Suetonius’ Life of the Twelve Caesars

Did you know Julius Caesar’s last words weren’t ‘et tu Brute?’, as in Shakespeare’s play – they were, according to Suetonius, ‘καὶ σύ τέκνον’, Greek for ‘and you, [my] child?’. This was a reference to rumours that Julius Caesar and his assassin’s mother had had an affair; as such, it seems the dictator’s last words may have actually been a bawdy joke. Reading any classical work (or text contemporary to your field of study) is great for the fun insights like this one which they can offer into the lives and lifestyles of those living so long ago.