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The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination Hardcover – March 3, 2015

by Barry Strauss (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 656 ratings
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The exciting, dramatic story of one of history’s most famous events—the death of Julius Caesar—now placed in full context of Rome’s civil wars by eminent historian Barry Strauss.

Thanks to William Shakespeare, the death of Julius Caesar is the most famous assassination in history. But what actually happened on March 15, 44 BC is even more gripping than Shakespeare’s play. In this thrilling new book, Barry Strauss tells the real story.

Shakespeare shows Caesar’s assassination to be an amateur and idealistic affair. The real killing, however, was a carefully planned paramilitary operation, a generals’ plot, put together by Caesar’s disaffected officers and designed with precision. There were even gladiators on hand to protect the assassins from vengeance by Caesar’s friends. Brutus and Cassius were indeed key players, as Shakespeare has it, but they had the help of a third man—Decimus. He was the mole in Caesar’s entourage, one of Caesar’s leading generals, and a lifelong friend. It was he, not Brutus, who truly betrayed Caesar.

Caesar’s assassins saw him as a military dictator who wanted to be king. He threatened a permanent change in the Roman way of life and in the power of senators. The assassins rallied support among the common people, but they underestimated Caesar’s soldiers, who flooded Rome. The assassins were vanquished; their beloved Republic became the Roman Empire.

An original, fresh perspective on an event that seems well known, Barry Strauss’s book sheds new light on this fascinating, pivotal moment in world history.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1451668791
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1451668797
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Barry Strauss has a rare gift for the crafting of narrative history: in his hands, figures who had seemed forever frozen in marble breathe again. The Death of Caesar deftly depicts a world in which tangled motives, Machiavellian strategies, and a dose of sheer accident conspired to bring down the most powerful man in the world." -- Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

"[A] compelling, clarifying account of one of history's most dramatic assassinations. . . . [Strauss] conveys the complexity of late republican Roman politics while keeping up a lively pace." -- Lev Grossman ― Time

“Strauss’ account of the world’s most famous assassination is as thrilling as any novel.” -- Robert Harris, bestselling author of the Ancient Rome Trilogy

“[A] page-turner. . . . Detail after detail clothes the familiar facts of Caesar’s seemingly inevitable murder with fresh images. . . . The last bloody day of the Republic has never been painted so brilliantly." -- Greg Woolf ― The Wall Street Journal

“With keen historical insights and the pace of a thriller, Barry Strauss brings vividly to life the Rome of 44 B.C., the final days of Julius Caesar, and the men who killed him. This is history as it should be written—a deeply human story of all the men and women caught up in these famous events.” -- Adrian Goldsworthy, author of Augustus: First Emperor of Rome

“The superb storytelling of Barry Strauss shows that the details of history's most famous assassination are just as fascinating as why it happened. . . . The Death of Caesar provides a fresh look at a well-trodden event, with storytelling sure to inspire awe.” -- Scott Manning ― The Philadelphia Inquirer

“I have never read so detailed an account of the world’s most famous assassination—how the plot was planned, the many personalities, the killing itself and the bitter aftermath. The Death of Caesar brings back all the suspense of an extraordinary story, as if we weren’t sure what was going to happen next. An unputdownable book.” -- Anthony Everitt, author of CICERO

"A fresh, accessible account of the archetypal assassination. . . .Strauss underscores [the conspirators'] dilemma with an urgency that makes each page crackle with suspense. . . . The Death of Caesar serves us both as an entertaining, vital act of preservation for those details and figures glossed over by other historians and as a reminder of a plot so daring it would be unthinkable today.”" -- Nick Ochwar ― The Los Angeles Review of Books

“This engrossing account of that pivotal event is exhaustive, yet surprisingly easy to read. . . . The Death of Caesar is brimming with memorable facts.” -- Joe Queenan ― Barron's

“This history of Caesar by the American academic Barry Strauss is a romp, yes, but a glorious one, through the final months of Rome’s most famous ruler. . . . One of the most riveting hour-by-hour accounts of Caesar’s final day I have read. . . . An absolutely marvelous read.” -- Catherine Nixey ― The Times (London)

"Barry Strauss, as both sleuth and classicist, guides us through the why and how of the killing of Julius Caesar. A riveting blow-by-blow account by a masterful scholar and story-teller of a human drama that changed the course of Western history." -- Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University and author of THE SAVIOR GENERALS and CARNAGE AND CULTURE

"This stupendous book has all the pace and action of a top-quality thriller—murder, lust, betrayal and high politics—yet it's all true, and comes from the pen of the world's senior academic expert in the field. A lifetime's study of the ancient sources has gone into Barry Strauss's utterly gripping account of the day that the course of human history radically changed. Superbly researched, wittily written, but above all driven by a truly exciting narrative that never lets up, this is history-writing at its best. Our understanding of what happened on the Ides of March and its chaotic, bloody aftermath is forever changed, and this will be the standard work for decades to come." -- Andrew Roberts, author of NAPOLEON: A Life

