Caesar vs Cicero: den romerska republikens fall

·46 min·4 clips

Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE, igniting a civil war that pitted him against Cicero in a clash over Rome's future.

The episode begins by framing the conflict between Julius Caesar and Cicero as central to the Roman Republic's fall. Host Urban Lindstedt introduces guest Ida Östenberg, a professor of ancient culture and society. They start with Caesar's early life, noting his patrician background and key funeral orations at age 31 that defied Sulla and won public favor. The discussion moves to the First Triumvirate, explaining how Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey formed an unofficial alliance to gain power, money, and land. Caesar's consulship in 59 BCE is highlighted, where he used violence to pass laws for Pompey's veterans, showing disregard for republican institutions. The episode details Caesar's decade in Gaul, describing brutal campaigns that expanded Roman territory and funded his ambitions. Cicero's rise as a homo novus through oratory is contrasted, including his consulship and the Catiline affair where he executed Romans without trial. The narrative follows Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BCE, leading to civil war, Pompey's defeat, and Caesar's affair with Cleopatra. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE, Cicero's reaction and subsequent murder in 43 BCE are covered. The episode ends with the Second Triumvirate's rise and the republic's transition to empire, teasing future topics.

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