From the Inside Flap
Sixty killers, wearing the purple-trimmed togas of Roman senators, unsheathed their hidden daggers to stab the most feared and powerful man in the Empire. Hundreds of their colleagues ran screaming from the Theater of Pompey the Great, proclaiming the bloody deed to the thousands of citizens who clogged the streets outside. It was the most public of crimes. Yet, two millennia after the murder of Julius Caesar, many questions remain unanswered. Was Brutus a treasonous villain or a hero of Rome? Were the killers motivated by noble sentiment or venality? Why did so many of Caesar's formerly loyal lieutenants take part in the murder?
In The Ides, celebrated author and classical researcher Stephen Dando-Collins transports you to the streets, palaces, and gathering places of ancient Rome to experience a richly detailed, convincingly accurate, and stunningly suspenseful account of Caesar's final days. He traces the conspiracy that brought the conqueror down, from a surprising holiday meeting between Cassius and Brutus to its chaotic conclusion and beyond.
Drawing deeply from ancient manuscripts, Dando-Collins documents Caesar's campaign to persuade the Senate, which had already declared him a "living god," to appoint him king of Rome before his planned departure on a military mission on March 19, 44 b.c. He reveals why many Romans already considered Caesar a tyrant and why Brutus, who may well have been Caesar's illegitimate son, felt a special obligation to depose this man who would be king.
This compelling history follows the mercurial Cassius and even-tempered Brutus as they carefully feel out potential co-conspirators, knowing that one wrong choice could be their last. It reveals the dramatic lengths to which Brutus's wife Porcia went to prove he could trust her with his secret; why Caesar, even as the killers paced in restless anticipation of his arrival, canceled the Senate session he had called; and how a close associate convinced him to change his mind.
Complete with a thoughtful analysis of why the plotters failed in their aim to restore the Republic and a chilling account of the deadly power struggles that continued for years after Caesar's death, The Ides is "must reading" for anyone fascinated with the Roman Empire, military history, and an incredibly good tale well told.
From the Back Cover
Unraveling the many mysteries surrounding the murder of Julius Caesar
The assassination of Julius Caesar is one of the most notorious murders in history. Two thousand years after it occurred, many compelling questions remain about his death: Was Brutus the hero and Caesar the villain? Did Caesar bring about his own death by planning to make himself king of Rome? Was Mark Antony aware of the plot, and did he let it go forward? Who wrote Antony's script after Caesar's death? Using historical evidence to sort out these and other puzzling issues, historian and award-winning author Stephen Dando-Collins takes you to the world of ancient Rome and recaptures the drama of Caesar's demise and the chaotic aftermath as the vicious struggle for power between Antony and Octavian unfolded. For the first time, he shows how the religious festivals and customs of the day affected the way the assassination plot unfolded. He shows, too, how the murder was almost avoided at the last moment.
Praise for Stephen Dando-Collins
"Absorbing . . . Military history is the muscle of this book, with enough political sinews to give it coherence."
--The Washington Times on Caesar's Legion
"The meticulous research and racy writing style make this a fascinating and revealing book."
--The Good Book Guide on Cleopatra's Kidnappers
"Cleverly structured and well paced."
--The Age on Nero's Killing Machine
"A tough, gritty chronicle."
--Booklist on Mark Antony's Heroes
"A work to keep you fascinated, and to make you wonder at the web of deceit that could occur in Rome."
--BBC History Magazine on Blood of the Caesars
