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Secondary sourcePainting

Murder of Julius Caesar in the Senate

An engraved print imagining the assassination of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate, created long after his death.

This later print depicts Caesar's assassination, showing how his death was imagined by artists long after his lifetime.

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Engraved print of the murder of Julius Caesar. On the left, a bearded man with a crown and laurel-like headpiece is stabbed by a man lunging with a dagger; another figure raises a weapon behind. A radiant light and smoke rise above. On the right, an ornate colonnaded interior with a niche holding a statue and an arched doorway. Caption below reads 'Iulius Caesar in stellam' and page number 150.
Artist unknown, Murder of Julius Caesar in the Senate. Herzog August Library, Germany.

About this source

What it is

This is a later engraved print showing the murder of Julius Caesar in the Senate. It is held by the Herzog August Library in Germany. The exact maker and date are not recorded in this entry, but it was produced well after Caesar's own lifetime.

Why it matters

The print does not show the actual event as witnessed—it is an imagined reconstruction made centuries later. It reveals how later artists and audiences pictured the dramatic death of Caesar, a moment seen as a turning point in Roman history. The caption links the murder to a legend that Caesar became a star, showing how history and myth blended in later retellings.

Look closer

  • What details in the costumes or setting look accurate to ancient Rome, and what looks invented?
  • Why might an artist add the radiant light and smoke rising above the scene?
  • What does the choice to depict this violent moment tell us about why Caesar's death became so famous?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Julius Caesar on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Manuscript page of Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, with a red-ink title line, a large illuminated initial C with gold and blue decoration, black Latin text in columns, a floral border with blue and red flourishes, a library stamp, and a coat of arms at lower right.Book

Primary source

Commentarii de Bello Gallico

Julius Caesar · c. 58-50 BCE (this copy 1469)

Engraving of a standing male figure in Roman armor with a draped cloak over one shoulder, a pleated leather-style skirt with decorative lappets, and sandals, resting on a plinth. His right arm is extended outward, left hand holds a small object. The caption below reads Julius Cesar. Monochrome line hatching on a striped background.Painting

Secondary source

Etched Portrait of Julius Caesar

F. Perrier

Open book showing a title page on the right: 'C. Julii Caesaris Commentarii de Bello Gallico et Civili, Tomus I, Venetiis 1783', framed by ornate borders with a trophy of arms. On the left, an engraved frontispiece shows a seated Roman figure holding a tablet, with a standard and a city in the background.Book

Primary source

Commentarii de Bello Civili

Julius Caesar · 49-48 BCE

Engraving with a Latin caption reading 'Iulius Caesar Veneris beneficio in Cometam mutatur' (plate 150). A man in a laurel wreath, bare-chested and draped, is embraced by a standing figure and a woman with a star-shaped comet. A winged cupid flies at upper right, and a large cloud fills the background.Painting

Secondary source

The Murder of Julius Caesar

1606

Black and white engraving of a Roman senate chamber with tall columns and rows of benches. Togaed men with raised daggers surround a figure lying on the floor at lower left. Statues stand at left, and a seated figure sits at right. Title below reads The Death of Caesar.Painting

Secondary source

The Death of Julius Caesar

J.C. Armytage after Jean-Léon Gérôme · 1800-1899

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