The Eagle Flies! A Julius Caesar Timeline.
- Thread starter Dirk
- Start date
One thing we have been discussing heavily as of late is what I would call the 'Judean Question'. You see, the year is 43 BCE and Antipater the Idumaean would be assassinated in court intrigue IOTL following the Ides of March. Which is significant considering that Herod the Great is his son.
"A native of Idumaea, southeast of Judea between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, which during the time of the Hebrew Bible had been known as the land of Edom,[2] Antipater became a powerful official under the later Hasmonean kings and subsequently became a client of the Roman general Pompey the Great when Pompey conquered Judea in the name of Roman Republic. When Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, Antipater rescued Caesar in Alexandria, and was made chief minister of Judea, with the right to collect taxes. Antipater eventually made his sons Phasaelus and Herod the Governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively. After the assassination of Caesar, Antipater was forced to side with Gaius Cassius Longinus against Mark Antony. The pro-Roman politics of Antipater led to his increasing unpopularity among the devout, non-Hellenized Jews. He died by poison. The diplomacy and artful politics of Antipater, as well as his insinuation into the Hasmonean court, paved the way for the rise of his son Herod the Great, who used this position to marry the Hasmonean princess Mariamne, endear himself to Rome and become king of Judea under Roman influence."
"After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Antipater was forced to side with Cassius against Mark Antony. When Cassius came to Syria to collect troops, he began to demand harsh tributes, so much so that some entire cities and city curators were sold into slavery.[27] Cassius demanded seven hundred talents out of Judea, so Antipater split the cost between his two sons. One aristocrat tasked with collecting tribute was Malichus, who disdained Antipater and enraged Cassius by not collecting with haste.[28] However, Antipater saved Malichus from death by expending one hundred talents of his own and placating Cassius’ anger.[29] Although Antipater saved Malichus' life a second time from a different ruler, Malichus continued to despise Antipater and seek his murder. Josephus presents two opposing reasons, one which would help secure Hyrcanus against the rising threat of Herod,[30] and the other being his desire to quickly dispose of Hyrcanus and take power himself.[31] He devised multiple assassination attempts which Antipater evaded, but successfully bribed one of Hyrcanus’ cup-bearers to poison and kill Antipater.[32] Antipater’s work as power-broker between the Hasmoneans, the Arabians, and the Romans inaugurated dramatic dynamics and steep changes in the history of the Jewish nation. The diplomacy and artful politics of Antipater produced the Herodian dynasty; he paved the way for the rise of his son Herod the Great, who married the Hasmonean princess Mariamne,[33] endeared himself to Rome, and usurped the Judean throne to become king of Judea under Roman influence."
Obviously the butterflies have already hit Judea by now thanks to Caesar's survival, and shall continue to ravage it's shores like tidal waves, since Caesar shall be wintering in Antioch before starting his long-awaited campaign in Parthia. Antipater will not be forced to serve Cassius and oversee harsh tributes that would lead to his murder by Malichus IOTL. So there's that, which I wanted to mention.
But what I really want is to see Herod's reign butterflied away, with the Hasmoneans remaining in power as Rome's clients. It could completely butterfly Christianity away. How can this be done? What is Caesar's relations with Hyrcanus II and would he support him against Herod? How terribly shall his son Antigonus be punished for trying to take the throne whist backed by the Parthians?
"A native of Idumaea, southeast of Judea between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, which during the time of the Hebrew Bible had been known as the land of Edom,[2] Antipater became a powerful official under the later Hasmonean kings and subsequently became a client of the Roman general Pompey the Great when Pompey conquered Judea in the name of Roman Republic. When Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, Antipater rescued Caesar in Alexandria, and was made chief minister of Judea, with the right to collect taxes. Antipater eventually made his sons Phasaelus and Herod the Governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively. After the assassination of Caesar, Antipater was forced to side with Gaius Cassius Longinus against Mark Antony. The pro-Roman politics of Antipater led to his increasing unpopularity among the devout, non-Hellenized Jews. He died by poison. The diplomacy and artful politics of Antipater, as well as his insinuation into the Hasmonean court, paved the way for the rise of his son Herod the Great, who used this position to marry the Hasmonean princess Mariamne, endear himself to Rome and become king of Judea under Roman influence."
