CAESAR CHREMATOPOIOS

Abstract

This article argues that a significant element of the rhetorical contest in the Roman civil war was the struggle to define Julius Caesar’s use of financial resources. In his writings, Caesar presents himself as acting out of generosity and frugality, while other sources show his adversaries drawing attention to his confiscations to represent him as greedy and appetitive. These were two sides of the same coin, as Caesar’s choice to act with civic generosity in wartime required confiscations that became a political liability. Yet the ideal of the generous man, built up by elites in their own self-interest, gave little purchase for criticism of the true sources of wealth used for gifts and favors. Caesar used this rhetorical opportunity to give himself a significant advantage in the civil war.