# @itsaihistory on Instagram - **Type:** Video - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQVidgGDTcR - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61744798-itsaihistory-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/6e43709e9e.jpg - **Posted:** 2025-10-28T02:43:51.000+00:00 - **Account Owner:** Parker Gordon (@itsaihistory) — https://gondola.cc/itsaihistory ## Caption ⚓ A Young Julius Caesar and the Cilician Pirates | 75 BC Always open to critiques of my Latin translations and pronunciations. Date note (why 75 BC): Caesar was born in 100 BC, and ancient sources describe his capture occurring when he was about 25 years old while sailing to Rhodes to study oratory after military service in Asia Minor. Aligning these details, historians place the event around 75 BC, as supported by Plutarch (Life of Caesar 2–3) and Suetonius (Divus Julius 4). Who was captured?
A 25-year-old Gaius Julius Caesar, a young Roman noble traveling to Rhodes (Greek island) to study oratory with Apollonius Molon, was seized near Pharmakousa in the Aegean Sea. Who captured him?
Cilician pirates — sea-raiders based in southern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) from the region of Cilicia (a coastal province in southern Anatolia whose mountains and coves made it ideal for piracy) — who dominated the eastern Mediterranean by kidnapping travelers for ransom. What did they demand? 
Latin: Viginti talenta poscimus!
Viginti? Scitisne quem cepistis? Melius quinquaginta poscite! English translation: “We demand twenty talents!”
“Twenty? Do you know whom you’ve captured? Better ask for fifty.” How long was he held?
About 38 days, during which he read, joked, and promised to crucify them once freed. What happened next?
After his ransom was paid, Caesar raised ships from Miletus (a coastal city in western Anatolia, modern-day Turkey), pursued the pirates, captured them, and ordered their crucifixion. Who records this story?
The episode is described by Plutarch (Life of Caesar) and Suetonius (The Twelve Caesars). Was piracy common in this area?
Yes. During the 1st century BC, piracy was widespread across the eastern Mediterranean, especially along Cilicia’s coastline. Its hidden coves and weak naval control made it ideal for pirate bases. They raided trade routes and kidnapped travelers, forcing Rome to intervene decades later. #itsaihistory #romanempire #rome #juliuscaesar #europe #europeanhistory #italy #mediterranean #pirates ## Stats - **Views:** 51,063 - **Likes:** 1,807 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 33 ## Tags pirates, romanempire, europe, juliuscaesar, italy, europeanhistory, rome, itsaihistory, mediterranean --- Copyright (c) Gondola