Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili [Commentaries on the Civil War]

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The

Bellum Civile

(

BC

) is an account of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey from the collapse of their relationship in 50 to the decisive battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE and succeeding events which resulted in the siege of Alexandria and Caesar’s support for Cleopatra. The work is composed of three books, whose contents may be summarized as follows:

Book 1 (50-49 BCE): Caesar opens with a short account of the outbreak of the civil war; he emphasizes the unwillingness of his optimate enemies to respect his dignitas (‘rank’ or ‘standing’) and the threats they made against tribunes of the plebs. In response, he rapidly overruns Italy, and chases Pompey to Brundisium. Unfortunately for Caesar, Pompey escapes across the Adriatic to Epirus in north-western Greece. Caesar is

1977 words

Citation: Stevenson, Thomas Reginald. "Commentarii de Bello Civili". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 July 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25862, accessed 12 December 2024.]

25862 Commentarii de Bello Civili 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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