by Nomad
Here's the conclusion of the historical tale of the last days of the Roman Republic and the revenge of the slaughtered elephants. We will also compare those brutal times to our own.
In the first of this two-part series we recounted how the ambitious masters of Rome were step by step destroying the Republic. In public spectacle in 55 BC, the audience, so used to bloodshed, were suddenly unexpectedly repulsed by the cruel slaughter of 18 elephants, who had begged in vain for mercy. Instead of applauding Pompey, the sponsor of the celebrations, the disgusted citizens of Rome denounced and cursed him.
Let's watch the rest of this classic tragedy play out.
Destinies Fulfilled
It didn't take long for the Gods to answer the calls of revenge from the dying elephants and the curses of the Roman public. Within two years, the
First Triumvirate tottered and collapsed.
The intermarriage ties between Caesar and Pompey- Pompey was married to Caesar's daughter Julia- dissolved upon her tragic death in childbirth.
First to die was
Marcus Crassus, one third of the three-way alliance. After a military disaster in the East against the
Parthians, his troops mutinied in Syria, and was later murdered while trying to arrange a humiliating peace negotiation. According to accounts from
one Roman historian, his particularly gruesome death at the hands of his enemy was meant to be a testament to his greed. Molten gold was supposedly poured down his throat while he still alive.
A showdown between Caesar and Pompey now seemed all but inevitable.
For
five more years, Pompey managed to hold onto Rome. That all quickly unraveled when Caesar returned from successfully conquering of Gaul (modern day France)
with his sizable armies and considerably more wealth. Certainly enough to bribe whomever stood in his way.
In open
defiance of Senate orders to bring his troops into Rome and to come
alone and unprotected, Caesar and his armies continued a march south, crossing
the Rubicon. That act was a declaration that he would no longer take orders from the
Senate.
The
political crisis had now become an all-out civil war. After losing battles in
Spain and Greece, Pompey's hold on power became less and less convincing. With
the Roman people' and the city armies' allegiance unreliable, Pompey had little
choice but to flee (along with much of the Senate) to Egypt, with hopes of
later re-establishing control. From there, he presumably planned to cut all
grain shipments to Rome and force Caesar into negotiations.
It
was not to be.
