THE IDEA OF MAN AND DIVINITY IN ANTIQUITY PART II: Around the astral myth of Julius Caesar

• Authors: Milewska, Monika

Abstracts

EN

The text presents the story of a comet which appeared after the death of Julius Caesar inJuly 44 BC. Comets were usually considered as bad omens bringing wars and disasters.Therefore, young Octavian had a very difficult task to change this sinister sign into a symbolof his rulership. At the beginning, he disguised the real nature of this phenomenon,presenting it as a star in his visual propaganda. Only after two decades, when his powerwas established in the form of Pax Augusta and aurea aetas, Octavian could openly admitthat it was a comet. This gap in the sources made some scholars doubt the real existence ofthe astronomical phenomenon. My text delivers arguments for historicity of the Caesar’scomet and shows why Roman people were inclined to consider it a sign of apotheosis ofdivus Julius.

Keywords

EN

Julius Caesar; Octavian; emperors’ cult; Astrology; comets

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Gdański
• Journal: Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 15(4)

Contributors

author

Milewska, Monika

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/20842937.1138980