her intellect to be showed more.

The way Julia the eldest is painted: another woman who was only showed for her mistakes. Yes, Julia was one who went to bed with many and broke Augustus's infedelity laws for women, and that she was exiled for. But was she really just that? I love how Frediani showed what she went through and really emphasized the fact that all those marriages (with Marcellus, Agrippa and Tiberius) were forced, but she wasn't just that, she was actually a very kind and smart woman (after her dad).

From the same author I am finishing a book called "The battle of the winner" and it's about Octavian who wants to avenge Julius Caesar.

Anyway, let me know if you want to hear my thoughts on Octavian and his childhood, I've been studying psychology for more than a year so if you want a post about that you'll definetly recognize some pieces of Freud and Jung, also McLallad with his need for power (was it McLallad? I've studied that a few months ago so I'll edit this post if it isn't him.)

[ere-the-sun-rises]

Gripes about the Rome metaphor in Megalopolis

I haven't watched it and from what I've seen of it on youtube from reviewers I've watched, ain't no fucking way I'm going to. But as a Classical historian, shit about the Rome metaphor/analogy/allegory/whatever the fuck annoy the shit out of me.

Megalopolis is a Greek name and was a city near Sparta that actually existed, so jot that down.

Cataline's actual name was Lucius Sergius Catalina, not Cesar.

Marcus Tullius Cicero had a real life daughter - his only child, in fact. Her name was Tullia. At this period, all daughters' names were the feminine form of their gens (think of it like a clan) name (in this case, Tullius). That means renaming her Julia and having her hook up with a Caesar (ei. Gaius Julius Caesar, of Ides of March fame) is really fucking weird. It would either be his sister (bc Caesar had a sister - she was Octavian/Augustus's mom) or his granddaughter/niece (bc Augustus' only child was a daughter, Julia).

Cicero's actual motivations for running Cataline out of the city are unclear, and we don't know Cataline's side. Cicero won their little squabble, though, because he got Cataline killed.

Cicero didn't lose his popularity because of land disputes. He lost it because he had (at least) two men extrajudicially executed without trial and went a little god-complexy with consular power.

Cataline, as far as we know, didn't give a fuck about land redistribution. The only major Roman figures who did were the Gracchi brothers (150 years before Cicero/Cataline, and who were killed over it) and Augustus (who was emperor and did what the fuck he wanted to about it).

Cicero fucking hated Caesar (we actually have a letter he wrote to Brutus bitching that he wasn't invited) and Cataline died before the Triumvirate even existed.

Cicero eventually was killed off by Mark Antony.

Crassus was part of the original Triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey. He died first by suicide because he sucked (he was about to be captured by Persians), but Cicero liked him. We don't know how Cataline felt about any of the Triumvirate. Caesar and Pompey weren't sad he was gone, though.

Clodius Pulcher was on the prosecution team of a court case Cicero was part of the defense for, preserved in his Pro Caelio (In Defense of Caelius). In his speech, Cicero accuses a Clodia (possibly, but not definitely, Clodius' sister) of being a middle-aged whore for younger men who she would bribe them to sleep with her, and of a little bit of incest with her brother. This is likely untrue.

Roman courts didn't have a code of ethics. Whoever was most convincing won. Therefore Cicero could talk smack about Clodius and his family to undermine his credibility. We don't have anything else about the case, even its resolution.

Vesta is the name of the virginal Roman goddess of the hearth (equivalent to the Greek Hestia). The Vestal Virgins were a collection if six virgin women who served 30 year terms tending her temple in the heart of Rome anx keeping the Sacred Flame burning. Vestals were sacrosanct (meaning anything untoward done to them or their bodies was blasphemous as well as wrong) and if one if them was proven to have broken her chastity vow (specifically by having penetrative sex with a man), her punishment was to be buried alive.

Needless to say, the Vestals were arguably the singlemost important religious institution at Rome and very much not cheap entertainment nor virginity-kink fodder. Their virginity was incredibly serious.

You couldn't sleep your way to the top in Ancient Rome. That's not how aristocracies work.

If you're going to bring up Late Republican Rome, where are the civil wars? That's a huge part of what weakened the Republic and your movie is just rich people being elitist but not even right.

Cataline, Caesar, Crassus and Cicero are all from Republican Rome. We describe the Republic as having "fallen" because it becomes the Empire, but the truth is that once Augustus takes over, Rome is more successful and peaceful than she ever was as the Republic. So ... the metaphor doesn't work here unless you're saying the US needs a dictator to fix its shit?

None of these men make it into Imperial Rome. They're all dead before Augustus takes over, so they never get to see Nice Rome.

It's Augustus who turned Rome from "a city of brick, and I left it a city of marble" (from Augustus' Res Gestae)

Wow Platinum. That's all you got? Wow Platinum? You should have called HER Julia, since Augustus' daughter Julia got exiled for adultery and promiscuity and allegedly had a policy of sleeping around "when she had a passenger" so she wouldn't have a pregnancy scare with a lover. And if not her, then Agrippina. Both names belonged to women born well after all these men are dead, but at least the character would have made sense.

Cicero and Cataline were both lawyers and politicians. Neither of them could remotely be called philanthropists or inventers. And Caesar was pretty famously a general and wannabe military dictator.

Neither Caesar nor Cataline were ever accused of killing their wives.

Last, but not least - neither Cicero nor Cataline nor Caesar make thing better at Rome. Arguably, they make everything worse. So ... yeah.

