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©Copyright 2012 Jaime Volker Caesarian Conflict: Portrayals of Julius Caesar in narratives of civil war Jaime Volker A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2012 Reading Committee: Alain Gowing, Chair James J. Clauss Catherine Connors Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of Classics University of Washington Abstract Caesarian Conflict: Portrayals of Julius Caesar in narratives of civil war Jaime Volker Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Alain Gowing Department of Classics This dissertation investigates the poignancy of civil war for Rome in the late Republican through early Imperial period, as focalized through depictions of Julius Caesar and, to a more limited degree, the Caesar-like Catiline. My comparative examination of Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae, Velleius Paterculus’ Historiae, and Lucan’s Pharsalia centers on how each author treats qualities and catchwords found in Caesar’s self-portrait in the Bellum Civile. By reading each portrayal of Caesar against the general’s own account of civil war, I contend that one finds shifts in issues and traits according to their relevance to an author’s own times, aims, and view of the relationship between Republic and Principate. Moreover, I suggest that whether an author portrays Julius Caesar in a positive or negative light is likely a consequence of his view of the current “Caesar” (i.e., Octavian, Tiberius, or Nero). TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Caesar on Caesar and Civil War ............................................................................... 1 0.1 Julius Caesar, the man himself? ............................................................................................ 1 0.2 The scope of this study .......................................................................................................... 5 0.3 Past scholarship ................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1. The Bellum Civile in Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae: Caesar, Catiline and the conflicts of the Republic .................................................................................................................................. 15 1.1 The Characterization of Caesar in the Bellum Catilinae ..................................................... 17 Clemency ................................................................................................................................ 18 Generosity .............................................................................................................................. 29 Dignitas .................................................................................................................................. 32 Self-restraint ........................................................................................................................... 37 1.2 The Caesar in Catiline ......................................................................................................... 41 “Generosity” ........................................................................................................................... 41 (Lack of) Self-Restraint .......................................................................................................... 44 Dignitas .................................................................................................................................. 46 Catiline and Caesar as defenders of the state ......................................................................... 49 Catiline’s and Caesar’s soldiers ............................................................................................. 52 A Common Enemy ................................................................................................................. 55 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 2. Another Version of the Truth: Julius Caesar in Velleius Paterculus’ Historiae ......... 61 2.1 Superhuman Caesar: Velleius’ depiction of Caesar’s divine status .................................... 63 Self-restraint as an extraordinary trait .................................................................................... 68 Velleius’ initial sketch and Sallust ......................................................................................... 71 Evidence for Caesar’s divine nature following the initial sketch........................................... 75 2.2 Celeritas Caesaris ................................................................................................................ 77 Celeritas and Velleius’ Festinatio .......................................................................................... 79 2.3 Fortuna Caesaris .................................................................................................................. 84 Fortuna in the civil war .......................................................................................................... 86 Caesar, Pompey, and Personal Luck ...................................................................................... 87 Fortuna and future generations ............................................................................................... 89 2.4 Clementia Caesaris .............................................................................................................. 90 Clemency and gratitude .......................................................................................................... 93 Clementia principis? ............................................................................................................... 95 2.5 Studium Pacis in Velleius .................................................................................................... 96 i Curio, Catiline, and civil war ................................................................................................. 96 Caesar’s Studium Pacis ........................................................................................................ 101 2.6 Caesar vs. Pompey the Pompeians .................................................................................... 104 The synkrisis ........................................................................................................................ 108 What about Cato? ................................................................................................................. 115 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 117 Chapter 3. “It’s Good to be Nasty”: Lucan’s Caesar ................................................................. 123 3.1 Lucan, civil war, and the Neronian period ........................................................................ 123 3.2 Lucan’s Synkrisis and Initial Simile .................................................................................. 125 3.3 Divine Julius? .................................................................................................................... 130 3.4 Caesar, the embodiment of energy .................................................................................... 133 Headlong Caesar .................................................................................................................. 136 3.5 Caesar and Fear ................................................................................................................. 139 3.6 Caesar’s “clementia” ......................................................................................................... 143 3.7 Luck be a Lady: Caesar and Fortuna ................................................................................. 148 3.8 Caesar’s men...................................................................................................................... 153 Curio in the Pharsalia ........................................................................................................... 154 “Invita peragam tamen omnia dextra”: Caesar’s criminals .................................................. 156 Hopelessly Devoted…: Caesarian Loyalty .......................................................................... 158 Caesar’s men and fear .......................................................................................................... 163 3.9 Caesarian Comparisons ..................................................................................................... 166 Caesar vs. Cato in Lucan ...................................................................................................... 166 Caesar and Alexander the Great ........................................................................................... 170 The Catiline in Caesar .......................................................................................................... 175 Caesarian Face-off: Lucan vs. Velleius................................................................................ 191 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 195 Chapter 4. The End of Caesar ..................................................................................................... 199 4.1 Clemency ..........................................................................................................................