Rethinking the fall of Rome's republic

When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon -- a river in northern Italy -- in 49 B.C., leading what was effectively his own personal army, he triggered a set of changes that resonated through the ancient world for centuries afterward. Caesar soon occupied Rome, defeated Pompey the Great and his other rivals, and set in motion the transformation from a republic to an imperial monarchy. The constitutional principles that had guided Rome’s rise, over centuries, from a small village to an all-conquering metropolis were suddenly swept away.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg