For centuries we’ve been told that two Roman senators called Brutus and Cassius masterminded the plot to butcher Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. But is that the whole story? Did the brains behind the conspiracy reside somewhere else entirely \u2013 with one of Caesar’s greatest allies? <\/p>
What do you say, Caesar? Will someone of your stature pay attention to the dreams of a woman and the omens of foolish men?\u201d So said Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus to Gaius Julius Caesar<\/a>. The 36-year-old Decimus spoke frankly to a man his elder by nearly 20 years, a man who was not only his chief but also Rome\u2019s Dictator for Life. Yet Caesar was fond of Decimus, a longtime comrade-in-arms and a trusted lieutenant, and so he let him speak. They met in Caesar\u2019s official residence in the heart of Rome.<\/p>\n It was the morning of 15 March 44 BC \u2013 the Ides, as the Romans<\/a> called the approximate middle of each month: the Ides of March<\/a>. The Senate was in session that day, its members eagerly awaiting the dictator\u2019s arrival. Yet Caesar had decided not to attend \u2013 allegedly because of bad health but, in fact, the real cause was a series of ill omens that had terrified his wife, Calpurnia.<\/p>