10 Shocking Roman Assassinations That Inspired the Ides of March
Politics tamfitronics In the Ancient Roman calendar, the Ides was the 15th day of the month that marked the full moon’s arrival. However, after March 44 BC, it forever represented a milepost in Roman politics. On that day, while attending a meeting in the Senate, Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by over 40 knife-wielding senators. The aftermath of the murder, ironically carried out to safeguard the Republic, led to the rise of Roman imperial rule, with Caesar’s grandnephew, Octavian, serving as its first emperor. Of course, Caesar’s assassination and the events of the Ides of March have been seared into our minds thanks to literature and popular culture. However, this list doubles back to a century before the event to forecast a callous political atmosphere that culminated in Caesar’s body lying on the Senate...