Later biographers also embellished tales of his daring. Much of Caesar's early career has been embellished by later sources in an attempt to draw comparisons between his childhood and later life. His family status put him at odds with the Dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who almost had him executed. His father died when he was just 16, leaving Caesar as the head of the household. Julius Caesar was born on 12 July 100 BC into a patrician family, the gens Julia, which claimed descent from Iulus, son of the legendary Trojan prince Aeneas, supposedly the son of the goddess Venus. The career of Julius Caesar before his consulship in 59 BC was characterized by military adventurism and political persecution. JSTOR ( May 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.įind sources: 'Early life and career of Julius Caesar' – news This article relies excessively on references to primary sources.