"After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Antipater was forced to side with Cassius against Mark Antony. When Cassius came to Syria to collect troops, he began to demand harsh tributes, so much so that some entire cities and city curators were sold into slavery.[27] Cassius demanded seven hundred talents out of Judea, so Antipater split the cost between his two sons. One aristocrat tasked with collecting tribute was Malichus, who disdained Antipater and enraged Cassius by not collecting with haste.[28] However, Antipater saved Malichus from death by expending one hundred talents of his own and placating Cassius’ anger.[29] Although Antipater saved Malichus' life a second time from a different ruler, Malichus continued to despise Antipater and seek his murder. Josephus presents two opposing reasons, one which would help secure Hyrcanus against the rising threat of Herod,[30] and the other being his desire to quickly dispose of Hyrcanus and take power himself.[31] He devised multiple assassination attempts which Antipater evaded, but successfully bribed one of Hyrcanus’ cup-bearers to poison and kill Antipater.[32] Antipater’s work as power-broker between the Hasmoneans, the Arabians, and the Romans inaugurated dramatic dynamics and steep changes in the history of the Jewish nation. The diplomacy and artful politics of Antipater produced the Herodian dynasty; he paved the way for the rise of his son Herod the Great, who married the Hasmonean princess Mariamne,[33] endeared himself to Rome, and usurped the Judean throne to become king of Judea under Roman influence."
Obviously the butterflies have already hit Judea by now thanks to Caesar's survival, and shall continue to ravage it's shores like tidal waves, since Caesar shall be wintering in Antioch before starting his long-awaited campaign in Parthia. Antipater will not be forced to serve Cassius and oversee harsh tributes that would lead to his murder by Malichus IOTL. So there's that, which I wanted to mention.
But what I really want is to see Herod's reign butterflied away, with the Hasmoneans remaining in power as Rome's clients. It could completely butterfly Christianity away. How can this be done? What is Caesar's relations with Hyrcanus II and would he support him against Herod? How terribly shall his son Antigonus be punished for trying to take the throne whist backed by the Parthians?
Tate the Brewer
Banned
Just glancing over this, it looks to be going very well thus far. And no, Dirk, your writing doesn't suck. Don't worry 
Tonight's update is written by Emperor Casey, edited by Dirk and Grouchio.
“The Road to Babylon” in The Life and Death of Julius Caesar
Diodorus Constantius
After the swift conquest of the Dacian hordes Imperator Caesar entered the next phase of operations, which he hoped would bring peace back to the civilized world. The Dacians, who are similar to the Celts in Gaul in almost every manner, from their dress to their warlike attitudes that seemed to be aimed at anything civilized, thanks to their childlike interest in all things shiny and of good taste, allowed the Roman conquerors to give them a taste of the good life. With these promises Caesar began the pacification of the Dacians. Roman soldiers and slave workers alike crawled over hills and through fields to carve roadways that connected the villages and settlement towns that were growing. The local client chiefs that had submitted to Caesar after being promised the rewards of life and wealth also contributed resources for construction and to fill the stomachs of the resident legionaries. The greater outcome of the campaign proved to be the access gained to the countless raw minerals that would be mined in the north, all to be draw out and sent throughout the empire. Being restless and eager for glory as always, Caesar would call together a council at his headquarters in Uscudama (OTL Adrianople) to discuss the next step in his grand campaign:
“The Dacians have been subjugated and their resources are now in Roman hands.” Caesar said, to which all his generals nodded in agreement. Although Caesar encouraged his officers to speak for themselves one would be a brave man to openly criticize the dictator. “The new governors and chiefs of the province assure me that Dacia will become a loyal and controllable colony just like Gaul did after I took it.” Caesar continued, “This I am confident of; we will leave this territory and move onward to Parthia to avenge the wrongs that they have committed against Rome and her people.”
It was Gaius Octavius’s turn to stand. “We can have the legions prepared for the campaign by November, optimal time to campaign in Mesopotamia.” The officers nodded. Although Octavian had been a feeble youth he was cunning and remarkably intelligent, able to predict a man’s behavior to almost the letter. Over the past few months he had earned the respect of most and envy of some of his colleagues.
Caesar rose to his feet and put a hand on Octavian’s shoulder. “You shall lead with me, my son." Eyebrows raised at the implications of this new familial relationship. "The road to Babylon will lie open to us.”
So it was that Caesar and his most veteran legions, including the mighty Tenth, accompanied by the fresh auxiliaries he had used in Dacia and equipped with their fearful falces, would sail across the Aegean and Mediterranean to the port city of Antioch, whose walls and wealth could make even an Egyptian pharaoh jealous. The city had been taken from the Seleucid Empire some decades ago and it had hardly missed a beat as it replaced one mighty master with another. All manners of people could be found in this port. Roman merchants could mingle with their fellows from Arabia, North Africa and as far away as India, and find goods from farther still. The Rhodian and Athenian shipmen that had been commissioned by Caesar to transport the armies would find themselves in warm company due to the fact that Greek was so prominent in this eastern city. The legionaries found comfort in it not only for the more familiar culture but also because the local brothel women could be hired much easier. It was also here that Caesar set up his headquarters prior to the start of the campaign against the Parthian Empire.
