Emily Chan
Once he was free, he used the fleet of ships he received from King Nicomedes and set out in pursuit of the pirates.
He found them on the island where he had been held prisoner, took back his 50 talents, and brought them as captives to Marcus Junius Juncus, the governor of Asia.
When Juncus decided to sell the pirates into slavery, Caesar went to the prison where the pirates were being kept and crucified them before the order went through.
The story of Julius Caesar’s kidnapping may not be entirely true. Some experts believe it reeks of embellishment and that Roman writers could have rewritten the narrative to make Caesar seem braver and more powerful.
Caesar could have even stretched the truth about his encounter to eradicate Mediterranean piracy.
Although the story may be exaggerated, it accurately portrays his qualities and foreshadows his power, as he expanded Roman rule, went on to overthrow Rome, and replaced it with a dictatorship.
He only ruled for a short time before he was assassinated by Roman senators who believed he was becoming too powerful.
The story also shows how the pirates and the Roman Republic underestimated Caesar, leading to their demise.
