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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 1656262, member: 39084&quot;]While he wasn&#039;t the most benevolent of Caesars, Claudius is probably my favorite among the 12 Caesars:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]242719.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The above coin commemorates his being raised to Caesar by the Praetorian Guard after the assassination of Caligula.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>He was a smart and efficient administrator, and started construction on the Port of Ostia (later completed by Nero and shown on the reverse of this Nero sestertius):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]242722.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>As portrayed in the BBC series &quot;I, Claudius&quot; he was a sympathetic character, probably more so than in reality, but with a lot of likable and admirable qualities. His major downfall was his abominable taste in wives, his last wife (Agrippina Jr., who was also his niece) conspiring with Nero to poison him.&nbsp; He apparently also had a cruel streak, as documented partly by Suetonius but mostly left out of the I, Claudius series.&nbsp; He survived numerous plots against his life, but as a result of those failed plots, had many Romans put to death during his reign.</p><p><br /></p><p>I also greatly admire Julius Caesar -- accounts of his prowess as a general and commander of the armies are legion and legendary.&nbsp; It&#039;s worthwhile to read about his feats at the Battle of Alesia (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia</a>) to truly appreciate his military ability.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]242723.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Possibly more than any other figure in history (except for Isaac Newton), Julius Caesar changed the course of the world and subsequent course of history.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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