#chronowhat

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Also, the first battle of Philippi was 3 October by Julian calendar, i.e. 1 October by retrospectively applied Gregorian, i.e. astronomically, today is the anniversary of Cassius’s death.

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Hey. Looks like my headcanon about Cassius and Brutus going to the same school just got validated.

Staberius Eros was purchased with his own savings at a public sale and formally manumitted because of his devotion to literature. He numbered among his pupils Brutus and Cassius. Some say that he was so noble-minded that in the times of Sulla he admitted the children of the proscribed to his school free of charge and without any fee.

- Suetonius, De Illustribus Grammaticis 13

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Procrastination, Cassius edition

Subsequently Quintus Fufius Calenus marched against them, whereupon they set sail, and coming to Cyrene, learned there of the death of Pompey. Their views were now no longer harmonious: Cato, through hatred of Caesar's domination, and some others in despair of receiving pardon from him, sailed to Africa with the army, added Scipio to their number, and were as active as possible against Caesar; but the majority scattered, some of them retiring and escaping wherever they could, while the rest, among them Gaius Cassius, went to Caesar at once and received pardon. (Dio 42.13)

Well, “at once” is an exaggeration. Described events are autumn 48 bce. So:

Where do you go?

Oh, right. You go to Rhodes (and don't meet Caesar for another half a year).

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Happy birthday, Cassius.

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Do you know if Cassius had a good relationship with his wife? Was she the sister of Brutus?

Yes, she was the sister of Brutus, Junia Tertia. But about their relationship I can’t really tell, not enough information. What is known:

They married before Cassius left to Syria as Crassus’s quaestor (in Cic. Fam. 15.14 Cicero already writes to Cassius “your relative Brutus").

From Plut. Brut. 14, the date of birth of Cassius’s son is 59-58 bce. So they married before 58, unless we speculate that Tertia is Cassius’s second wife.

Tertia suffered a miscarriage in early May 44 (Cic. Att. 14.20).

Also she was rumoured to be a mistress of Caesar (Suet. Caes. 50, Macrob. Sat. 2.2.(5)), but, of course, there is no way to verify.

After Philippi we don’t really hear about her until her funeral in 22 ce, that went under the motto “Tiberius do not interact” (Tac. Ann. 3.76).

[garland-on-thy-brow]

re: conversation about Cassius’s birthday

Cassius was born on 3 October by Roman calendar before the Julian reform. The first Battle of Philippi was also 3 October, but by Julian calendar. They are the same day by name, but between them the switch of calendar happened.

Now, according to this inimitable table (I love it, ok?), that sets correpondence between pre-Julian and Julian calendars (usage instruction here), Roman 3 October the year Cassius was born was Julian 11 September.

Which (if astrological signs were already mentioned, I may as well add this) makes him Virgo rather than Libra. 

Now for Brutus, if we date his birthday ~December, which I find likely (based on Plutarch’s timeline, credibility of which defends J. Moles in Fate, Apollo and M. Junius Brutus (1983)). In 85 bce Roman December started on 20 November. This would make Brutus either Sagittarius or Scorpio. + Call me dumb, but for early June as possible date of his birthday I cannot find any source.

[garland-on-thy-brow]

A few notes about Cassius, Faustus Sulla and Pompey.

1) Episode with the fight at school (Plut. Brut. 9) takes place in 77 bce (maybe late 78 is also possible): on the one hand, Sulla is already dead, on the other - Pompey is still in Rome. This means that either Pompey hasn't left to Mutina against Brutus Sr. yet, or it's the interval between his return from Mutina and leaving to Spain against Sertorius.

[I want a film about a bunch of Sullans raising Sulla’s kids. Pompey: "Why can’t I be their parent too!” Lucullus: “Because! Not in the will? I don’t know you.”]

2) Both Faustus Sulla and Cassius were with Pompey during the Eastern campaigns. It is textually confirmed for Faustus; for Cassius it is safe to assume, because he would not be given a responsible office in Crassus's army without significant military experience, preferably in the East, which points to Pompey's campaigns (it should be mentioned that C. Cassius Longinus (cos. 73), who is thought to be the father of our Cassius, supported Lex Manilia, that gave Pompey the command [Cic. Man. 68]). Looks like later, in 55 bce, Cassius was Pompey's recommendation to Crassus.

3) So there are details that allow to suggest more or less Pompeian alignment of Cassius’s family. Besides the already mentioned, ~53-52 bce Pompey chose Q. Cassius, brother of our Cassius, as his quaestor in Spain without the lot (the same way Caesar chose Antony). Among other things, this means that Cassius would be left out of Vettius's conspiracy even if he was in Rome at that time (which I doubt).

[garland-on-thy-brow]

As far as I understand the way time works, Cassius and Brutus started going to the same school either shortly (a few months at most) before Brutus' father was killed by Pompey, or shortly after that (depending on whether Cassius spent some time at home after changing schools).