Julius Caesar: The 3 Reasons He Is Famous Today

Born	12th of July, 100 BC
Died	15th of March, 44 BC
Famous Quote	“I came, I saw, I conquered”
Known For	Roman General who marched on Rome and overthrew the Republic, historian, one of the most influential people in history
Region of World	Rome, Italy, 1st century BC
Further Reading	Augustus: 3 Greatest Accomplishments Of Rome’s First Emperor and Pompey The Great: The 3 Things He is Known For Today

“Let the die be cast” these words spoken by Julius Caesar upon crossing the Rubicon and overthrowing the Roman Republic forever mark him as one of the most famous people even up through today.

Today there are 3 reasons why Julius Caesar is so famous. First, Caesar destroyed the Republic by declaring himself dictator for life. Second, Julius Caesar created the calendar of today that is used worldwide. Third, Caesar was an accomplished historian and military commander.

Julius Caesar remains one of the most researched and discussed people in history. Few people across the world have not heard of this man even though he lived over 2,000 years ago.

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Without further ado, here are the 3 reasons Julius Caesar is famous today.

1.) Caesar Destroyed The Republic By Becoming Dictator For Life

One of the reasons that Julius Caesar is famous today is because he was declared Dictator for life.

In the Roman Republic it was not unheard of to have a dictator. The dictatorship was given to Roman generals or magistrates during times of great threat to the Republic. The position of Dictator gave one person complete control over the Republic in order to eliminate a threat, after which they would have to return power to the Senate and Roman people.

Julius Caesar was awarded the dictatorship several times. The first time was in 49 BC which he declined. However, in 48 BC Caesar was awarded the dictatorship for an indefinite amount of time.

By Julius Caesar being awarded the title of Dictator Perpetuo Caesar would have complete control over the Roman people and Senate forever. This terrified the Roman Senate and a portion of the Roman people.

However, the precedent would stick. Less than 30 years later Caesar’s adopted son Octavian would become the first Roman Emperor by following a similar manner to his father, Julius Caesar.

The act of being elected the first Dictator for Life is one of the main reasons that Julius Caesar is remembered today.

2.) Julius Caesar Created The Modern Calendar That Is Used Worldwide

One of the main reasons Julius Caesar is famous today comes from our modern calendar.

Do the months of July and August sound familiar? If so you can thank Julius Caesar and his adoptive son Augustus.

In 46 BC Julius Caesar would change the Roman calendar from the traditional Roman Calendar to a more formulaic and standard one consisting of 12 months with built in leap years.

Even though the month of July would be named after Julius Caesar the purpose of this calendar switch was not for self promotion. Rather it was to control politics.

In the Roman Republic the Roman priests could lengthen years to accommodate leap years when they saw fit. This power occurred when the priest’s friend was running for office, extending the year would allow his friend more time to run for office.

In an effort to curb this abuse by the Roman priests Julius Caesar created the modern Julian Calendar that the entire world uses.

The Julian calendar remains one of the main reasons that Julius Caesar is famous today.

3.) Caesar Was An Accomplished Historian And Military Commander

One of the main reasons that Julius Caesar is so famous today is because he was both an accomplished historian and general.

Most people are aware of his accomplishments as a general of Roman legions but few understand Caesar’s impact upon the field of history.

Over the course of his life Caesar would write numerous accounts of his exploits and military victories. The reason we know so much about him over 2,000 years later is because he personally wrote several pieces of text.

These historical writings read as an autobiography of Caesar’s life. Caesar was keenly aware of his impact upon future generations of Romans and began to fold his scrolls into concertina form. This was the precursor to modern history books.

(If you are interested in reading Caesar’s account of his war in Gaul you can read the original Latin along with an English translation here.)

The act of a leader keeping a detailed record of their achievements became a standard tradition that has continued up to this modern day.

Further, several hundred copies of Julius Caesar’s work have survived to the modern day. This is one the main reasons he is famous today, he is one of the few primary sources that historians have.

It is because Julius Caesar was an accomplished general and historian that he is still famous today. Modern historians still study his work on military theory.

Conclusion

There you have it; an entire article dedicated to the 3 reasons that Julius Caesar is famous today.

Julius Caesar remains one of the most influential Roman generals who has ever lived. Few people of the late Roman Republic would become both as hated and as loved as he was. Today nearly everyone knows Caesar from popular media as well as his iconic work within the field of history.

Here at The History Ace I strive to publish the best history articles on the internet. If you enjoyed this article consider subscribing to the free newsletter and sharing around the internet.

Further, you can check out some of the other articles below. 

Sincerely,

Nick