The Consulship of Julius and Caesar

Bibulus and his gang stomped through the Forum, pushed people aside, and dashed up the steps of the temple where Julius Caesar had been addressing a gathering. Bibulus stood with his back to Caesar and faced the crowd, fuming.

“Go home, you scum. This bill will never be passed,” he yelled.

There was a stunned silence.

… the year was 59 BC and Julius Caesar was one of the two Consuls of Rome.  He had proposed a land distribution bill to honour legionaries who had served Rome with valour. Despite his well-intentioned and meticulous planning, there was stiff opposition in the Senate from his enemies. But the one who opposed the bill most ferociously was none other than Caesar’s co-Consul, Bibulus.

“Caesar, you can rant and incite the crowd all you like, but this bill will not get passed,” shouted Bibulus. He turned towards the crowd. “Even if Jupiter himself were to come down, the bill will still not pass.”

Bibulus paced like a lion atop the steps of the temple, surrounded by his bodyguards, challenging Caesar to continue.

Twice before, Bibulus had found ways to thwart Caesar’s attempts. Once when the bill was being discussed in the Senate, a friend of Bibulus kept orating till the end of the day, and then voting could not be done. On another occasion, Bibulus declared every day that year as a public holiday, thus no Senate meeting could be held, and no bill could be passed. Even though Bibulus did not have any reforms of his own to introduce, it was more important for him to block Caesar’s. He would not allow Caesar to gain popularity with the Roman people and eclipse him. 

But by now, Caesar was sickened with Bibulus’ petty politics, and had taken his proposal directly to the people. Now, he stood frustrated as Bibulus strutted about triumphantly, glaring at Caesar as if he was a trapped sheep.

There was a roar from the crowd. Men rushed up the stairs of the temple, many of them smashed into Bibulus’ bodyguards and threw them down the stairs. Bibulus himself was pushed to the ground under the assault of fists and feet. Soon he was lost in the sea of men who were taking turns to kick him. His cries were becoming feebler with each kick.

“Move out,” a shout was heard. Caesar was too stunned to do anything.

The crowd parted to let the man through. He was carrying a basket above his head. Sprinting up the stairs, he dumped the contents smack on Bibulus’ head. Out poured a pile of semi-solid stinking manure, buzzing with flies.

Caesar leapt to a safe spot and covered his nose within the folds of his pristine toga.

The men stopped the assault and laughed and pointed at Bibulus — a mighty Consul of Rome — now covered in horse-shit. Bibulus had had enough. His body bruised and coated with manure, worse his ego shattered, he gathered the remaining shreds of his dignity and ran from the Forum. For the rest of his term Bibulus confined himself to his house. And Julius Caesar became the solitary Consul of Rome for the rest of the year. 

Thank you very much joining me this weekend, folks. I hope you enjoyed this historical story. It goes to show that since the dawn of history whenever tyranny has reared its ugly head, the power of the people has pounded it into oblivion. 

Even though the Romans had names for months, they did not have a numbering system for the years (that being the BC era). By convention, 59 BC would have been referred to as ‘the Consulship of Julius and Bibulus’. Alas, that was not the case. After Bibulus boycotted politics and kept himself under a self-imposed house arrest, 59 BC became (the year of) ‘the Consulship of Julius and Caesar.’

July 31, 2015: An updated version of this story (+9 more stories) is now available in the FREE ebook It Happened In Ancient Rome. To make your experience more exciting, all stories in this ebook are linked to an interactive, online map of Ancient Rome. Click here to explore this Ancient Map.

Q: How can I read this ebook?

A: Join my reading group & grab your ebook today. Click here to continue. 

~ A David Singh