The life of Julius Caesar, the dictator of Rome, is one of the most well-researched eras in history. Unlike most eras in ancient history this period has many surviving primary sources and abundant testimony from later ancient authors working from lost sources. Therefore, this period of history is condusive to in depth methods of research like social netowrk mapping.
This site hosts visualizations of Roman social networks based on descriptions from ancient authors and research by modern scholars. At the moment, you can find visualizations and analysis based on the Plutarch's Parallel Lives of Brutus, Caesar, Cato the Younger, Cicero, Crassus, Lucullus, Mark Antony, and Pompey. Additionally there is an analysis of Dio books 36-47 (so far).
Separating social networks by source allows researchers to see the ways the sources themselves think about Roman society. This then allows historians to both evaluate the sources more effectively but also add insights to the analysis of social networks made from multiple author's accounts. The goal of this project is to provide insights into the ways surviving sources have skewed our understanding of the social networks of elite Romans from the last generation of the Roman Republic.
These visualizations are works in progress. You will see that many of the figures include a short description and a link to the Digital Prosopography of the Roman Republic to give a clear identification in the case of ambiguous names. These are being added over time with the goal that every Roman will have a link to the DPRR.
You can also find the nodes and edges as well as the Gephi files on my github repository. The vizualizations on this site are made using Gephi and exported with Sigma.JS.
This network includes Plutarch's lives covering the period after the death of Sulla. This network demonstrates Plutarch's interest in the very end of the Republic and especially in wars. Octavian and Antony both have outsized roles in this network despite emerging in politics only at the end of the period covered. Plutarch's interest in Cleopatra and Mithridates shows a bias toward Eastern affairs.
This network is a manipulation of the Plutarch network where I have removed the edges with a protagonist from each life. Thus every mention of Cicero in this sociogram is from a life that isn't the Life of Cicero. This network diminishes the issues raised by Plutarch's choice of protagonists and reveals the figures who benefit most from Plutarch's choice like Cicero, Cato, and Brutus.
Caesar was a subject for both Plutarch and Suetonius, allowing historians to compare two biographers directly. Plutarch focuses on Caesar's wars while Suetonius focuses more on his womanizing and names more Roman figures. Plutarch discusses links not involving Caesar, highlighting the broader approach he took to his scope.
This network is based on Dio books 36-51. These books cover from Pompey's wars in the East to the aftermath of Actium. Dio was far less interested in social connections that Plutarch, making this network more sparse per word. Dio's history is also punctuated by long speeches where the speaker seldomly mentions specific people.
This network is based on Appian. Appian has been considered a Roman apologist and monarchist, viewing monarchy and empire as the solution to various forms of strife in the Mediterranean.
This is a work-in-progress that includes links from all the other networks on the site and the recipients of Cicero's letters. This network begins to demonstrate one major issue with sources of the time: the dominant presence of Cicero, who is not far behind Caesar in this network.