- published: 21 Mar 2010
- views: 56769
Gaius Julius Caesar (Classical Latin: [ˈɡaː.i.ʊs ˈjuː.lɪ.ʊs ˈkaj.sar], July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus and Pompey formed a political alliance that was to dominate Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed by the conservative elite within the Roman Senate[citation needed], among them Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Cicero. Caesar's conquest of Gaul, completed by 51 BC, extended Rome's territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the Rhine and conducted the first invasion of Britain.
These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey's standing. The balance of power was further upset by the death of Crassus in 53 BC. Political realignments in Rome finally led to a standoff between Caesar and Pompey, the latter having taken up the cause of the Senate. Ordered by the Senate to stand trial in Rome for various charges, Caesar marched on Rome with one legion—legio XIII—from Gaul to Italy, crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC. This sparked a civil war from which he emerged as the unrivaled leader of the Roman world.
You can't go on like this
Celebrating the black
With a measure of white
Always high as a kite
How I wish that you'd fight
For a measure of light
Make like a scissor
And cut 'til you're dull girl
Awaken your demons
Do like a heartbeat
And capture the moment
Savour your grievance
I was lying to you
And you were lying to me
So cry havoc baby
And you're the one for me
I was dying for you
And you were dying for me
So cry havoc baby
And set the Monsters free
You can't survive like this
Commemorating the tears
And the sorrows of old
It's the way you've been told
That your future's been sold