Bits and Pieces

Meditations on Montaigne

91) Observations Sur César

Does it matter how Julius Caesar waged war? Is it historically important if he actually invented the dish coq au vin just to demonstrate what a Roman army could make out of an emaciated chicken? Do we need to confirm if he actually said Et tu Brute?

Historical figures inevitably fall into lore. Our times are no better. Bob Dylan is still alive and it seems impossible for Hollywood to tell a historically accurate biopic about him. It’s our nature to create heroes and overstate their importance, in the meantime diminishing everyone around them who made their triumphs possible.

What we need is a history of Caesar’s slaves, assistants and aides de camp. Tell his story without ever showing him, revealing him to be nothing more than another empty suit lifted up by people whose lives were defined by him.