Breaking Eggs in Washington and Ancient Rome

In view of what Donald Trump is doing in Washington today, we may have to rewrite the ancient history of Rome. Augustus, the benevolent and prudent ruler and first Emperor, had a dark side that hardly anyone talks about. It could well be a teachable point for us today.

I’m talking about the proscription of the Second Triumvirate in 43 BC. It was in fact the second major proscription and even more brutal than Sulla’s. It began in November 43 with an agreement between the triumvirs Octavian Caesar, Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus after two long meetings. The aim was to avenge the assassination of Julius Caesar, eliminate political enemies and confiscate their assets.

All this was directed against the conspirators who assisinated Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, such as Brutus and Cassius, as well as others who had taken part in the civil war, including wealthy individuals, senators, knights and Republicans such as Sextus Pompeius and Cicero. A total of 2,000 names were on the list, and a handsome reward of 2,500 drachmas was offered for the return of the head of anyone on the list (the head of a slave was worth only 1,000 drachmas).

Whoever tried to save someone from the list was put on the list themselves. The material possessions of the dead were confiscated. Captured proscripti were slaughtered in the streets. It is known that Cicero had his head and hands cut off and displayed on the rostra, a speaker’s platform in the centre of Rome.

In total, more than 2,000 Roman landowners and some 300 senators were executed on the basis of these lists. Today, Augustus Caesar is remembered as the (mostly) benevolent and highly capable first emperor of Rome. But you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and you certainly can’t become emperor of the most powerful nation-state of the ancient world without killing a few people – or maybe even thousands.

The confiscations of the Second Triumvirate formed the basis for the great wealth of Augustus. His personal fortune was estimated at $4.6 trillion at his death, which was equivalent to one-fifth of the world’s total production at the time. By contrast, Trump is a mere featherweight, and even an Elon Musk cannot hold a candle to the ancient Roman.

But what Trump is currently doing to his political opponents and public servants in the United States does bear a strong resemblance to the proscriptions of the Second Triumvirate. All that’s missing is for Joe Biden’s head and hands to be put on display in the middle of Washington!