Prisioneros de los piratas: política y propaganda en la captura de Julio César y Clodio

Abstract

The first century B.C. is shown as being the heyday of Mediterranean piracy. The political and military measures taken by Rome to combat a continuous plague on the high seas contrasts with the frequent mentions of Roman citizens who had been captured. Julius Caesar and Claudius, two of the most active politicians at that time, were captured by pirates until they paid back the ransom agreed with their captors. This article details the consequences of their capture on their public life and the possibility, at least for Caesar, that such an event could have been used as propaganda by the future dictator in his forthcoming activities.