While sailing through the Aegean Sea in 75 BC Julius Caesar expected to arrive in the Greek city of Rhodes to study oratory. However Cilician pirates tailing the ship descended upon and took the ship’s crew as hostages.
He did this one weird thing in response to his fate in the hands of Roman’s feared pirate menace. He urged the pirates who had just kidnapped him to raise their ransom for his release.
Their price for his safe return? 20 silver talents. To Caesar a mere 20 talents of silver was not reasonable. Taking it further than that it was insulting to him, a Roman man of his stature and Roman family pedigree.
Caesar’s family name was not just that of a patrician Roman family as others involved in politics even if others were wealthier. To Caesar his family pedigree was an ancient one, gens Julia, a family descended from the prince of Troy.
His response to being held ransom for 20 talents? Raise it to 50.
Life in Captivity
One of the things we know from his time during the kidnapping is that Caesar repeatedly released a warning to his captors. “When I am returned to Rome I will crucify all of you,” he said. He repeated this threat until the pirates considered him to joking or a fool. Turns out he wasn’t joking.
Caesar’s Swift Vengenance
Julius Caesar returned to the area. He captured the pirates and by Roman style punishment practice he had them crucified.
One thing is strange though. Before having them crucified Caesar had their throats slit as if to save them from the agony of being crucified. Being crucified really sucks as you can imagine. We covered every aching detail in another post about what it was like to be crucified, believe me.
The reason why Caesar did such a thing is not understood to be fully evident. However it is possible that he spent so much time with his captors that he felt merciful towards them when he had them killed.
Call it familiarity or call it swift justice, either way it was not the execution standard to slit the throat of the person who is about to be crucified.
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