The Final Countdown Trivia Quiz

During the decade of the 50s, tension had been building between Gaius Julius Caesar (Caesar) and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey), two of the three members of the the First Triumvirate (the third member--Marcus Licinius Crassus--died in 53 BCE). The Roman Senate tended to favor Pompey over Caesar in this dispute. In January, 49 BCE, Caesar led his army across the Rubicon, setting a civil war in motion.

Why was this a big deal? Caesar had been serving as the Governor of Cisalpine Gaul The Rubicon served as part of the border between Caesar's province and Italy Within his province Caesar had the authority to lead the legions assigned to Cisalpine Gaul to keep order. During the time of the Republic, armies were not to be led into Italy. By leading the army into Italy, Caesar was effectively declaring war on the Senate and Pompey.

Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (62-47 bCE) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 51 BCE until his death. His co-ruler was his sister, Cleopatra VII (yes, THAT Cleopatra). The two siblings were engaged in a civil war of their own over who would control Egypt. When Pompey arrived in Egypt after retreating from Caesar, Ptolemy saw his chance.

The Roman civil war was not going well for Pompey, who came to Egypt seeking refuge from Caesar. Ptolemy, judging that Caesar could potentially be a strong ally, hoped to gain his favor by ordering two assassins to kill Pompey. The plan backfired as the disgusted Caesar instead had the slain Pompey buried with official dignity. Cleopatra would be more successful in gaining the support of Caesar. Within a year Ptolemy would be dead.

The Kingdom of Pontus (which included much of modern Turkey) had been part of the Roman Republic since 63 BCE. While Caesar led the Roman legions that were present, the forces that represented Pontus were led by Pharnaces II. The battle was swift enough and a decisive enough victory for Rome that Caesar was said to describe it with the report "Veni, vidi, vici." (I came, I saw, I conquered.) To his contemporaries, Caesar may have seen nearly unstoppable at this point.

Caesar was not merely a war leader, but also a peace leader. In 46 BCE, he developed a new calendar for Rome. This so-called Julian Calendar would go into effect in the beginning of 45 BCE and serve the Western world for over 1,600 yeas. The calendar would establish a standard 365 day-long year divided into 12 months (which with the exception of Februarius or February were 30 or 31 days long).

The month of Quintilis would be renamed Iulius or July. Once every four years, an extra day would be added for leap eear. (Having leap year occurring slightly too often would lead to the Julian Calendar slowly get out of sync with the seasons would lead to Pope Gregory XIII introducing the Gregorian Calendar in 1582 CE.)

The supporters of Pompey and the Senate continued to fight Caesar even after Pompey's death. The Battle of Munda (in March 45 BCE), located in the province of Hispania Ulterior (located on the Iberian Peninsula), was the last battle of the civil war. Caesar's opponents had casualties several times greater than those suffered by Caesar's forces.

Modern historians tend to believe that Caesar was at a small disadvantage in terms of the number of men he brought to the fight.

During the years leading up to his assassination (on March 15, 44 BCE), Caesar had been named dictator on multiple occasions. The office of dictator was supposed to be held for a brief period of time in order for an individual to deal with a specific problem or crisis. The dictator's authority overruled any other Roman official including the consuls. In January of 45 BCE, Caesar was named dictator for life.

Although Caesar's army had defeated its enemies in the civil war, there were still plenty of people who were unhappy with him in charge. His new title may have been enough to tip some of them into wanting to remove him from power permanently. A conspiracy was formed and led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. A group of Senators attacked Caesar in the Senate House, stabbing him 23 times or more.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 BCE) was a well known author, lawyer, and political leader. He served as consul for 63 BCE and helped to unmask a conspiracy to overthrow the Roman Republic. He had been a supporter of Pompey during the conflict between him and Caesar but had been pardoned by Caesar.

After Caesar's death, Cicero became an important leader in Rome and opponent of Marcus Antonius (Caesar's lieutenant). (Cicero was not a part of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar although it is though he was sympathetic to the idea.). As Cicero traveled to the coast to take a ship to Macedonia, he was intercepted by assassins sent by Antony, who killed him.

Cassius (86 - 42 BCE) and Brutus (85 - 42 BCE), in addition to both being members of the Senate, were also brothers-in-law. Both had been opponents of Caesar during his conflict with Pompey. After Caesar's assassination, civil war broke out with the supports of Cassius and Brutus on one side and the supporters of Antony and Gaius Octavius (Caesar's grandnephew and heir) on the other.

The final confrontations between the two sides took place near Philippi in Macedonia. Two battles were fought roughly 20 days apart. Cassius would commit suicide in the aftermath of the first battle and Brutus after the second.

Antony (83 - 30 BCE) would form alliance with Cleopatra in 41 BC. The two would eventually travel to Alexandria, the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, where they would become lovers again. This occurred shortly after Antony had married Octavia, sister of Gaius Octavianus (by now known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus and later known as Augustus) for political reasons. The so-called Second Triumvirate formed by Antony, Octavian, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was already showing signs of strain.

The Treaty of Brundisium was the formal agreement of the three Triumvirs (Antony, Octavian, Lepidus) on who would get what. Octavian would hold Hispania, Gaul, and Illyria. Antony would have Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. Lepidus would have the province of Africa.

The alliance wouldn't last. Antony and Octavian would eventually turn against each other and Rome would face another Civil War. Antony would eventually be defeated and Octavian would be proclaimed Princeps (First Citizen). Modern history would recognize Octavian (or Augustus) as the first Roman Emperor.