Besides the national holiday commemorating the Hungarian Revolution of 1948-49, there was another significant event that took place on 15 March 44 BC. In our new series we’ll take a closer look at the most infamous political assassinations of history and in the first episode, we travel backin time to the Theatre of Pompey.
Vincenzo Camuccini’s depiction of the death of Julius Caesar. Leemage/Getty ImagesAs 15 March is an especially meaningful date for Hungarians, we tend to forget that something else had also happened on this spring day: Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March by a crowd of conspirators.
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” (Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar)
According to the Ancient Roman historian Flavius Eutropius, more than sixty people participated in the assassination. Caesar was stabbed 23 times. His tragic death wasn’t only a historically significant turning point, but it was also a milestone in the field of forensics: the autopsy performed on his body was possibly the first recorded report of medical knowledge to a homicide investigation as well as it was the very first time when a pathologist gave an opinion as an expert witness.
Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting of the assassination of Caesar. (Wikimedia Commons)