Julius Caesar is one of the most well-known figures in all of history. His name has become synonymous with ruthlessness and power. He was a key person in the rise of the Roman Empire — an empire that lasted for centuries.
Caesar’s presence looms so large over history that two phrases associated with his life continue to be used today. ‘Crossing the Rubicon’ — a phrase which today means ‘crossing the point of no return’ — refers to the moment Caesar and his army crossed the River Rubicon, thus sealing his role in starting a Roman civil war.
Another popular phrase today, ‘beware the ides of March’, means ‘to watch out for something bad that is about to happen’. It refers to the day in March on which Caesar was unexpectedly assassinated at the hands of people he trusted.
What did Caesar do to achieve political power in Rome — the most powerful country in the world at that time?
Caesar was born into a ruling class family. In his adulthood, he worked his way to the pinnacle of Roman power. However, there were two other men at the top competing with him — the Roman generals Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus.
To ensure that he was the last man remaining, Caesar knew he needed a resume that the Roman people could get behind. At that time in history, there was one sure way to secure it — by war and conquest.
Caesar knew that if he could conquer new lands for Rome that he would be hailed as a conqueror by the Roman people. So Caesar set out to do just that by attempting to conquer a large swathe of territory, known as Gaul. Gaul was located in Western Europe and encompasses today’s France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Caesar and his army worked their way methodically across Gaul, conquering the area piece by piece. He also famously penned a memoir of his battles in Gaul and spoke of himself glowingly in the third person. His decisive victory came in the Battle of Alesia, which he won through a mixture of clever military strategy and cutting off the food supply.
The people in the nearby town of Uxellodunum heard about this and fortified their town and gathered food supplies to prevent them from suffering the same fate.
When Caesar and his army arrived at Uxellodunum, they heard about how the townsfolk have already gathered food in abundance. To force the people of Uxellodunum to surrender, he devised another strategy: cutting off their water supply.
Caesar and his army observed that the people of Uxellodunum came out to collect water from a spring. In his memoir, Caesar wrote, “All the Romans wished that the townsfolk could be cut off from this spring, but Caesar alone saw how it could be done.”
Caesar ordered his men to build a giant ramp to attack the townsfolk who came out to collect water and to cut off their water supply. The townsfolk began to panic and came out to set the ramp on fire in an attempt to burn it down.
Seeing an opportunity, Caesar ordered his men to “raise a shout all round” to terrify and confuse the townsfolk into thinking that an attack on their walls was imminent. The men of Uxellodunum then retreated, giving Caesar and his army just enough time to cut off the water supply to the town.
This “wrought such despair” in the townsfolk that they thought it to be an “act of God.” With their water supply cut off, the people of Uxellodunum had no choice but to surrender.
Caesar and his army had won.
Caesar decided that the men of Uxellodunum, and by extension, all the people in Gaul, needed to be “deterred by an exemplary punishment.” He then meted out an incredibly cruel penalty:
“While granting them their lives, he cut off the hands of all who had borne arms, to testify the more openly the penalty of evildoers.”
All the men who had fought in Uxellodunum had their hands cut off as a warning to all the people in Gaul on what would happen if they dared to rebel against Caesar.
It worked. Caesar finished his campaign in Gaul and began the journey back to Rome as a revered conqueror.
Conflict in ancient history was often very bloody and void of mercy. It was a winner-takes-all world, and ambitious men would do anything to win. Caesar’s actions showed that he was such a man, and his cruelty and military campaigns earned him an eternal spot in world history.
