* Goldsworthy refers to Pompey as a “maverick”. Caesar and his men made it as far as present day London before deciding to turn back for the continent. * Caesar led an expedition across the English Channel to Britain. Pompey was old enough to be Julia’s father, and even though Caesar was six years Pompey’s junior, he thus became his father-in-law. In the most bizarre instance of this cultural norm, Caesar convinced his daughter Julia to break off her engagement with another man to marry the recently widowed Pompey. * Because of the high mortality rate for women in childbirth and the political power that it could provide, remarriage under any circumstance–including divorce–was not frowned upon. Over his lifetime, he had four wives (all of whom he was unfaithful to) and prolonged affairs, most notably with Servilia, mother of Brutus (his future assassin), and Cleopatra. He even had his standard issue senator’s toga altered to be more flattering. From his earliest days as a public figure, he had a reputation for putting inappropriate focus on his appearance. * Caesar may have been the first recorded metrosexual. I’ll share the most interesting with you: There were a handful of assorted facts that stood out for me.
I found the parts of the book that dealt with Caesar’s military campaigns in present day France to be the toughest to get through (move to a new place, subdue native peoples, forge alliances, repeat), but it wasn’t until reading Goldsworthy’s work that I understood just how much of Caesar’s life was spent on the battlefield as opposed to in the great meeting halls of Rome. It was quite the task, but ultimately very satisfying. After two and a half months, I finally finished Caesar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy.
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