The paradigm for this selfless Roman ruler was Cincinnatus, a general who came out of comfortable retirement at his plantation, took command of an army, defeated whatever enemy Rome was battling, and then laid down his command and returned to his farm safe in the knowledge that one day the second largest city in Ohio would be named for him. If that model of leadership sounds familiar to Americans, by the way, it's because George Washington was heavily influenced by Cincinnatus when he invented the idea of the two-term president. So along comes Caesar. Gaius Ju- Gaius? No, it's Gaius. I know from Battlestar Galactica. Gaius Julius Caesar was born around 100 BCE to one of Rome's leading families.