This allowed Amatius to return to Rome, where he mobilized his supporters and demanded justice for his purported cousin’s murder. ( CC BY SA 4.0 )īut his exile was short-lived because on March 15, 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated. Representational painting of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar banished Amatius from Rome. There’s no record of their conversation, only the conclusion. When they did, Caesar realized that, at times, Amatius’ level of support rivaled his own, which he must have found unsettling. Later, in September of 45 BC, they finally crossed paths. Undaunted by the recent setbacks, Amatius waited for a meeting with Julius Caesar. Supposedly, Octavius’ mother agreed with his decision because she was skeptical of the oculist. As such, he didn’t have the authority to substantiate Amatius’ claims. Many of the Caesarian women loudly lobbied for this action, but despite their entreaties, Octavius claimed that he wasn’t the head of the Caesarian household. Two Untimely Deathsįirst, in September of 45 BC, Amatius and a throng of his supporters met with Caesar’s grandnephew, Octavius, and demanded that he accept Amatius as an authentic relative. Yet, he wished to have Julius Caesar, who was Gaius Marius’ nephew by marriage, publicly validate his genealogical claims. Within a relatively short matter of time, the once-unknown oculist had enormous support in Rome. Many of the collegia – essentially business guilds – in ancient Rome also accepted Amatius as Gaius Marius’ true heir. After visiting with many of Marius’ veterans and their families, they adopted him as their patron. (Mary Harrsch/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 )īefore long, Amatius was a national celebrity. Sculpture of a Roman Man excavated near the Ministry of Finance in Rome, Italy 3rd-2nd century BC. The Fierce Queen of the Illyrians: Teuta the Untameable.The Seven Kings of Rome: Tumultuous Origins of the Roman Republic.Gaius Marius was the Savior of Ancient Rome, but was he a Hero or Villain?.Despite the risks, Amatius entered Rome and its surrounding areas, expounded his lineage, and was quickly noticed. Even though Sulla was dead by this point, this was somewhat dangerous given that much of the ruling class was comprised of Sulla’s partisans. He claimed to be Gaius Marius’ grandson and demanded to be recognized as such.

Sulla and his allies likely believed that they had exterminated all of those who were directly related to the once-beloved Marius, but less than 40 years later, an obscure eye doctor whom the ancient writers called variously Amatius, Herophilus, and Chamates surfaced. (Egisto Sani/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 ) The bust in the foreground depicts the consul - general Gaius Marius (157 - 86 BC) behind him, his contender Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (c. The so-called ‘Marius’ and ‘Sulla’ busts. Once firmly in power, Sulla outlawed images of the elder Marius, had his remains abused, and killed a host of his friends and relatives, resulting in perhaps thousands of unsanctioned deaths.

This culminated in a bloody civil war in which Marius’ son was defeated and he subsequently killed himself in 82 BC. During his career, he and his former lieutenant Sulla became bitter rivals, and sometime after Marius’ death in 86 BC, his only known son - Gaius Marius the Younger - resumed his dispute with Sulla. Gaius Marius was a celebrated lawmaker and general who was considered one of Rome’s founders because he saved the Republic from being overrun by menacing barbarians. Most ancient and contemporary writers have labeled him a fraud, but could there be any truth to this man’s claims? Sulla - Gaius Marius’ Rival No later than 45 BC, a man emerged who claimed to be the famous Gaius Marius’ veritable grandson. Long before imposters claimed to be Anastasia of Russia’s Romanov dynasty, a genealogical mystery consumed ancient Rome.

Gaius julius caesar famous relatives