Caesar, Rome, and Beyond

In the Late Republican period, Rome underwent monumental changes. Within the city, numerous building projects were undertaken by the wealthy and politically powerful as they jostled for power, while further afield, wars were fought and Rome's authority gradually expanded into new territories. One of the key players in this field was Julius Caesar, who took advantage of the fluid and fast-changing political and military alliances to position himself in the centre of power, and during this time, he became the first to design a forum - the Forum Iulium, now known as Caesar's Forum - in his family's name. Today, this site, in the very heart of Rome, is home to The Caesar's Forum Project, where excavations have yielded new knowledge about both the long history of Rome, and the broader context of its global history and cultural heritage. Taking this project as its starting point, this volume draws together scholars working both on the excavations, and on Caesar more generally, to shed new light on the often enigmatic figure of Julius Caesar. The chapters gathered here offer insights into remains and sources from both the time of Caesar and from later periods, giving new perspectives not only on his life and death, but also on the central role that he has continued to play in historiography since.