I often appreciate artistic re-imaginings or interpretations that play with ancient figures or ideas. But the problem with this movie, which I can see without even having watched it properly, is that its metaphor doesn't work. The chosen characters just don't reflect what he's saying and the re-arrangement of characters and personalities makes the name-drops seem cheap, pretentious and frankly kinda stupid to anyone who's so much as read their wikipedia pages. The imagery and choices are incongruous with one another in a way that's grating and uneven and distracts from the point.

Rome doesn't work with the narrative because Rome's position doesn't look similar to the US'. Ancient Rome is about to see 300 years of unmitigated success after Cicero/Cataline, not its downfall (which will still take 150 more years after it begins to decline, and the Eastern Roman Empire carries on happily for another 200 and some after even that). Republican Rome is not analogous to the US.

[yz]

The Corinth Canal. April 2024.

ChatGPT says this about the canal:

The Corinth Canal is an iconic engineering feat in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf, slicing through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth. This canal significantly shortened the maritime route by eliminating the need for ships to navigate around the Peloponnese peninsula. The canal is about 6.4 kilometers long, 24.6 meters wide at sea level, and 8 meters deep, with steep limestone walls that occasionally cause landslides.The history of the canal is rich and dates back to ancient times. The concept was first envisioned by the tyrant Periander in the 7th century BC, but due to technical challenges, he opted instead for a simpler solution called the Diolkos—a roadway that allowed ships to be transported overland across the isthmus. Several attempts were made by various rulers, including Roman emperors like Nero and Julius Caesar, but they all failed to complete the canal due to various reasons, including political turmoil and engineering challenges.It wasn't until 1882 that the construction of the modern Corinth Canal began, driven by the Greek statesman Ioannis Kapodistrias and later completed under the oversight of French engineers. The canal was finally inaugurated in 1893 but faced numerous issues over the years, including being blocked during World War II. It was eventually cleared by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1947. Today, the canal is mostly used by tourist cruise ships, yachts, and small recreational boats due to its narrowness, which prevents larger modern ships from passing through.For a more detailed exploration of the Corinth Canal's history and significance, you might find this comprehensive look interesting from sources like WorldAtlas and GreekReporter.

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The Bloody End of Julius Caesar Forever Darkened the Ides of March. Photograph By James L. Stanfield, National Geographic

Ides of March: What Is It? Why Do We Still Observe It?

Once Simply a Time to Settle Accounts, March 15—the Ides of March—is Linked to Prophecies of Misfortune, Thanks to Caesar and Shakespeare.

— By Brian Handwerk | Published: March 15, 2011 | Thursday March 14, 2024

Caesar: The Ides of March Are Come.

Soothsayer: Aye, Caesar, But Not Gone.

—Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 1

Thanks to Shakespeare's indelible dramatization, March 15—also called the Ides of March—is forever linked with the 44 B.C. assassination of Julius Caesar, and with prophecies of doom.

"That line of the soothsayer, 'Beware the ides of March,' is a pithy line, and people remember it, even if they don't know why," said Georgianna Ziegler, head of reference at Washington, D.C.'s Folger Shakespeare Library.

Until that day Julius Caesar ruled Rome. The traditional Republican government had been supplanted by a temporary dictatorship, one that Caesar very much wished to make permanent.

But Caesar's quest for power spawned a conspiracy to have him killed, and on the Ides of March, a group of prominent Romans brought him to an untimely end in the Senate House.

It Wasn't Just Caesar Who Paid the Price on Ides of March

Aside from its historical connection, the concept of the Ides of March would have resonated with English citizens in 1599, the year Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar was probably performed, Ziegler said.

"This whole business of the Ides of March and timekeeping in the play would have had a strong impact on audiences," she said.

"They were really struck by the differences between their Julian calendar [a revision of the Roman calendar created by Caesar] and the Gregorian calendar kept in Catholic countries on the continent."

Because the two calendars featured years of slightly different lengths, they had diverged significantly by the late 16th century and were several days apart.

In Roman times the Ides of March was mostly notable as a deadline for settling debts.

That calendar featured ides on the 15th in March, May, July, and October or on the 13th in the other months. The word's Latin roots mean "divide," and the date sought to split the month, originally at the rise of the full moon.

But because calendar months and the lunar cycle are slightly out of sync, this connection was soon lost.

A later artist's conception of the funeral of Julius Caesar, who was killed on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. Illustration By C. Vottrier, Mary EvansPicture Library/Alamy

Ides of March Assassins: Heroes or Murderers?

The Ides of March took on special significance after Caesar's assassination—but observance of the anniversary at the time varied among Roman citizens.

"How they felt depended on their political position," said Philip Freeman, a classicist at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and the author of Julius Caesar.

"Some were thrilled that Caesar had died, and some were horrified," he said.

The debate about Caesar's fate has extended through the ages and was taken up by some major literary figures. In Dante's Inferno, for example, Caesar is in Limbo, a relatively pleasant place in hell reserved for virtuous non-Christians.

"But Brutus [one of the leaders of the assassination] is down in the very center of hell with Judas, being munched on by Satan—it's about as bad as you can get," Freeman said.

The Folger library's Ziegler thinks the Bard had a more balanced view.

"I think Shakespeare shows both of them as being humans with their own weaknesses and strong points," she said.

Whether they were heroes or murderers, the real-life Ides of March assassins were subjected to less than pleasant outcomes.

"Within a couple of years Brutus and [fellow assassin] Cassius were dead," Freeman noted.

"They were not able to bring back the Republic, and really what they did was usher in more of a permanent dictatorship under the future Roman emperors—the opposite of what they intended."