Caesar was said to tell his generals that in this campaign the goal of victory was greater than it had been in Dacia, not because of the threat the Parthians posed to Rome, not because the legacy of Alexander, a personal hero of Caesar's, lay within the sand but because it would avenge the death of thousands of Romans. Crassus, a friend of Caesar, if a political alliance can be called one, along with several legions had been destroyed years prior near the town of Carrhae by the Parthians. Crassus had been greedy for victory and ignored better instinct when he chose to cross the open plain and he had paid the price. Caesar, being the finest strategist since the time of Alexander, would not fail where his predecessor had. He made this known to his council when he proclaimed, “Where Crassus has fallen, Caesar shall prevail.”
He had insisted on wearing his toga and other elements of administrative power when meeting with his generals upon reaching Antioch. Whispers floated that it was to show the local people he was arriving not as a conqueror but a ruler while others, slaves to be precise, had said it was because of the fits he had experienced and feared it would injure him if he was clad in armor. He had also reportedly had an outburst with some local officials where he yelled obscenities and simple nonsense, rubbing at his forehead. Whatever the reasoning for his behavior none of his officers questioned their commander openly but started to converse among themselves as to who would be the optimal heir to his great legacy should something unfortunate occur. Agrippa, being a strong and charismatic man and still of youth, had the power to convince the officers that Octavius had more than a handle on the general situation and their fears were unfounded. Their focus was best reserved for the coming campaign.
The war against Parthia would be planned and led by Caesar himself, with the dutiful advice of his subordinates playing their part as usual. Unlike the desire to conquer all of Gaul, Caesar had no desire to take all of Mesopotamia. The idea would be to bring the Parthians to battle on his own terms and give them proper thrashings as he took cities along the Tigris River. Through the diplomatic channels that made Caesar known to his allies and enemies alike he had found a suitable replacement for King Orodes II who now ruled Parthia in a state of paranoia, for succession quarrels were not unheard of in Parthia. The only uncertainty that was on the field was the Shahanshah's son Prince Pacorus, who was quite a capable man but was untested in battle, which Caesar kept note of. The Greco-Babylonian roots still ran strong through the people of the region and Caesar would exploit this to his greatest advantage. Caesar in his wisdom and with knowledge of both his enemy’s strengths as well as Roman weaknesses recruited a number of horse archers to give a proper response to the Parthian Shot. The end of this massive campaign was intended to fill Rome’s coffers and give Rome a valuable ally on the border.
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Raunchel
Banned
Not as far as I know.
But it seems that Caesar is getting ill, probably something like a brain tumor. This could have immense consequences, if he suffers something in front of the legions this could mess up the whole war.
Dirk
Banned
You've got to remember that he was stabbed in the forehead in the assassination attempt.
A most excellent update. Aside from Caesar's medical issues things seem to be going swimmingly well.
Caesar star
We will have to wait and see if the star is still accompanied Caesar.
If it has to die and can choose how ... would opt to do it in battle against the enemies of Rome, which turned into victory by the force of the legions to see die his General.
We will have to wait and see if the star is still accompanied Caesar.
If it has to die and can choose how ... would opt to do it in battle against the enemies of Rome, which turned into victory by the force of the legions to see die his General.
Donald Reaver
Donor
A interesting update, hopefully what ever medical issue Caesar is having does not start up at just the wrong moment. If in the middle of a battle it is set off from the stress, can Octavius take over? Would he even be obeyed with Caesar's men thinking he can do no wrong.
Emperor Casey
Banned
Well in OTL he had suffered from epileptic seizures, and possibly another disease because some accounts state he began to act odd with outbursts and such. Here he has both plus the addition of a head wound and the campaigning so not so sure how this will go for him at age 67.
Casey Casey Casey. 100-43 = 57, not 67. Caesar is 57.Well in OTL he had suffered from epileptic seizures, and possibly another disease because some accounts state he began to act odd with outbursts and such. Here he has both plus the addition of a head wound and the campaigning so not so sure how this will go for him at age 67.
Caesar should be able to make it through most of the next decade before the succession games begin. But you never know...
Emperor Casey
Banned
Casey Casey Casey. 100-43 = 57, not 67. Caesar is 57.
Caesar should be able to make it through most of the next decade before the succession games begin. But you never know...
Whoops how embarrassing
different scenarios can further symptoms and such
