The October Horse
written by Colleen McCullough
www.ink2quill.com

“The October Horse” is book 6 of a series the Masters Of Rome series written by Colleen McCullough. It´s a slice of history from October 48 B.C. while Gaius Julius Caesar is on his Egyptian campaign until the end of the battle of Phillippi, December 42 B.C when Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus heads to Rome. The story revolves around Gaius Julius Caesar until his assassination then revolves around the triumvirate with the ghost of Caesar ever present.

The title of the book come from the ritual performed on the Ides of October at the end of war season. The war horses would race in pairs were the right horse of the winning pair, called the October Horse, would be killed with the flamen Martialis spear. It symbolized the end of the war season and symbolically, to the conspirators, the assassination of Gaius Luis Caesar was an end to the civil conflict, since he was the strongest war horse, so to speak. In reality though that wasn´t the case the conspirators were only looking after their own self-interest.

One thing that so many people are curious about is where was Caesar killed? Historians say that he was assassinated around noon on the Ides of March, 44B.C. Films and TV programs have him assassinated in the Senate floor while most historians believe he was mobbed outside The Theater of Pompey as he passed by. Colleen McCullough has Caesar dismissing his 24 lictors, against wiser advice, well before the assassination, so he was unguarded and unarmed when he is killed. That seems to explain why the 23 assassins had the courage to even confront him. Nonetheless, the description of the assassination is gruesome. Caesar is stabbed over 30 times by 23 assassins with wounds on the body, face and groins. This is definitely a cautionary tale of what can happen to a leader when the noble class, called the boni in ancient Rome, hate their leader.

Colleen McCullough paints a very different portrait of the social, governmental system that was Rome at that time from our history books. We get a picture of the ruling class that is not flattering at all. A few myths that she brilliantly dispels are how stable and well intentioned the ruling class were. Another is how moral and capable the ruling class were. Neither of these were true. The ruling class of Rome, probably like most in that society, were petty, cruel, selfish, wasteful people.

I also love her deep knowledge of the times. Her knowledge of the minutiae like the fact that the ruling class spoke Greek to each other and not so much Latin, was a fact I had never learned in any history class. She describes the exorbitant cost of financing an army and the problems of moving them around, like having to wait for certain winds to blow so their ships could go where they wanted. Whole regions would be bankrupted over war as the armies passed through. The everyday person was constantly being robbed of their possessions through taxation, army plundering and the excesses of the ruling governors, and of course there was slavery which posed some serious risks to the overall economy when the wealthy would have their slaves do all the work. Ancient Rome was an economic and social basket case that survived way longer than anyone could have ever guessed, given its problems and rulers.

Another aspect of their corruption was the way titles, lands, governorships and power in general were doled out. Who a person was related to, had a lot to do with what they became because most of the ruling class were related in one way or another. So if person X rose to power then all their closest relatives would, all of a sudden, have a greater opportunity for advancement. So in the case of Caesar, when relatives or others of the entitled class didn´t get what they felt they deserved there would be trouble for the ruler. They never cared about the good of their society. Some things never change.

There is a revealing quote from one of Julius Ceasar´s closest friends and trusted officer, Decimus Brutus (Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus was not the famous co-conspirator Marcus Junius Brutus. Both took part in the assassination but Marcus Junius Brutus played a larger role with Gaius Cassius Longinus.) when Gaius Julius Caesar Divi Filius (also known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus) asked him why he, and his co-conspirtors, killed Caesar.

“I killed him because all that I or any other Roman nobleman had was by his grace and favor-at his dictate. He took upon himself the authority of a king, if not the title, and deemed himself the only man capable of governing Rome.”

Decimus Brutus, The October Horse: Colleen McCullough

What Decimus Brutus meant was that he was not given what he felt he was entitled to in this new Rome Caesar was building. Caesar was trying to solve some of Rome´s serious problems like the lack of jobs for the free citizens of Rome, the rebuilding of infrastructure as well as the growing power of the Parthian Empire at their borders. The ruling class of Ancient Rome in many ways is a testament to the saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” because they patently put their whims and wishes over the good of Rome.

As a historical fact it was Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus who convinced Julius Ceasar to go to the Senate meeting on the Ides of March, 44BC. over the protest of Ceasar´s wife Calpurnia. He had a private security force of gladiators and promised Ceasar protection since Ceasar had inexplicably dismissed his lictors. He walked about 1km to Ceasar´s house and picked him up personally and the rest is history.

This is a bold and interesting look at a moment in time in antiquity. There is some writer bias, in my opinion, but it is pretty honest look at the men and women who shaped a wealthy empire. By writer bias I´m referring to the type of person Marcus Antonius was and if he was really so vile. It also goes a long way to explaining how such a wealthy empire could later fall apart.

This novel brilliantly sheds the facade of a civilized, well intentioned, broad minded ruling class that we see so often in the movies and second rate literature. They really are more like parasites squandering the Empire´s resources and doing whatever they have to do to get what they want.

(Commentary by www.ink2quill.com )
I2Q

I2Q Blogs / The Written Medium brutus / caesar / casca / cassius / ink2quill / McCullough / october /