The Assassination Of Julius Caesar Critical Analysis

The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Ancient Rome by Michael Parenti is a monograph that illustrates the history of Rome before and after the death of Caesar. The historical bestseller takes the readers into the Republic of Rome through the eyes of the Populares and the Optimates. He also gives the readers of today an inside look at the democratic battles that emerged over religion, sexuality, and social control; which illustrates the patriarchal domination of women in Rome. In this critique of Michael Parenti’s, The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Ancient Rome, I will analyze his reasons for writing the historical work, his use of data, and his diction. Michael’s reason for writing about the history of Ancient Rome was to illustrate how Rome was more than the glamorous life of the nobles. For his main interest in the history of the Republic of Rome was to demonstrate the battles that went on within the walls of the democracy and social order. I was able to appreciate this because, like him I too was only taught the “Hollywood” view of Rome, where men and women are depicted wearing gorgeous togas and being fed grapes and served wine (pg. 4). However, the imagery was only fictional compared to the factual events that are discussed within his pages. For instance, many of the historians, like Edward Gibbon and Collingwood had their own views of Rome’s history because as one historian by the name of Benedetto Croce said, “History