Monday, September 2, 2019
Who is the Most Interesting Character?
Aside from the political and military juggernaut that was Julius Caesar, a figure that caught my eye was Gaius Flaminius. While a lot of the characters we read about were either dignified and of noble status, Flaminius came from essentially nothing (he's described as coming from an insignificant family) and he gives off this bombastic aura that, as a result, lead him to find power among the plebians, and created many enemies within the senate. He was a man of the people, appealing to their demands, starting civil service projects, all while trying to keep the senate in check. Fearing that said people would look up to him, the senate would constantly try to put him down, but in rebellious fashion, he always managed to stay one step ahead of the senate. Ignoring their mail urging him to withdraw from a battle, gaining popular support as a result, supporting a measure that would prevent senators from owning too many cargo ships, and skipping his investiture as consul to avoid an immediate rejection are a few examples. I find this rebellious nature to be quite interesting and is probably why he was popular among the common folk, along with his self-made status.
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Gaius Flaminius was a gifted general and honest administrator. He just had the bad luck to have to fight against Hannibal. BTW, contrary to what the book says, Flaminius' circus was not an amphitheater (a place where gladiators fought), but a race track for chariot races. Probably because of Flaminius' early career as a people's tribune, this race track was also used as a place where the People's Assembly (Concilium Plebis) could convene.
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