Magnus Pius

Sextus Pompeius and the Transformation of the Roman Republic

by Kathryn Welch

Book cover: Magnus Pius

Extent: 350 pages

Publisher: The Classical Press of Wales

Subjects: Classical Studies

Series: Roman World

Language: English

Hardback (Out of print)

(December 2012)

ISBN: 9781905125449

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $85.00

Out of stock

PDF (Published)

(December 2012)

ISBN: 9781910589151

Price: $85.00

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius, son of Pompey the Great, fits uneasily – or not at all – into the grand narrative of the civil war of 49-31BC. Modern scholars tend to exclude him or mention him without asking what or whom he represented. Ronald Syme, the father of international orthodoxy in this field, famously remarked that Sextus was ‘in reality an adventurer’ who was ‘easily represented as a pirate’. He was wrong. Sextus Pompeius plays havoc with key elements of the accepted narrative. His military success destroys the myth of continuous Caesarian victory. His commitment to rescuing the victims of Triumviral violence belies claims that only the Caesarian side represented clementia and justice. The naval strategy by which he conducted the war demonstrates his commitment to the same cause and ethics as his father and his father’s allies. Welch argues that, far from being a ‘side-show’ or a ‘bit player’, Sextus Pompeius was integral to the fight for the res publica. She solves the ‘problem’ by placing him at the centre of the story of Rome’s transition from Republic to Empire and so reveals a very different landscape that emerges as a result.

  • By (author) Kathryn Welch