SPQR: the newspaper

Page 1

WE CAN BE HEROES

vesuvius erupts

WOMEN, WAR AND FIGHTING

eyewitness accounts from pompeii

First edition

GENDER NORMS

senatus populusque romanus the senate & people of rome

10 Denarii

Just as Rome wasn’ t built in a day – nor was this newspaper (events span several centuries)

Julius Caesar assassinated! Hacked to death, twenty senators are under suspicion for his murder 15 March, 44 BCE

A scene of mayhem has been left in the wake of Caesar’s death. While much remains unclear about his death, this much is known:

G

aius Julius Caesar was approached by a gang of some twenty senators near the Theatre of Pompey in Rome, who declared their intention to hand him a petition. An eyewitness declares that an unnamed member of the party was seen to tug on Caesar’s toga – this is believed to have

been the signal to the assassins to strike. Caesar was then set upon with daggers, as panic broke out. He tried to defend himself with the only weapon to hand – his sharp pen. Brutus was gashed in the attack, but questions remain about where his loyalties lie,

as he was among the group of senators who surrounded Caesar.

‘You too, child!’ Another eyewitness states that Caesar cried out to Brutus ‘You too, child!’ The group of senators fled

the scene and their escape was aided by the chaos as the gladiator show at the Theatre of Pompey was coming to an end and the crowd was dispersing onto the streets nearby. Julius Caesar died at the scene. A divisive figure, nonetheless his support of the

LITERARY EVENT OF THE YEAR - CICERO’S NEW BOOK LAUNCHES Come and get your copies of Call Me Catiline: The Unauthorised Biography signed by the author, Cicero, at the Roman Forum next Tuesday. The evening includes an oration by the author. 7pm-midnight (RSVP to book a seat or wear comfy sandals) NEXT WEEK: Column McCann!

poor and frequent handouts mean that many will mourn his passing. His murder leaves a void at the heart of power, and with twenty of our most respected senators in the frame for his death, it remains to be seen who will succeed him.


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