IDES OF MARCH REPOST
Julius Caesar was born by vaginal delivery, not a C-section. So why is the rumour he was born by a C-section so popular?
The first reference to Caesar linking him to caesarean sections comes from Pliny the Elder, a man who made a lot of speculations with supreme confidence - here's a thread of everything he got wrong about menstruation, for just how confidently wrong he could be https://masto.ai/@vagina_museum/109869305327266405
Pliny wrote that an ancestor of Caesar's was "removed by an incision in his mother's womb", giving him the cognomen "Caesar" which is derived from "to cut". This nickname was then passed down through the family.
There's no evidence to suggest this was the case, and the cognomen also be derived from having a full head of hair, having grey eyes, or even elephants.
@vagina_museum I recommend the #SawBones podcast for anyone interested in #PlinyTheElder being confidently incorrect https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/sawbones-pliny-elder/
