this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2024
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Suetonius:
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Julius*.html
Caesar was capable of great callousness, but you don't see him engage in casual or impulsive cruelty or blow his top like some other historical figures. He was in general a very calculating fellow, and very attentive to his reputation. Furthermore, reciprocity was highly valued in the Classical world, and it's likely that Caesar felt obliged to show some form of lenience since the pirates had humored him while he was a captive.