In the middle of the Roman Forum, without a sign that attracts attention, there is a pile of stones protected by a simple roof. Almost no one stops there. But it's one of the most impressive places in Rome because, two thousand years later, it still hosts fresh flowers.
Where Caesar became god
After the murder, in 44 BC, Julius Caesar's body was cremated in the Forum. On this exact place, later, the Temple of Divine Julius was built. The name is not a figure of speech: two years after his death, the Senate made official what the crowd already felt and declared Caesar a god, Divus Iulius, the Divine Julius. He was the first Roman to receive this state cult, and the gesture paved the way for the entire tradition of the deified emperor.
The myth of Caesar conquering death itself, and no other Roman receives this type of spontaneous visit.
Flowers two thousand years later
The detail that impresses is not in the stones, it is in the people. To this day, visitors leave fresh flowers on the remains of the temple, at the spot where Caesar was cremated. It is a tribute that no one organizes and that almost no other figure from Antiquity receives. Twenty centuries after his death, Divine Júlio still has people who bring him flowers.
A stop at the Forum
If you visit the Roman Forum, look for this spot. It does not have the grandeur of the great temples and arches around it, but it tells, in silence, the end of the story that Shakespeare dramatized: the man who was stabbed for fear that he would become a god ended up, in fact, transformed into a god, with a temple in his own ashes. It is the myth conquering death, in the sight of anyone who knows where to look.
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What is the Temple of Divine Julius?
It is a temple in the Roman Forum, built over the place where Julius Caesar's body was cremated. It was erected after the Senate declared him a god, Divus Iulius, two years after his murder.
Why are there still flowers there?
Two thousand years later, visitors still leave fresh flowers on the remains of the temple, at the spot where Caesar was cremated. It is a spontaneous tribute that almost no other Roman receives, a sign that the myth of Caesar survived his own death.
Where is the Temple of Divine Julius?
At the Roman Forum, in the heart of ancient Rome. There are few traces left of the temple, a stone mound protected by a simple roof, not very prominent, but it is one of the most historical points in the Forum.
Go deeper: Where Caesar died, in Rome · Who was Julius Caesar · What is hubris in tragedy
Source class (YouTube): Júlio César, de Shakespeare (NousCast)