![]() His friends there included the poets Licinius Calvus, and Helvius Cinna, Quintus Hortensius (son of the orator and rival of Cicero) and the biographer Cornelius Nepos, to whom Catullus dedicated a libellus of poems, the relation of which to the extant collection remains a matter of debate. Ĭatullus appears to have spent most of his young adult years in Rome. In a poem, Catullus describes his happy homecoming to the family villa at Sirmio, on Lake Garda, near Verona he also owned a villa near the resort of Tibur (modern Tivoli). The social prominence of the Catullus family allowed the father of Gaius Valerius to entertain Julius Caesar when he was the Promagistrate (proconsul) of both Gallic provinces. Gāius Valerius Catullus was born to a leading equestrian family of Verona, in Cisalpine Gaul. One of the most famous of his poems is his 5th, which is often recognized for its passionate language and opening line: " Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus" ("Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love"). In 25 of his poems, he mentions his devotion to a woman he refers to as " Lesbia", who is widely believed to have been the Roman aristocrat Clodia Metelli. Ĭatullus's style is highly personal, humorous, and emotional he frequently uses hyperbole, anaphora, alliteration, and diminutives. Yet, at many instruction levels, Catullus is considered a resource for teachers of Latin. The explicit sexual imagery which he uses in some of his poems has shocked many readers. After his rediscovery in the Late Middle Ages, Catullus again found admirers such as Petrarch. His surviving works are still read widely and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.Ĭatullus's poems were widely appreciated by contemporary poets, significantly influencing Ovid and Virgil, among others. 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus ( Classical Latin:, kə- TUL-əs), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. Only a month after Caesar’s declaration, a group of senators, among them Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar’s second choice as heir, and Gaius Cassius Longinus assassinated Caesar in fear of his absolute power.Gaius Valerius Catullus ( Classical Latin: c. His increasing power and great ambition agitated many senators who feared Caesar aspired to be king. In 44 B.C.E., Caesar declared himself dictator for life. He also granted citizenship to foreigners living within the Roman Republic. At the same time, he sponsored the building of the Forum Iulium and rebuilt two city-states, Carthage and Corinth. He wielded his power to enlarge the senate, created needed government reforms, and decreased Rome’s debt. Returning to Italy, Caesar consolidated his power and made himself dictator. This sparked a civil war between Caesar’s forces and forces of his chief rival for power, Pompey, from which Caesar emerged victorious. When his rivals in Rome demanded he return as a private citizen, he used these riches to support his army and marched them across the Rubicon River, crossing from Gaul into Italy. Throughout his eight-year governorship, he increased his military power and, more importantly, acquired plunder from Gaul. ![]() His Roman troops conquered Gallic tribes by exploiting tribal rivalries. Returning to Rome, he formed political alliances that helped him become governor of Gaul, an area that included what is now France and Belgium. Seizing the opportunity, Caesar advanced in the political system and briefly became governor of Spain, a Roman province. During his youth, the Roman Republic was in chaos. Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician who named himself dictator of the Roman Empire, a rule that lasted less than one year before he was famously assassinated by political rivals in 44 B.C.E.Ĭaesar was born on July 12 or 13 in 100 B.C.E.
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