Who offered Caesar a diadem at the Lupercalia in 44 BC?

Mark Antony offered Caesar a diadem at the Lupercalia in 44 BC. The episode occurred on 15 February, only weeks before Caesar’s assassination on the Ides of March.

Antony was serving as Caesar’s fellow consul and took part in the festival’s traditional running ceremony. He approached Caesar, who was seated publicly in triumphal dress, carrying a diadem associated with kingship. Ancient accounts say Antony offered it more than once, while Caesar rejected it and the crowd applauded the refusals.

The scene mattered because Romans traditionally viewed kingship with suspicion. Caesar already held extraordinary powers, including the title dictator perpetuo, and his opponents feared that he intended to become king. The diadem episode therefore became powerful political evidence for the conspirators, even though historians debate whether it was a genuine proposal or a carefully staged test of public opinion.

A common mix-up is attributing the offer to Brutus, Cicero, or Lepidus. Brutus later became one of Caesar’s assassins, while Antony was the consul who publicly presented the diadem. The event is also distinct from Antony’s later political alliance with Octavian and Lepidus in the Second Triumvirate.