The relationship between Julius Caesar and Decimus Brutus with regard to the Ides of March: the view of Sir Ronald Syme and its historiographical reception

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between J. Caesar and D. Brutus in regard to the Ides of March in the work of R. Syme and the reception of his views on this matter. To this end, we will start contextualizing the subject of the work, noting the existence of an appreciable change in Syme’s interest in Caesar from 1960. Then, the analysis will take up the work of Syme, in which he addresses the issue of Caesar-Brutus. Finally, a review will take in the main works that, after Syme, have resumed the work on this relationship between Caesar and Brutus. Syme claimed Brutus to have played a more significant role in the criminal plot of the Ides of March, and he thinks that the hypothesis of attributing the paternity of Brutus to Caesar explains better the favour that Brutus enjoyed under Caesar throughout his career. Syme’s contributions will pave the way for future researchs, sometimes to concur with his thesis, sometimes to disagree with them.