The history of the worship of Caesar post-assassination is particularly fascinating - I know, because I've been reading about it like mad working on some changes to my Augustus web site.


While dangerous to do off the top of my head, here's how I recall the rough chronology.

Caesar is murdered 3/15. By about 3/18 or a bit later, a memorial column springs up over the site of his murder in the Forum. Dolabella, although chosenn by Caesar as co-consul after he was to leave for Parthia, quickly signs on with the "Liberators" and makes a big deal of ripping away all the homegrown veneration (including the column), thus receiving kudoes from Cicero. He uses force to make sure that the mob won't continue to treat the site of Caesar's death as a shrine.

Antony is ambivalent about the whole thing but supports Dolabella.

Spontaneous worship keeps breaking out at the site of the murder. Those in power keep discouraging it.

Then in late July, during Octavian's games in honor of Caesar, the legendary comet appears. From what I've read, I'm not sure but that this put paid to official attempts to damp down the worship of Caesar in or around the site of his cremation. And of course, when Octavian becomes Consul, it becomes officially approved.

However, trying to track any mention of the ashes is just about hopeless, so any hints or ideas here are welcomed! It's hard for me to imagine they would not have been reverently put into a cremation jar and kept; but if so, why don't we hear about it?