Constructing the Ides. Caesar's death between Republic and Empire
If provided funding from the RJ Sabbatical program, I would use the research year (12 months) to finish my monograph on the assassination of Julius Caesar, specifically focusing on how narratives of the murder were constructed and contested in the wake of 15 March 44 BCE. In the monograph, I ask questions and offers novel suggestions as to how stories and memories of the assassination were told, staged, contested and negotiated not only by Greek and Roman authors but also through spectacles, monuments, coins, poetry and inscriptions. The book deals with society’s responses to trauma and with the construction of opposing narratives at the time of intense political change and societal upheaval. And, unlike earlier studies, it gives weight to the physical presence of bodies, to rhetorical performance and persuasion, to topography and monuments and to the material aspects of rivaling memories. In our time of populist movements, political ruptures, fake news and rewritings of the past, this study hopefully contributes to a deeper understanding of how societies shape narratives of past events through oratory, spectacle, urban imagery, visual erasures – and violence.
Final report
Constructing the Ides. Caesar’s Death between Republic and Empire
Sabbatical report
Ida Östenberg
The project’s main results and publications, with reflections
I devoted a major part of my sabbatical to my monograph Constructing the Ides. Caesar’s Death between Republic and Empire. Several of the chapters are now close to completion: this applies to the sections on Caesar’s funeral and Antony’s performance on that occasion, as well as the chapters on how the political role of “fatherhood” was constructed after Caesar’s assassination. Other chapters are well advanced: this includes the section on how topography, monuments, and artworks conveyed images of the murder, and the chapter dealing with rival narratives of the act – on the one hand a justified tyrannicide, on the other a cowardly and criminal ambush.
In addition, I have written and published several articles and book chapters (see publication list) dealing with sudden death, elite funerals, collective grief, public commemorative ceremonies, and competing narratives during the late Republic and early Empire. These texts analyse different aspects of Caesar’s death within its broader historical context. A recurring theme is how public funeral rituals and commemorative ceremonies changed with the transition from a Republican to a monarchical rule; another is how the memory of Caesar’s assassination played an active and highly present role during the Julio-Claudian period.
Among these publications, I would particularly like to highlight the contribution I presented as an invited keynote speaker at a conference on Republican ceremonies in Milan, in March 2025 (to be published in 2026):
Östenberg, I., “Displaying the Dead, Guiding the Gaze. Republican Elite Funerals between Domestic and Public Spaces,” in Ceremonies of the Roman Republic: Exploring the Interplay between Public and Private (509–27 BCE), eds. Sara Borrello, Valeria Dieci and Laura Fontana (forthcoming, open access).
In my presentation/chapter, I analyse the changes in Roman public funerary rituals that, according to my research, occur with the funerals of the murdered Clodius (52 BCE) and Caesar (44 BCE). At these funerals, their bloodied bodies were displayed in the Forum (previously, the dead had been washed and dressed), and I discuss how several earlier mechanisms designed to maintain consensus were now absent. I further analyse the relationship between the violently mutilated bodies of Clodius and Caesar and the contemporary purges (proscriptions), during which the heads of the executed were nailed to the rostra—the speaker’s platform in the Forum from which the funeral ceremonies were also conducted. My chapter also examines how Emperor Augustus, through the presence of soldiers and other measures, re-established control over funeral ceremonies. In this way, the handling of Caesar’s death is set within a longer chronological framework. The text can be read independently, but it also plays a central role in my monograph, where one chapter deals with the topography of Roman violence.
Other results (two examples):
• Through my research, I am able to show that Antony, through speeches, monuments, and coinage, imprinted the image of Caesar as father and the assassination as a parricide, in order to prevent Octavian from claiming the exclusive right to inherit the role of Caesar’s son and avenger. Further, I show that the events following Caesar’s assassination did in fact gave rise to the very idea in Rome of a “father of the fatherland” (parens/pater patriae).