“I always knew the plunging of those fatal daggers was an epochal moment in Western Civ, but I never knew why – until now. Barry Strauss is our all-knowing Vergil, escorting us across the dim landscape of history, enlightening us with precious insight.” -- Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of GATES OF FIRE and THE LION'S GATE

“A classics thriller. . . . The Death of Caesar teases apart this paramilitary operation of 60 or more conspirators and, in reporting the facts, revokes much of Shakespeare’s poetic license in ‘Julius Caesar.’” -- Katharine Whittemore ― The Boston Globe

“Strauss takes us deep into the psyche of ancient history in an exciting, twisted tale." ― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Author

Barry Strauss, professor of history and classics at Cornell University, is a leading expert on ancient military history. He has written or edited several books, including The Battle of Salamis, The Trojan War, The Spartacus War, Masters of Command, The Death of Caesar, and Ten Caesars. Visit BarryStrauss.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; First Edition (March 3, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451668791
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451668797
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.14 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 656 ratings

About the author

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Barry Strauss

Barry Strauss

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At an early age Barry Strauss went crazy over books - and he still is. Along the way he became passionate about history, foreign languages, and boats but books are still at the center of it all.

Strauss grew up in and around New York City. He received bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in history from Cornell and Yale. He has lived and studied in Greece, Germany, and Israel and has traveled extensively in Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Cyprus, Jordan, Tunisia, and other countries with classical sites; he has also taken part in archaeological excavations. He speaks and reads seven foreign languages.

Aside from a brief stint as a newspaper reporter, he has made his career as a college teacher. Back at Cornell, he is Professor of History and Classics and Chair of the Department of History. A former director of Cornell's Peace Studies Program, he is currently director as a well a founder of its Program on Freedom and Free Societies. He considers himself the luckiest person alive to be able to spend his time reading, writing, and teaching.

His website is www.barrystrauss.com. He blogs at http://bstrauss.wordpress.com/.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
656 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mercedes Rochelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
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Very interesting book that gives us a good sense of what the conspirators may have been motivated by. Were they heroes of the Republic, or merely jealous rivals intent on retribution? We follow many of their careers from pre-assassination to post-assassination, where some change sides and others waffle with indecision. Caesar’s most heinous traitor, Decimus—who came to his house on the Ides of March and persuaded him to come out—gets a full share of the spotlight; he is often passed over by historians in favor of Brutus and Cassius. Brutus, of course, retains his valiant status throughout the ages, and the author gives him a lot of consideration:

"What then, was Brutus thinking in 44 B.C.? Why did he imagine that the murder of one man would be enough to save the Roman Republic? As a Roman, he knew perfectly well that Caesar’s followers would want to avenge his death. Most Romans admired what Sulla said: ‘No friend ever served me and no enemy ever wronged me whom I have not repaid in full.’
Brutus knew that but he expected to win even so. He believed that both Senate and the people would thank the conspirators for killing a tyrant."

I was surprised to learn that the retribution was not immediate. In fact, at the beginning Antony supported reconciliation, and for a few days things could have gone either way. The conspirators did not immediately flee Rome, as I thought. In fact, Caesar's funeral was held five days after his assassination, and only then did Antony’s famous oration begin to turn matters ugly. Octavian came along much later. Naturally, Shakespeare had to contract events into a single day, and I suffered under this disillusion all these years! I’m glad to have finally got the record straight. I found this book to be effortless reading, and it is supported by a substantial set of notes.
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GZP
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes ancient history readable
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2016
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This is an easy-to-read but accurate telling of a pivotal event in Western history. The author writes in a fluid and engaging style, provides lots of verifiable background, and fills in the inevitable gaps with carefully-reasoned opinions. The book reads like a novel, not at all like a history. In this case, the author has achieved a real success. (His Trojan War, on the other hand is really awful!) This is a perfect book to read in July.
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M. Cotone
5.0 out of 5 stars Focused yet Spacious
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2019
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Quite possibly the best popular history available of a pivotal moment in Roman history, of the wider history in which it occurred, and of the workings of Roman politics and society. Strauss demonstrates a wonderful ability to draw his audience in, then set before them the complexities of the Roman world in the century or so immediately BCE and Caesar's place in them, and to do so in a way which clarifies and explains rather than confuses and entangles: all carried off with a light touch and occasional dash of humor. The result is a well-written and readable history of Caesar's murder. If you will, it is high grade, readable scholarship, without the burden of scholarly apparatus. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Rome, Caesar, Cicero, Antony, Brutus, and "all those people" but without any marked knowledge of the individuals, the events, and the wider context of Roman history, culture, and language. Equally recommended for those who sincerely believe that much of what is marketed as historical fiction about Rome in the decades immediately BCE and afterwards actually contains something of the City's history and culture.
5 people found this helpful
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Erik Bloom
5.0 out of 5 stars A well researched and well-written account on what happened on the Ides of March
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2015
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Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE by a group of Roman senators. This is arguably the famous assassination in history and a true historical crossroad. I am writing this review very near the 2059th anniversary of Caesar’s murder…after all of this time does Professor Barry Strauss have anything to add that we don’t already know?

