this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 42 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Explanation: Caesar was a notorious adulterer who had numerous affairs with aristocratic women, including at least two queens. His own soldiers called him a "bald adulterer", and his political enemies referred to him as "Every woman's man and every man's woman" (bicon Caesar!).

His affair with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra resulted in Cleopatra later coming to the city of Rome - with a child in tow she claimed was his! He does not appear to have been put off by this, and received her and the child courteously, hosting them both at Rome in comfortably aristocratic fashion.

This serial adultery does not actually appear to have seriously impaired his relationship with his third wife, Calpurnia, who remained affectionate and fond of him. What a silver-tongued devil Caesar must have been!

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 29 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This serial adultery does not actually appear to have seriously impaired his relationship with his third wife, Calpurnia, who remained affectionate and fond of him. What a silver-tongued devil Caesar must have been!

I guess once you've seen him cheat on the other two wives, still choose to marry him, then see him cheat on you as well, you gotta have seen this coming.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I imagine there must've been an angle of "men away at war have needs" for many women like Calpurnia

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Perhaps to some degree, but at least in Caesar's case, he was also a philanderer inside of the city of Rome. Notably, he carried on a lifelong affair with the Roman aristocrat Servilia (the half-sister of his inveterate enemy Cato the Younger), and, later in life, her daughter Tertia as well.

Sometimes it seems like there wasn't anyone in Rome Caesar hadn't slept with at some point.

[–] rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

While a man could only take one wife (at a time) under Roman law, most people of higher status were pretty much expected to be sleeping around with concubines, slaves, or just friends... The men and the women. We're talking about the civilization that gave us the orgy.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

I mean, orgies predate Rome.

Concubinage in Rome was actually not recognized except for unmarried folk, and then concubinage was still a (legally) monogamous contract that did not acknowledge one man with multiple concubines, while a man sleeping with his male friends would have been frowned upon - because a friendship is founded between equals, while Romans saw sexual penetration as inherently involving the domination of one party over the other. Sleep with actors and male prostitutes, like a decent citizen!

[–] XM34@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Honestly, caesar and Cleopatra were just made for each other. Didn't Cleopatra also entertain an entire Harem of men?

[–] pressanykeynow@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I bet it was propaganda by Octavian to question Caesarion's parentship.

[–] XM34@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago

That's possible. There's a surprising lack of reputable sources when it comes to the last queen of the Ptolemaics.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Not to my knowledge, though I'm not an expert on Cleopatra or Ptolemaic Egypt.

[–] SolarTapestryofNoise@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago