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Aurelia's Myth

Aurelia was the name of Julius Caesar's mother. Imagine a dirty street in the heart of ancient Rome's slums, where people and noise litter the streets and crime runs unchecked. This is where Caesar grew up under the protection of his mother, Aurelia. His father was in the army, but he wasn't notable, nor was he around Caesar much. Raising the family was left to the mother. In a world where women were considered second class, if they were given any consideration at all, they were killed for transgressions, beaten as punishment, and locked in as servants to the pater. 

Aurelia broke the mold with little regard to the dangers involved. She owned and ran an insulae or apartment building, in the heart of slumtown Rome. Consider the strength, drive, and determination it took for her to operate in a man's world. This lady, despite all the odds stacked against her, raised a man whom we all still know. The name Caesar conjures images of power, strength, royalty, greed, corruption, cunning, and tragedy. What a woman she was to have raised and taught Caesar!