What did Julius Caesar really look like?

We all know Caesar, the general who conquered Gaul, the politician who reshaped Rome, the victim of the Ides of March, and we all know what Caesar looked like, or at least we think we do. Take this famous portrait in the Met. Looks like Caesar, right? But this is actually a Renaissance fantasy, only vaguely based on what we know of Caesar's appearance. Even if we restrict ourselves to ancient statues, a close look reveals dramatic differences among the extant portraits of Caesar. Compare these two, for example. Both authentic, both ancient, but so different that they might as well be different men. Which of these is the real Caesar, and how can we tell? We'll explore what we know, and how we know it, in this video, which is sponsored by Squarespace. By Caesar's time, elite Romans had been commissioning statues of themselves for more than a century. They were influenced by the idealized, godlike portraits of the Hellenistic kings, as in this over-the-top example, which likely depicts a Roman general. From the beginning, however, there was a strong element of realism in Roman portraits, which may have derived in part from the Roman custom of preserving and displaying the death masks of illustrious ancestors. There was also a political dimension to this realism, since leading Romans, like this aggressively decrepit individual, wanted to be recognized, warts, wrinkles, and all. Many elite Romans of the late Republic blended realism and idealization in their portraits. A famous example is the so-called Tivoli General, which shows a Roman commander with an idealized, youthful body and a realistic, middle-aged face. For our purposes, the confused conventions of Roman art matter because they reflect Roman ideas about the nature and purpose of portraits. A Roman being honored with a statue was supposed to be recognizable, but honorific statues served a political purpose, and a statue's appearance had to be suited to that purpose. This fact ensured that Caesar's portraits would be constantly adapted and modified. Our only description of Julius Caesar's appearance comes from the biographer Suetonius. Caesar, we are told, was tall and fair, with keen dark eyes and a rather broad face. He was balding, and tried to disguise it with a comb-over. And that is about all we know. Though this might not seem like much to go on, Suetonius's description of Caesar can be combined with the evidence from coins. A few months before his assassination, Caesar appeared in a series of denarii. His portrait is remarkably detailed. Although it's a bit worn in this example, his baldness is obvious, and only partly concealed by the laurel wreath he wears. His eyes have crow's feet, and his cheeks are sunken. His Adam's apple protrudes from a long and wrinkled neck. This is not an idealized portrait, or a very flattering one. And since it corresponds well with what Suetonius tells us, it's hard to resist the impression that here, if anywhere, we have the real Caesar. That impression is complicated by Caesar's statues. But before we talk about those, a few words about our sponsor. I talk a lot about identity in this video, about how leading Romans tried to distinguish themselves from their peers and rivals by commissioning half-naked statues. In this day and age, it's much easier to establish a distinctive identity, at least online, thanks to our friends at Squarespace, who have created a wide range of tools to help creators brand and market their work. So if you want your website to stand out, I encourage you to visit squarespace.com for a free trial. You can save 10% on your purchase of a website or domain with the link shown on screen. Back to Caesar. Only about two dozen authentic ancient portraits of Caesar survive. Of these, the only one that may have been set up during Caesar's lifetime is the Tusculum portrait, shown here. This marble copy of a lost bronze original is impressively similar to Caesar's Denarius and Suetonius's description. The hairline is receding. The face is gaunt. The neck is long and wrinkled. Most of the other extant statues of Caesar belong to a type epitomized by this bust in the Vatican museums. The neck is shorter and thicker than the Tusculum portraits. The ironic expression has been replaced by one of otherworldly serenity, and the hair is noticeably thicker. These changes reflect the transformation of Caesar's memory in the years following his death. After his assassination, Caesar's legacy was inherited, or appropriated, by Octavian, the future Augustus, who had his adoptive father declared a god. A temple was built in the Forum, complete with a monumental statue of the deified Caesar. The image of Caesar the god differed substantially from that of Caesar the man. The deified Caesar was younger, handsomer, more godlike. He also looked a bit like Octavian, as you can see from this coin, which shows Octavian on the left and the deified Caesar on the right. Note how Caesar's sparse hair has been arranged into a style that echoes Octavian's. Statues of Caesar became increasingly idealized over time. This example, a colossal bust from the Forum of Trajan, shows Caesar as an ageless and imposing deity, still recognizable but far removed from the gaunt and careworn man of the Tusculum portrait. One famous portrait of Caesar doesn't fit into this neat narrative of increasing idealization, the so-called Green Caesar, now in Berlin. This bust, carved from Egyptian slate, has the same long neck, lined face, and thinning hair that appear in Caesar's earliest and best portraits. For this reason, and on account of its high quality, some scholars have suggested that the portrait may have been based on a statue set up by Cleopatra. Unless more evidence comes to light, however, we'll never know for sure. I'd like to close with this portrait. Hailed as an early head of Caesar upon its discovery in 2007, the bust became the center of a fierce debate over its identity. Although a few classicists now argue for the statue's authenticity, the controversy is ongoing, an impressive example of the passion and fascination that Caesar continues to inspire more than 2,000 years after his death. If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting Toland Stone on Patreon. You might also be interested in my book, Naked Statues, Thack Gladiators, and Dwarf Elephants. Thanks for watching.