Richard Corlett
7326853
3/02/12
Assignment
7: Leisure and Entertainment
As Appius and Adelphe
leisurely strolled through the Forum, quickly and silently they were seized by
several members of Julius Caesar's guards. Appius and Adelphe were surrounded.
The guards separated the two and brought Appius behind a dwelling. Given this
opportunity, Appius made quick work of the two guards attempting to hold him.
With sword in hand at the throat of one of the guard he asks, "What is the
meaning of this?!” The guard refused to speak and Appius was forced to get the
information he desired through torture.
The guards had been
sent to kill him, that Julius Caesar had ordered his execution, in fact the
execution of all the spies in the senator's houses. Caesar had become
suspicious of conspiracy between the senators along with their
"slaves". When he returned and examined the building which they had
taken Adelphe, Appius found her dead and beaten. Perhaps the things that Brutus
had been speaking of Caesar going mad with power were true.
Appius returned to the
house of Brutus furious. He looked directly into Brutus's eyes and exclaimed,
"What can I do? How can I help?” Appius continued to inform Brutus of
Caesars plot to spy on the senators, and how he had ordered the execution of
these spies. Brutus was intrigued, he could see how valuable having a seasoned
soldier on the side of the plotting senators. That night Appius and Brutus
debated about the possible solutions to the out of control Julius Caesar. The
only solution was assassination.
As it was early
February, the following day happened to be a holiday; the Roman people had the
day off. This particular holiday featured a circus, and the whole population of
Rome would be attending the free event. Of course every Roman loved complimentary
food and entertainment. The circus would include horse racing, trick riding,
and chariot racing. This was the perfect cover for having secret meetings with
the other senators to discuss Appius and Brutus's plan of the assassination of
Julius Caesar.
Inside the Circus
Maximus, Romans were dressed in the colors of their favorite chariot teams. The
circus began with a pompa, a procession of deities. Competitors, armed dancers,
musicians, satyrs, silens, incense bearers, and vessel bearers marched around
the circus track. In the lead there was a Magistrate dressed as a king closely
followed by boys on horseback, likely sons of senators. During this time Appius surveyed the area for
senators. The senators would be in the recently constructed wooden seating area
of the Circus Maximus.
