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How did Julius Caesar punish the pirates who captured him?
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Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, bronze sculpture in Rome.
After being held captive by Cilician pirates in 75 BCE, Julius Caesar did not let his captors go unpunished. During his captivity, he repeatedly warned the pirates that he would have them crucified, a threat they initially dismissed as a joke.1
Once his ransom was paid and he was released, Caesar raised a naval force in Miletus. He returned to the island where he had been held, captured the pirates, and brought them to the province of Asia. When the local governor hesitated to execute them, Caesar took matters into his own hands, went to the prison where they were being held, and had them all crucified.1