The answer is a definite yes. Strauss’ “Death of Caesar” provides a fast-moving, very written account of WHAT happened on the Ides of March and the MOTIVATIONS of the key actors. By bringing together all of the sources and rethinking the logic behind the murder, the author creates a very lively account of the events. His conclusions make for a very readable account of the conspiracy and its key actors.

One thing that I really appreciate about the book is that is quite focused. The collapse of the Roman republic (from around of 100 to 27 BCE) is one of the best-documented ancient periods and it is very easy to get lost in the details of the civil wars, political machinations, and personalities of the time. For example, instead of going into great detail about the Sulla dictatorship (around 82 BCE) and how it affected Caesar, he gives the reader the bare minimum. Thus the story flows quickly and without interruption. The reader does not get lost in details or confuse the key actors.

The book also raises many questions and unearths details. For example, did anybody in the crowded Senate House try to defend Caesar? How much did Cicero and Mark Anthony know about assassination before hand? Was the assassination a last minute affair or carefully planned? And so on. I personally did not agree with all of Strauss’ answers but he was always careful to present many sides of the arguments and to help understand his own conclusions.

The Strauss takes a complex view of people’s motivations, including that of Caesar. Almost certainly the conspirators had a variety of beliefs of why they were acting—patriotism and love of freedom, personal jealousy and ambitious, and a sense of honor. To say that Brutus killed Caesar to restore the republic and freedom is a simplification; but to say that Brutus did not have any noble ideals is also a simplification. In other words, it is not enough to say “follow the money” or “cui bono” to understand human motivation.

I also appreciated his incorporation of women in the story. We don’t know nearly as much about the women of the time than the men but we do know that they were important. Strauss does not present them as shrill manipulators (a la Livia in I, Claudius or Atia in HBO Rome) but also complex figures.

In addition to learning more about a cataclysmic event that literally shaped our world in many, many ways, the story of Caesar and the Roman republic is the story of a how an old system of government adapts to new circumstances. In the case of Rome, the state proved too fragile to survive.
47 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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John Hopper
5.0 out of 5 stars gripping account of the most famous assassination in Western history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2021
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This is an excellent account of probably the most famous assassination in history, an event that shaped the future development of one of the ancient world's greatest empires, and whose effects are thereby arguably still felt today. It explores the motivations of all the key players, so far as we can determine them based on the primary and secondary sources we have and reasonable surmise. It analyses the political and other factors that led to individuals and groups in Roman society supporting or opposing Caesar and his threat (or not if they did not see it as one or did not mind) to the ideals of the Roman Republic. This was a Republic that had flourished for four and a half centuries since an alleged ancestor of Brutus, one of the leading conspirators, threw out the last of the semi-legendary kings of Rome and established the Republic, so this was a very high stakes conflict. The story is dramatically and colourfully told, and the principal personalities brought out very clearly: this includes Decimus who, while playing as important a role in the conspiracy as Brutus and Cassius, is much less well known, probably largely as he is overlooked in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. A great read.
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr spannend und informativ
Reviewed in Germany on March 4, 2021
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Gut strukturiert und richtig spannende Lektüre. Sehr detailliert, hat viel Spaß gemacht. Gibt es auch auf Deutsch.
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Justin
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on Caesar!
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2019
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My favorite book on Caesar is by Adrian Goldsworthy. This one I recommend as with Tom Holland's book Rubicon.
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Mohan
5.0 out of 5 stars It won't be a misnomer to say it Pompey's revenge ...
Reviewed in India on February 28, 2017
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It won't be a misnomer to say it Pompey's revenge. " Brilliantly" written; by giving a blow by blow account of all the stakeholders be it a supporter or a conspirator of the Caesar. All the ancient citations are also provided in between whenever it's needed.
Besides all the aspects; acts and possibilities give a thorough insight; why this assassination took place. A must read book...... "Richly Superb" !!!
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kc
4.0 out of 5 stars A good account of one of the most influential assassinations in history.
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2024
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Strauss does a good job of unraveling the complex and at times contradictory motivations of the assassins. He compares the different accounts from the classical narratives and gives educated guesses as to the most likely closest to what actually happened. The assassination of Caesar led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. Several alternatives were at play after his death, and Strauss does a good job of teasing them out. All in all an excellent account of an incredibly dramatic historical moment.
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