Julius Caesar Scaliger (/ˈskælədʒər/; April 23, 1484 – October 21, 1558), or Giulio Cesare della Scala, was an Italian scholar and physician who spent a major part of his career in France. He employed the techniques and discoveries of Renaissance humanism to defend Aristotelianism against the new learning. In spite of his arrogant and contentious disposition, his contemporary reputation was high.