• I also show how the conspirators fashioned themselves as tyrannicides within a Greek tradition dating back to the establishment of democracy in Athens around 500 BCE. In addition to their philosophical and rhetorical education, monuments and sculpture played a crucial role – not least the famous statue of the Tyrannicides, which stood in Athens and, as a replica, on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
Further outcomes of the project
A particularly important aspect of my sabbatical was the two extended periods I spent abroad: six weeks at the American Academy in Rome and six weeks at the Institute of Classical Studies in London.
During my stay in Rome, I worked in the Academy’s exceptionally well-resourced library. I established contacts with both senior and early-career scholars, and I participated in a major international conference. I also received special permission to visit, together with the responsible archaeologist, the remains of the senate building in Pompey’s theatre complex, where Caesar was assassinated. Together with the archaeologist, I was able to discuss new finds that appear to confirm what ancient sources report: that after the murder, the senate building was considered a “cursed” place and was walled up. I also studied other buildings of significance for the remembrance of Caesar’s assassination (the Curia, the Regia, the rostra, the tomb of Hirtius, the site of Julia’s tumulus), as well as several museums in the city that house important material evidence for my study.
In London, I likewise had access to an excellently equipped library at the Institute of Classical Studies, as well as to major museums, especially the British Museum. I met many scholars, built new networks, and participated in shared seminars. Several scholars based in London work on closely related topics, making their input particularly valuable. My stay in London also led to an invitation to return in November to give a well-attended seminar on one of the book’s themes. The comments I received on that occasion were invaluable. During the same visit, I also acted as external reviewer of a PhD thesis at Royal Holloway – yet a way of strengthening academic collaboration beneficial both to me and to Swedish research on Antiquity in general.
Emerging research questions
My sabbatical work has generated new insights and questions that benefit this project while also opening avenues I hope to develop further in the future:
Most earlier studies of Caesar’s assassination focus on the conspirators’ political and philosophical motives. My work instead examines how narratives about the murder were constructed afterwards; moreover, I consider not only (as is customary) the narratives presented by ancient historians but also material remains and performances. A key insight has been the central role that Roman tragedy played in public rhetoric and politics. For example, I can demonstrate that Antony, in his funeral speech, uttered well-known lines from Roman tragedies which – amplified by the audience’s reaction – underscored that he, Antony, should avenge Caesar.
Another theme I have become increasingly interested in during the sabbatical is the rostra (speaker’s platform) as a site of memory. Here, Antony delivered his speech; here statues of Caesar were erected after the assassination, and later also a statue of Octavian. Here, too, the heads of Cicero and other prominent Romans were nailed up during the proscriptions that followed Caesar’s murder. In the future, I would like to write a biography of the rostra, which can also be linked to contemporary issues, such as free speech, populism, and political violence (one might also note that the platform in the U.S. House of Representatives is named the rostrum after the Roman original).
Dissemination of results and outreach
I first presented the project at a seminar the University of Gothenburg in May 2024. I have thereafter given seminars and lectures on parts of the project at Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, and the Institute of Classical Studies in London.
As for public outreach, the following articles may be mentioned, in which I discuss the memory of Caesar’s assassination:
Ida Östenberg: “Julius Caesars dödsdag har fått nytt liv i nätkulturens tidsålder”, Dagens Nyheter 15 mars 2024: https://www.dn.se/kultur/ida-ostenberg-julius-caesars-dodsdag-har-fatt-nytt-liv-i-natkulturens-tidsalder/
Ida Östenberg: “Därför tänker Trump och hans män så ofta på romarriket”, Dagens Nyheter 7 juni 2025: https://www.dn.se/kultur/ida-ostenberg-darfor-tanker-trump-och-hans-man-sa-ofta-pa-romarriket/
I have also discussed the topic in podcasts and radio programmes, particularly in Historia.nu:
1, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/caesar-vs-cicero-den-romerska-republikens-fall/
2, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/caesars-eviga-liv/
3, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/augustus-kamp-for-romerska-dygder/
During my sabbatical, I have also given several public lectures on the topic:
• Clios Vänner, Trollhättan, April 2024 on Caesar and Antiquity Today
• Örebro City Library, September 2024: Caesar, Shakespeare and Trump. The Continued Relevance of Antiquity
• Gothenburg City Library, January 2025 on Caesar and Antiquity in Film and TV
• In March 2026, I will lecture at Växjö Senior University: Et tu Brute? Julius Caesar from Antiquity to Trump.
