What did Julius Caesar really look like?
A statue of an unidentified Roman Man. This style of statue was popular in the Republican Period. It exhibits a refreshing “warts and all” approach that is lost later in the imperial period.
It’s a fascinating question that is still hotly debated. Luckily for us, Roman artistic tradition at this time was unique, focusing on realism rather than idealism, and creating portraits that showed character rather than just physical beauty. In fact, Romans considered it a sign of character to show physical these imperfections in portraits.
The Tusculum Bust. Currently it is the most agreed-upon image of Julius Caesar.
We have just one agreed-upon statue of Caesar from his lifetime, the Tusculum bust, actually unearthed in the 1800s by Napoleon’s younger brother, Lucien. It shows a handsome face with strong cheekbones, a wrinkled neck, thinning hair, and an interesting head shape.
Scholars have speculated about the cause of Caesar’s unique head shape, suggesting premature ossification (early hardening) of the skull bones or dolichocephaly (a condition where the head is longer than expected). However, since his remains were cremated, the exact cause remains a mystery.
This image aligns with descriptions from Suetonius, who, although writing over a hundred years after Caesar’s death, provides one of our few detailed accounts. It also matches images from coins struck during Caesar’s rule.
We have every reason to believe that Julius Caesar was quite a handsome man during the prime of his life. He was very successful with women, conducting countless love affairs, including one with his ally Crassus’ wife. He was also a decorated military hero with an insane charisma.
Suetonius describes Caesar as tall, with fair skin, slender limbs, and a face that always looked a little too full. His piercing dark eyes were particularly striking. Ever the well-dressed man, Caesar loved standing out from the crowd and usually wore something to distinguish himself from other Senators.
The one thing that truly vexed him as he aged was his baldness. Not only did he feel like this opened him up to jabs from other Roman politicians, but also showed more of his possible skull deformity. He would always self-consciously comb his remaining hair forward, which we can see on portraits.
Suetonius rather humorously points out that Caesar was always very happy to wear the Laurel Wreath as much as possible. Suetonius said: “Because of it he used to comb forward his scanty locks from the crown of his head, and of all the honours voted him by the senate and people there was none which he received or made use of more gladly than the privilege of wearing a laurel wreath at all times.”
Royalty Now Recommended Reading:
The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination by Barry Strauss
Caesar: Life of a Colussus by Adrian Goldsworthy
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Full Seutonius Description:
“He is said to have been tall of stature, with a fair complexion, shapely limbs, a somewhat full face, and keen black eyes; sound of health, except that towards the end he was subject to sudden fainting fits and to nightmare as well. He was twice attacked by the falling sickness during his campaigns. 2He was somewhat overnice in the care of his person, being not only carefully trimmed and shaved, but even having superfluous hair plucked out, as some have charged; while his baldness was a disfigurement which troubled him greatly, since he found that it was often the subject of the gibes of his detractors. Because of it he used to comb forward his scanty locks from the crown of his head, and of all the honours voted him by the senate and people there was none which he received or made use of more gladly than the privilege of wearing a laurel wreath at all times. 3They say, too, that he was fantastic in his dress; that he wore a senator’s tunic with fringed sleeves reaching to the wrist, and always had a girdle over it, though rather a loose one; and this, they say, was the occasion of Sulla’s mot, when he often warned the nobles to keep an eye on the ill-girt boy.”
Although the Tusculum portrait is widely accepted as the representation of an older Caesar, other busts like the Pantelleria and Arles may offer a better depiction of his younger years, and in my opinion show more refined artistry. Scholars have found huge similarities between these images, pointing towards them all being made during his lifetime. They have the same strong chin, neck wrinkles, and specific cheek dimples that we see consistently across images of Caesar.
The Arles Bust - discovered in September–October 2007 in the Rhone River near Arles, southern France. During the same campaign, divers also recovered smaller statues of Marsyas in Hellenistic style and a life-size marble sculpture of Neptune dating, from its style, to the 3rd century AD. Link for more information.
The Pantelleria Bust of Julius Caesar. Found in 2003 in a cistern of the Acropolis of Pantelleria dated from 1st century BC-AD. It bears a striking resemblance to the Tusculum Bust.
A comparison between a contemporary coin, and a profile of the Pantelleria bust.
From The Profiles of Caesar's Heads given by Tusculum and Pantelleria Marbles by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
Profile comparisons of the Tusculum, Pantelleria, Farnese, and Arles portraits.
From The Profiles of Caesar's Heads given by Tusculum and Pantelleria Marbles by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
For a younger image of Caesar, I’ve composited these three likely portraits - Tusculum, Pantelleria, and Arles.
So, let’s see the face of a young Julius Caesar, now:
An image of Julius Caesar in the prime of his life, made using the Tusculum, Pantelleria, and Arles (not shown) busts as information.
If he lived today….
My version of “what Caesar would look like if he lived today” from wayyy back when.
And let’s check out a modern version. Some of you may remember this images from way back when - it’s the image that truly launched Royalty Now! Of course, I feel more skilled now, so let’s see a revised version.
