'Et tu, Brute?' Probably not... the Ides of March and the death of Julius Caesar

To this day, flowers are still laid at the
statue of Julius Caesar in Rome

It's the Ides of March, one of the most famous days in history that, arguably, resulted in one of the most spectacular unintended consequences ever and spawned a famous Latin phrase that was probably never uttered.

Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated by eight senators, calling themselves the Liberatores (Liberators), at the Curia of Pompey in Rome on March 15, 44 BC.

Although Brutus was among the killers who stabbed Caesar several times, it is most unlikely that the dictator said "Et tu, Brute?", or for that matter anything else in Latin. Indeed, he might not have said a single word, although this is still disputed.

Roman historian Suetonius (70AD-130) reported that some people said Caesar's last words were in Greek: "Kαὶ σύ, τέκνον" - meaning "You too, child?" Yet, both he and Greek historian Plutarch (46AD-120) claim that Caesar said nothing, just pulling a toga over his head when he saw Brutus was among the group.

"Et tu, Brute?" comes from William Shakespeare's play. But it is not based on historical evidence, being just a nice phrase that was popular during the great hack's time.

And the unintended consequence?

The Liberators thought they were doing exactly that, liberating the Romans from a would-be king and tyrant. Although about 40 people joined the plot, it was not supposed to be a coup d'état. They believed the death of just one man would be symbolically effective. Is wasn't.

The assassination led to civil wars, the death of the republic and the birth of an empire under Caesar's adopted son and heir, his great-nephew Octavius – or Caesar Augustus, the first, all-powerful Roman emperor and 'living god'.




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The whole sooth and nothing but the sooth - anyone know a good prophet?

Flowers around Caesar's statue in Rome (UKpix.com)




THERE WAS a time when you could rely on the odd soothsayer or two to give you a head start, but the prophets of doom ain’t what they used to be.

As poor old Julius Caesar found out to his cost, it doesn’t always pay to ignore an advance warning. Every year on March 15 flowers are still laid at the foot of his statue outside the forum in Rome because he didn’t “Beware the Ides of March.”

Ancient Romans were keen on reading the signs and they had legions of religious officials - augurs - who foretold events by observing and interpreting signs and omens.

Even today, Romans are a bit stressed out because of so-called predictions. If you believe the interpretations, Raffaele Bendani, a seismologist, forecast in 1915 that a big earthquake would hit Rome on May 11, 2011. Not a murmur in Italy on the day, but an unusual quake in Lorca, Spain, kept the idea alive among the Twitterati - even though the quake was closer to Madrid than Rome.

Predicting the future has been a popular pastime since man emerged from the swamps. And, of course, if the soothsayer is vague enough, someone will interpret their visions as uncanny. Bendani forecast other earthquakes in Italy, but, as the country is in a quake zone, even I could do that.

If you actually believe in your own predictions, you might want to be a bit more specific - but throwing them a few hundred years into the future helps. US Christian broadcaster Harold Camping, 89, predicted that May 21, 2011 (ah, yes, today!) was the end of the world and his credibility has been shot to hell (if I make it beyond midnight, that is).

One of the most famous prophets of doom and gloom was Michel de Nostredame, or Nostradamus to you and me. The French apothecary and reputed seer published a book in 1555 called Les Propheties (The Prophecies) and is credited with predicting many major world events. Yet academics say his work is misinterpreted or mistranslated, often deliberately.

Nostradamus (left) was a happy soul who wrote about plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, battles, everything to cheer you up during your last day on Earth.

Enthusiasts say he predicted the Great Fire of London, and the rise of Napoleon and Adolf Hitler, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and many other things. But they only ever cite the events AFTER they have happened.

I, for one, like a bit of advance warning. A correct weather forecast wouldn’t go amiss now and then (especially if you are the Iranian President and say Europe is stealing your ‘rain’ just before it starts raining).

But I don’t really want to know if it is positively, absolutely the end of the world. So, if you spot a seagull flying in the wrong direction to negotiate a huge chunk of rock heading for Earth, keep it to yourself.

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