Descrizione

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - leicht berieben, ansonsten tadelloser Zustand / slightly rubbed, otherwise perfect condition - Pompey the Great is regarded by many of his contemporaries as the most important figure in the history of Rome. This book presents a timely and detailed study of the political career of a man who was three times consul. -- The opening chapters describe how Pompeius, despite his youth, exploited the political heritage of his father first to win from the dictator Sulla recognition and a triumph and then to secure a succession of special commands as the defender of Sulla�s constitution; an unprecedented rise which culminated in his first consulship in the year 70 B.C. The narrative then charts the struggles by which he gained his commands in the sixties, unravels the intrigues that enlivened Rome in his absence, and expounds the factors, political and strategic, that dictated his settlement of the East. -- Throughout the story of his compact with Caesar and Crassus, his uneasy friendship with Cicero, and his brushes with Clodius and Cato, Pompeius� methods and motives, as he worked to maintain and enhance his power, are illuminated by careful and exhaustive discussion. The account of the last years before the civil war of 49 shows how Pompeius tried to play off Caesar against the optimates and set himself up as arbiter of their destinies, but was eventually forced into a confrontation. In the treatment of the civil war emphasis is concentrated on analysis of the attempts to secure a negotiated peace and of the political consequences of events in the field. -- A final chapter examines the ambiguous verdict of antiquity on Pompeius as republican martyr or would-be king, awkward judgements that soon gave way to the lifeless but politically more comfortable image of Pompeius the great conqueror, who had won the East for Rome. Surprisingly, the book represents the first-ever full study of Pompeius as a political figure in English and the first in any language for over a quarter of a century. ISBN 9780520039094