I have also taught Caesar’s death in a University course on political assassinations in the discipline of History.
Sabbatical report
Ida Östenberg
The project’s main results and publications, with reflections
I devoted a major part of my sabbatical to my monograph Constructing the Ides. Caesar’s Death between Republic and Empire. Several of the chapters are now close to completion: this applies to the sections on Caesar’s funeral and Antony’s performance on that occasion, as well as the chapters on how the political role of “fatherhood” was constructed after Caesar’s assassination. Other chapters are well advanced: this includes the section on how topography, monuments, and artworks conveyed images of the murder, and the chapter dealing with rival narratives of the act – on the one hand a justified tyrannicide, on the other a cowardly and criminal ambush.
In addition, I have written and published several articles and book chapters (see publication list) dealing with sudden death, elite funerals, collective grief, public commemorative ceremonies, and competing narratives during the late Republic and early Empire. These texts analyse different aspects of Caesar’s death within its broader historical context. A recurring theme is how public funeral rituals and commemorative ceremonies changed with the transition from a Republican to a monarchical rule; another is how the memory of Caesar’s assassination played an active and highly present role during the Julio-Claudian period.
Among these publications, I would particularly like to highlight the contribution I presented as an invited keynote speaker at a conference on Republican ceremonies in Milan, in March 2025 (to be published in 2026):
Östenberg, I., “Displaying the Dead, Guiding the Gaze. Republican Elite Funerals between Domestic and Public Spaces,” in Ceremonies of the Roman Republic: Exploring the Interplay between Public and Private (509–27 BCE), eds. Sara Borrello, Valeria Dieci and Laura Fontana (forthcoming, open access).
In my presentation/chapter, I analyse the changes in Roman public funerary rituals that, according to my research, occur with the funerals of the murdered Clodius (52 BCE) and Caesar (44 BCE). At these funerals, their bloodied bodies were displayed in the Forum (previously, the dead had been washed and dressed), and I discuss how several earlier mechanisms designed to maintain consensus were now absent. I further analyse the relationship between the violently mutilated bodies of Clodius and Caesar and the contemporary purges (proscriptions), during which the heads of the executed were nailed to the rostra—the speaker’s platform in the Forum from which the funeral ceremonies were also conducted. My chapter also examines how Emperor Augustus, through the presence of soldiers and other measures, re-established control over funeral ceremonies. In this way, the handling of Caesar’s death is set within a longer chronological framework. The text can be read independently, but it also plays a central role in my monograph, where one chapter deals with the topography of Roman violence.
Other results (two examples):
• Through my research, I am able to show that Antony, through speeches, monuments, and coinage, imprinted the image of Caesar as father and the assassination as a parricide, in order to prevent Octavian from claiming the exclusive right to inherit the role of Caesar’s son and avenger. Further, I show that the events following Caesar’s assassination did in fact gave rise to the very idea in Rome of a “father of the fatherland” (parens/pater patriae).
• I also show how the conspirators fashioned themselves as tyrannicides within a Greek tradition dating back to the establishment of democracy in Athens around 500 BCE. In addition to their philosophical and rhetorical education, monuments and sculpture played a crucial role – not least the famous statue of the Tyrannicides, which stood in Athens and, as a replica, on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
Further outcomes of the project
A particularly important aspect of my sabbatical was the two extended periods I spent abroad: six weeks at the American Academy in Rome and six weeks at the Institute of Classical Studies in London.
