Western Civilization - Written Assignment
For this assignment, I have provided three accounts of the assassination of Julius Caesar for you to read. These documents are considered "primary sources," as they were written shortly after the events occurred. There was no direct record of the event, so even though these accounts were written after the fact, they are the closest we can get to a "firsthand" account of the murder.
Please read each of the three documents listed below, as well as this week's readings from the textbook. Afterwards, describe whether Caesar was portrayed as a "model politician" or a selfish dictator in each of the three "firsthand" accounts. Do these portrayals differ from how Caesar was portrayed by the authors of our textbook? If so, how and why? Please note that this paper is not about your opinion of Caesar, but rather is about his portrayal in historical documents.
• "The Assassination of Julius Caesar, 44 BC." Eyewitness to History. 2004.
• Tranquillus, Gaius Suetonius. Lives of the 12 Caesars. Translated by Joseph Gavorse. Reproduced by Livius: Articles on Ancient History.
• Plutarch. "The Assassination of Julius Caesar, from Marcus Brutus (excerpts)." Translated by John Dryden. Reproduced by Internet Ancient History Sourcebook. August 2000.