Contemporary Quail

  This series is about the rivalry of three men. Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, two immensely powerful Roman statesmen and generals, who presented Rome with an impossible choice: dictator 1 or dictator A; and one man who offered a third path: back to the republic. But Marcus Tullius Cicero made powerful enemies and his efforts never came to fruition. In this post I'd like to take a quick look at the reason Caesar started his civil war. What led to his insurrection, that would change the world forever? I'm a passionate student of history. One of my particular interests is Roman history: the parallels we can draw with contemporary American events and the lessons we can learn. Check out the first post in this series for the background to Caesar's wider struggles . I don't really want to sit here and recount the entire Gallic Wars, because that would be tiresome to say the least. Caesar himself wrote an extensive memoir on his time in Gaul. I have not read ...

This series is about the rivalry of three men. Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, two immensely powerful Roman statesmen and generals, who presented Rome with an impossible choice: dictator 1 or dictator A; and one man who offered a third path: back to the republic. But Marcus Tullius Cicero made powerful enemies and his efforts never came to fruition. In this introduction I take a look at certain key background facts that I feel pertain to this story. Most importantly, who are our cast of characters and what's the setting? What's the story here, why's it important? I'm a passionate student of history. One of my particular interests is Roman history: the parallels we can draw with contemporary American events and the lessons we can learn. Get  more background about Caesar's problems and the buildup to his Civil War. A Growing Divide An important element of the story of Caesar and Pompey is the struggle between the populares 1  and optimates 2 , champion...