Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome in 100 BC into the prestigious Gens Julia family. His childhood was spent in the shadow of Italy’s Social War and then a civil conflict between Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Caesar’s uncle, Gaius Marius, while the Senate floundered and struggled to respond to the crises facing the Republic. Sulla emerged victorious, forcing a young Caesar to ship out to the military early to avoid facing punishment for his uncle’s actions.