Two years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Peterik known from Survivor, but also from “The Tides of March”. However, this blog will not be about the band, although the name is clearly inspired by the actual event called Ides of March.
Julius Caesar must be without a doubt the most well-known historical figure from the Roman Empire, and definitely one of the best-known people in world history. A fact that may not be common knowledge is that his heir and nephew would become the wealthiest man to have ever lived. He had an estimated net worth of $4.6 trillion when counting for inflation.
March 15, 44 BC, would turn out to be a dramatic day for Julius Caesar. He would be stabbed 23 times. Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators. during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. They claimed to be acting over fears that Caesar’s unprecedented concentration of power during his dictatorship was undermining the Roman Republic. At least 60 to 70 senators were party to the conspiracy, led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus. Despite the death of Caesar, the conspirators were unable to restore the institutions of the Republic. The ramifications of the assassination led to his martyrdom, the Liberators’ civil war and ultimately to the Principate period of the Roman Empire.
Julius Caesar was immensely popular with the people of Rome. He was a successful military leader who expanded the republic to include parts of what are now Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. Caesar was also a popular author who wrote about his travels, theories, and political views. Many members of the Senate, a group of appointed (not elected) political leaders, resented Caesar’s popularity and arrogance. After Caesar attained the status of dictator for life in 44 B.C.E., these officials decided to strike the ultimate blow against his power.
The term Ides derives from the Latin word iduare (Latin: “to divide”), with the full moon serving as the division point in the middle of each month. The phrase is widely known from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” when a soothsayer warned Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.” That brings me back to the band “The Ides of March” bassist Bob Bergland suggested the name after reading the very Shakespeare play ‘Julius Caesar’ in high school.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ides-of-March
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/11/when-is-ides-of-march/72879681007
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-the-ides-of-march
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/julius-caesar-assassinated
100 History Facts They Didn’t Teach You At School
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-ides-of-march
History of Sorts 
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