During my stay in Rome, I worked in the Academy’s exceptionally well-resourced library. I established contacts with both senior and early-career scholars, and I participated in a major international conference. I also received special permission to visit, together with the responsible archaeologist, the remains of the senate building in Pompey’s theatre complex, where Caesar was assassinated. Together with the archaeologist, I was able to discuss new finds that appear to confirm what ancient sources report: that after the murder, the senate building was considered a “cursed” place and was walled up. I also studied other buildings of significance for the remembrance of Caesar’s assassination (the Curia, the Regia, the rostra, the tomb of Hirtius, the site of Julia’s tumulus), as well as several museums in the city that house important material evidence for my study.
In London, I likewise had access to an excellently equipped library at the Institute of Classical Studies, as well as to major museums, especially the British Museum. I met many scholars, built new networks, and participated in shared seminars. Several scholars based in London work on closely related topics, making their input particularly valuable. My stay in London also led to an invitation to return in November to give a well-attended seminar on one of the book’s themes. The comments I received on that occasion were invaluable. During the same visit, I also acted as external reviewer of a PhD thesis at Royal Holloway – yet a way of strengthening academic collaboration beneficial both to me and to Swedish research on Antiquity in general.
Emerging research questions
My sabbatical work has generated new insights and questions that benefit this project while also opening avenues I hope to develop further in the future:
Most earlier studies of Caesar’s assassination focus on the conspirators’ political and philosophical motives. My work instead examines how narratives about the murder were constructed afterwards; moreover, I consider not only (as is customary) the narratives presented by ancient historians but also material remains and performances. A key insight has been the central role that Roman tragedy played in public rhetoric and politics. For example, I can demonstrate that Antony, in his funeral speech, uttered well-known lines from Roman tragedies which – amplified by the audience’s reaction – underscored that he, Antony, should avenge Caesar.
Another theme I have become increasingly interested in during the sabbatical is the rostra (speaker’s platform) as a site of memory. Here, Antony delivered his speech; here statues of Caesar were erected after the assassination, and later also a statue of Octavian. Here, too, the heads of Cicero and other prominent Romans were nailed up during the proscriptions that followed Caesar’s murder. In the future, I would like to write a biography of the rostra, which can also be linked to contemporary issues, such as free speech, populism, and political violence (one might also note that the platform in the U.S. House of Representatives is named the rostrum after the Roman original).
Dissemination of results and outreach
I first presented the project at a seminar the University of Gothenburg in May 2024. I have thereafter given seminars and lectures on parts of the project at Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, and the Institute of Classical Studies in London.
As for public outreach, the following articles may be mentioned, in which I discuss the memory of Caesar’s assassination:
Ida Östenberg: “Julius Caesars dödsdag har fått nytt liv i nätkulturens tidsålder”, Dagens Nyheter 15 mars 2024: https://www.dn.se/kultur/ida-ostenberg-julius-caesars-dodsdag-har-fatt-nytt-liv-i-natkulturens-tidsalder/
Ida Östenberg: “Därför tänker Trump och hans män så ofta på romarriket”, Dagens Nyheter 7 juni 2025: https://www.dn.se/kultur/ida-ostenberg-darfor-tanker-trump-och-hans-man-sa-ofta-pa-romarriket/
I have also discussed the topic in podcasts and radio programmes, particularly in Historia.nu:
1, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/caesar-vs-cicero-den-romerska-republikens-fall/
2, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/caesars-eviga-liv/
3, https://historia.nu/historia-nu/augustus-kamp-for-romerska-dygder/
During my sabbatical, I have also given several public lectures on the topic:
• Clios Vänner, Trollhättan, April 2024 on Caesar and Antiquity Today
• Örebro City Library, September 2024: Caesar, Shakespeare and Trump. The Continued Relevance of Antiquity
• Gothenburg City Library, January 2025 on Caesar and Antiquity in Film and TV
• In March 2026, I will lecture at Växjö Senior University: Et tu Brute? Julius Caesar from Antiquity to Trump.
I have also taught Caesar’s death in a University course on political assassinations in the discipline of History.