Rome is set to celebrate one of its greatest historical figures with an exhibition exploring the life and achievements of Julius Caesar (100-44 BC).

The show, opening this autumn in the Chiostro del Bramante, will be the first ever to focus entirely on Ancient Rome's most famous political and military leader. It will bring together 180 archaeological, artistic and cultural items to explore Rome's first dictator in all his complexity. It will examine the historic aspects of Caesar's rule, as well as the political and cultural atmosphere of the time, his military campaigns, his literary works, his ascent to power and his brutal murder.

It will then consider the cult that sprang up after his death, and the legends about him that survived the Dark Ages and attracted fresh attention during the Renaissance.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, the figure of Caesar was enjoying a fresh wave of popularity and fame, which culminated in Napoleon Bonaparte, who was fascinated by the achievements of his military forerunner. The exhibit will begin with artefacts from Caesar's time, including a magnificent silver goblet discovered by Napoleon III.

HOLLYWOOD'S VIEW OF CAESAR ALSO FEATURED.

A sculpture of Venus Genetrix, on loan from the Louvre, recalls Caesar's claim to be descended from the Trojan prince Aeneas, son of the goddess Venus-Aphrodite. There will be several busts of Caesar - although only confirmed portraits of the dictator will be on display, such as those from museums in Berlin and the Vatican.

Curator Giovanni Gentili has stressed that uncertain portraits, such as a bust recently discovered in Arles, will not be included. Portraits of key figures in the cast of Caesar's life will also be on show, with busts of Pompey on loan from Venice, Crassus from the Louvre, Mark Anthony and Cicero from Rome, and Cleopatra from museums in the Vatican, Turin and Berlin. Other archaeological treasures include jewellery, manuscripts, mosaics and paintings from a variety of sources, including the villa in Herculaneum that once belonged to Caesar's father-in-law, Calpurnius Piso.

The exhibition moves on to explore the development of the Caesar myth in later centuries, with paintings by masters such as Rubens, Guercino, Pietro da Cortona and Guido Reni. Massive canvases of Caesar by Giambattista Tiepolo, sold to the Russian tsar in 1800, will also return to Italy for the first time in 200 years. The final section will look at the depiction of Caesar in the world of cinema, from early silent black and white movies to the 1963 blockbuster Cleopatra, which was filmed at Rome's Cinecitta studios. The exhibit opens in the Chiostro del Bramante on October 24 and runs until April 5, 2009.