Karl Theodor von Piloty Murder of Caesar 1865

Publius Servilius Casca Longus (died c. 42 BC) was one of the

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

s of Julius Caesar. He and several other senators conspired to kill him, a plan which they carried out on 15 March, 44 BC. Afterwards, Casca fought with the liberators during the

Liberators' civil war The Liberators' civil war (43–42 BC) was started by the Second Triumvirate to avenge Julius Caesar's assassination. The war was fought by the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (the Second Triumvirate members) against the forces of Caesar's a ...

. He is believed to have died by suicide after their defeat at the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, at Ph ...

in 42 BC.

Life

Despite his being initially a childhood friend of Caesar, Casca and his brother Titedius joined in the assassination. Casca struck the first blow, attacking Caesar from behind and hitting his bare shoulders, after Tillius Cimber had distracted the dictator by grabbing his toga. Caesar replied "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" and tussled with him for several seconds. Casca simultaneously shouted to his brother in Greek, "Brother, help me!" The other assassins then joined in. At the time Casca held the office of tribune of the plebs. After the assassination he fled Rome, and his colleague in the tribunate, Publius Titius, had him deprived of his office. Casca joined Marcus Junius Brutus and

Gaius Cassius Longinus Gaius Cassius Longinus (c. 86 BC – 3 October 42 BC) was a Roman senator and general best known as a leading instigator of the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC. He was the brother-in-law of Brutus, another leader of the cons ...

, the leaders of the assassins, during the

against the Second Triumvirate, Caesar's former supporters. He seems to have died, probably by suicide, in the aftermath of their defeat at the

, in October 42 BC. Casca is commemorated on a coin along with Brutus, in which a bearded figure is depicted next to his name. However, this appears to be the god Neptune rather than a portrait of Casca.Wayne G. Sayles, ''Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World-Politics and Propaganda'', Krause Publications, 2007, p.16

A house A House were an Irish rock band that was active in Dublin from the 1985 to 1997, and recognized for the clever, "often bitter or irony laden lyrics of frontman Dave Couse ... bolstered by the and'sseemingly effortless musicality". The single " E ...

containing a table inscribed with his name is found in Pompeii.

Dramatic depictions

* He is called "envious Casca" by Mark Antony in William Shakespeare's play '' Julius Caesar'' (1599): **"See what a rent the envious Casca made". The two words became the title of a mystery novel by

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother ...

. * In the 1934 film ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...

'', Casca is portrayed by Edwin Maxwell. * In the 1937–38 Mercury Theatre stage production ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'', Publius was played by

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and ''Sab ...

. * In the 1953 film of Shakespeare's '' Julius Caesar'', Casca is portrayed by Edmond O'Brien. * In the 1963 film ''

'', Casca is portrayed by

Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001) was an American actor, producer, and director whose television career spanned over four decades. He became a lifelong member of the Actors Studio in 1971. O'Connor found widespread fame a ...

. * In the 1970 film of Shakespeare's '' Julius Caesar'', Casca is portrayed by Robert Vaughn. * In the 1999 miniseries ''

'', Casca is portrayed by David Schofield. * In the TV series '' Rome'' (2005–07), Casca is portrayed by Peter Gevisser.

References

External links

Appian, ''The Civil Wars,'' Book 2 Chapter 16
from the

Perseus Project The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...

Plutarch, ''Lives'', ''Caesar'', Chapter 66
from the Perseus Project
Brutus - Casca coin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Servilius Casca, Publius 42 BC deaths 1st-century BC Romans Ancient Roman politicians Ancient Roman politicians who committed suicide Assassins of Julius Caesar Casca, Publius Suicides in Italy Year of birth unknown

Life

Dramatic depictions

See also

References

External links