The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Wendy Voong
History 101
J.Duran
24 October 2014
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
“The Assassination of Julius Caesar” by Michael Parenti goes into details about the events that lead up to the death of Caesar due to class conflicts. In 44 BC, the assassination of Julius Caesar was lead by conspiring members of the Roman senate who wanted to remove the dictator, who was increasingly acquiring power, and to revive the Republic government. Parenti's book protests against the gentlemen historians and the class society that they used to describe the assassination of Julius Caesar. His book also gives us insight about the Late Republic and takes us through the events that were presented in the actions of people and politicians in the death of Caesar. In Parenti’s novel, he outlines the events of why people would want to assassinate Caesar, not who. Everything that contributes to the death of Caesar open doors to more than what meets the eyes. The Assassination of Julius Caesar offers a new perspective on ancient era that contain interesting information, which can relate to our own times.
Back then in Rome, society was divided into different classes. On the bottom of the social structures were the slaves, who made one third of the entire population. Slaves were the ones that had to work in the mines or plantation. Next were the freed Romans, who were known as the proletarians. They were either descendent of slaves or were ex-slave, who lived in the impoverished areas of Italy. Proletarians had to live in crowded tenements that were full of disease, or in a tall buildings that tended to collapse or easily catch fire. On top of the proletarians were the farmers or small landowners and above them, were the middle class, such as the merchants. After the middle class, were the wealthy, also known as equestrians. They were banker, tax collectors, and landowners. At the top of the social summit, were the aristocrats, who populated the
History 101
J.Duran
24 October 2014
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
“The Assassination of Julius Caesar” by Michael Parenti goes into details about the events that lead up to the death of Caesar due to class conflicts. In 44 BC, the assassination of Julius Caesar was lead by conspiring members of the Roman senate who wanted to remove the dictator, who was increasingly acquiring power, and to revive the Republic government. Parenti's book protests against the gentlemen historians and the class society that they used to describe the assassination of Julius Caesar. His book also gives us insight about the Late Republic and takes us through the events that were presented in the actions of people and politicians in the death of Caesar. In Parenti’s novel, he outlines the events of why people would want to assassinate Caesar, not who. Everything that contributes to the death of Caesar open doors to more than what meets the eyes. The Assassination of Julius Caesar offers a new perspective on ancient era that contain interesting information, which can relate to our own times.
Back then in Rome, society was divided into different classes. On the bottom of the social structures were the slaves, who made one third of the entire population. Slaves were the ones that had to work in the mines or plantation. Next were the freed Romans, who were known as the proletarians. They were either descendent of slaves or were ex-slave, who lived in the impoverished areas of Italy. Proletarians had to live in crowded tenements that were full of disease, or in a tall buildings that tended to collapse or easily catch fire. On top of the proletarians were the farmers or small landowners and above them, were the middle class, such as the merchants. After the middle class, were the wealthy, also known as equestrians. They were banker, tax collectors, and landowners. At the top of the social summit, were the aristocrats, who populated the
Cited: Parenti, Michael. The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People 's History of Ancient Rome. New York: New, 2003. Print.