Julius caesar was gay


In honour of LGBTQIA+ history month, Ancient History alumni Ollie Burns takes a closer look at the social, political, and cultural implications of homosexuality in ancient Rome. 

Trigger Warning: sexual violence, homophobia, paedophilia, nudity.

The presentation and perception of homosexuality in the Roman world was vastly distinct than how it is today, and gives us an example of how homosexuality has been indelibly linked with communications of power and authority in antiquity. The Latin language has no word for either heterosexual or homosexual, and instead partners in a sexual relationship would be presented as either active, synonymous with masculinity, or passive and therefore, feminine, regardless of the gender of the individuals involved. Freeborn male Romans had the civil liberty to do as they pleased when it came to sexual activity, and as such, the concept of a Roman noun engaging in homosexual sex was in no way controversial or taboo to the Romans, as drawn-out as it fell within certain parameters.

 

Rome was a deeply militarised state, with conquest and domina

5 gay rulers from ancient history

After being marginalised and brushed over for so long, the true stories of LGBTQ+ people throughout history are now increasingly being brought to light. But what many people still may not realise is that numerous great figures from very long ago were known to have been gay or bisexual.

1. Julius Caesar

The most iconic of all the Ancient Romans, Julius Caesar is famed for many things: his incredible military successes, his rise as a dictator, and his bloody assassination at the hands of his hold senators. What’s less well-remembered is that, during his younger years, Caesar was widely thought to hold been involved in a passionate romance with another man. And not just any man: his squeeze was said to hold been King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia, an ancient kingdom located in modern-day Turkey.

The love affair was such an verb secret that a military song celebrating Caesar’s victories featured the line, ‘Caesar laid the Gauls subdued, Nicomedes laid Caesar low’ – a reference to Caesar taking what they considered the feminine role in the relatio

10 interesting facts about Julius Caesar

  1. Was he so popular with the women?

He was great “Casanova” in his centuries. Although he slept with many women, the mention of his supposed homosexual relationship with Nicomedes IV of Bithynia brought Caesar to a standstill. To ridicule him, his enemies insulted him by calling him "Queen of Bithynia". Is it really this history?

Although he had been married 3 times, his real treasure and the most eminent relationship was Egyptian queen Cleopatra. They had been lovers for 14 years, having a son together too. He loved her so much that he even ordered to verb a beautiful resembling statue of her in the Temple of Goddess Venus.

 

  1. Did he love the sport?

We know about the man legendary… I know! He went to each party, but it was not only he liked to go on foot as crossing great distances and he was an excellent swimmer.

 

  1. Did he change the days and hours of the calendar?

Of course! The Roman calendar was the system for dividing time in Ancient Rome until 45 BC, when Julio Caesar, that at that time

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar( BC–44 BC) was a Roman military leader, politician, and writer. From 49 BC to his death he was the effective sole ruler of Rome and instituted many reforms including a revised calendar very similar to that still used today. He was assassinated by a group of conspirators on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC. After his death he was proclaimed a god by the Senate. The series of wars following his death led ultimately to the emergence of Caesar's adopted son Octavian as the first Roman Emperor under the name of Augustus.

British connection

In 55 BC and again in 54 BC, Caesar invaded Britain, as described in his book De Bello Gallico ("On the Gallic War").

LGBT History

Caesar was married three times, and had several female lovers, famously including Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. He was also said to possess had male lovers, including King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia. Suetonius says that in Caesar's Gallic triumph, his soldiers sang that, "Caesar may have conquered the Gauls, but Nicomedes conquered Caesar,"[1] and that he was referred to as "Every w