Pompey the Great.

By Pat Southern.
Stroud: Tempus, 2002
192 pp, 18 b/w illustrations, paperback.
ISBN 0 7524 2521 8

Reviewed by E-J. Graham

Introduction
Context
Style
Conclusion

 Introduction

Having previously published biographies of Mark Antony, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, in her latest book Pat Southern has turned her attention to the often side-lined 'loser' of the civil war: Pompey the Great. Reasoning that having written about his contemporaries 'it seemed neglectful to leave him out', and 'while the other characters have been made real in celluloid, Pompey is usually limited to a brief glimpse of a head being pulled out of a jar', Southern sets out to illuminate the life and achievements of this frequently forgotten Roman General. The book is clearly not intended to spark intense debate about the various political or military issues surrounding Pompey but to provide a readable account of his life and allow the reader to form their own opinions regarding his motivations and actions. Throughout the text there is, however, a strong desire to recognise the significance of Pompey's role, albeit somewhat overshadowed by that of his father-in-law Caesar, in the development of the Empire and in paving the way for Augustus and his successors. Southern's eminently accessible style of writing turns what could have been a rather dry political and military biography into an engaging and, most importantly, interesting story of a man that she describes as something of an 'anomaly.'

 Context

Unsurprisingly the story of Pompey's life and struggle for political acceptance at Rome unfolds essentially in chronological order but rather than comprising a long list of dated events, battles, political struggles and elections to office, Southern attempts to illustrate how each step of his life moulded his character and set the course for both his own career and that of the Roman state. She shows, for example, how the involvement of a young Pompey and his father in the Social Wars and his subsequent military commands under Sulla (during which he quelled the last vestiges of Marian opposition in Sicily, Africa and Spain, earning himself the unquestioned loyalty of his troops and the honour of being the only equestrian - and still in his 20s - to triumph in Rome) set the tone for his future career. It was during this period that he earned the title 'Great' (magnus), in which he took huge delight given his apparent physical resemblance to Alexander the Great. Southern demonstrates that the young General was exactly that - a military man with a great following who struggled to break into the political sphere, not least because he was technically ineligible on account of his age to hold the type of high office that was commensurate with his success. This lack of political clout is a theme to which Southern constantly returns, explaining that once he even succeeded in making the leap into politics (and, contrary to regulations, was elected consul for 70 BC). However, the turbulent nature of Republican politics, combined with his inexperience and regular periods of absence from the city on military grounds, conspired to put him at a disadvantage that lasted until he eventually formed an alliance with Caesar and Crassus. Despite his lightning quick success in clearing the Mediterranean of pirates, stabilising the eastern provinces and his victory over the slave revolt led by Spartacus, Southern points out how Pompey never quite managed to gain complete acceptance at Rome and was viewed as 'slightly odd', and therefore dangerous, by many leading men of the state. Pompey generally found popularity amongst the masses at Rome who enjoyed his entertainments, the great spectacle of his triumphs (the only man of the time to have triumphed in Asia, Africa and Europe) and the facilities offered by the theatre he had constructed in the city (the first permanent example of such a structure). However, Southern points out that even these did not always go exactly to plan, citing for instance, the games of 55 BC when the crowd suddenly recognised the plight of the elephants being pitted against the gladiators and violently turned against him. Southern regularly highlights examples such as these where events conspired against the intentions of Pompey. She does, however, identify several events in the General's life that were of lasting significance to the future of the Empire. Firstly, his appointment as the official in charge of ensuring the supply of grain to Rome, although resulting in further absences from the city during which his political influence again suffered, was the first instance in which special and anomalous powers were placed in the hands of one man. Pompey was in sole charge of this essential system of grain supply with no fixed time limit on his powers and with full access to the funds and resources he required. During this time he was also proconsul of the two Spanish provinces but, unable to remain there and govern directly, he did so through the appointment of two legates. Southern stresses how both of these events were of later significance when Augustus personally took command of the grain supply and provided a precedent for the methods he, and his successors, employed to govern the ever expanding Empire. Southern goes on to discuss the alliance that was formed between Pompey, Caesar and Crassus and the precedent that this set for that which formed later between Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus. She is careful, however, to stress that this first alliance was not a triumvirate (a word which should be 'avoided like the plague') and that the three men did not necessarily put up a united front but retained their independence. The arrangement was sealed by a marriage between Pompey and Caesar's daughter, Julia. There then, naturally, follows an account of the civil war which raged between Caesar and Pompey, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the latter at Pharsalus and his death in Egypt at the hands of Ptolemy who thought it advisable to side with the victor.

Throughout the account of Pompey's life, Southern stresses the importance of his actions for the future course of the Empire and this is continued in the final chapter where she considers his legacy and discusses the situation that might have arisen had he been victorious over Caesar. She raises several interesting points in her comparison between Pompey, Caesar and Augustus, suggesting that the former was as much of a positive as a negative role model for the latter and that 'perhaps the only real difference between Pompey and Caesar as curators of the state was that Caesar did not wait to be asked. In this respect Augustus was as much the heir of Pompey as of Caesar. Certainly Pompey and Caesar differed greatly in other ways, but it is Southern's conviction that it was the combination of these differences, working both in unison and opposition, that allowed Octavian to become Augustus and for the Empire to develop as it did.

 Style

One of the most attractive things about Pompey the Great is that it is extremely easy to read, thanks largely to the straightforward way in which Southern writes. For those of us experiencing varying degrees of confusion when encountering the complexities of the Republican political system and the offices of consul, praetor, tribune, and proconsul this is a blessing. Southern explains, with a suitable amount of detail and background, each of the offices encountered and successfully manages to elucidate the often complex relationships between Pompey and various key political figures (including Cicero, Sulla and Cato). As a result the book may appeal to a wider audience, with little in-depth knowledge of the Roman political (or military) system required in order to understand and enjoy it. In addition, despite the sometimes dry nature of the 'story' and the events involved, Southern manages to maintain the attention of the reader with interesting observations and, mainly, by demonstrating that her central character was human, referring, for instance, to the fact that Pompey was very much a family man and that both of his marriages were happy ones. In conjunction with this are found suggestions of what he might have thought when faced with certain decisions or outcomes, and Pompey becomes less of a defeated General and more of a person; a person, no less, who could potentially have beaten Caesar.

By presenting the opinions of a variety of ancient and modern writers on certain issues or decisions made by Pompey without necessarily favouring one over the other, Southern allows the reader to draw their own conclusions regarding his motivations and provides scope for further discussion of key events. There is a notable lack of in-text referencing, with all notes being confined to the 'Notes and References' section at the end of the book. This extensive section provides the reader with all the relevant references for both modern and ancient sources and allows the main text to flow naturally, thus satisfying the needs of the both the academic and non-academic reader.

The only real criticism that can be levelled at this book concerns the illustrations. Several of these take the form of line drawings of coins issued by key figures who feature in the narrative (and, on occasion, those who are far less central, such as Pompey's sons). These illustrations are not referred to in the text and thus their relevance often remains obscure. Each image is accompanied by a short description but they do not serve any specific function and the reader is left unsure as to whether or not they are important, and, if they are, what their significance might be. The book would have benefited from a more detailed discussion of these illustrations and the way in which coinage was an important element in furthering the political position and popularity of these major figures as well as any additional information that can be gleaned from them. Furthermore, Figure 5 (a map of Spain) is particularly unhelpful. It accompanies an account of Pompey's military activity in Spain during 76-72 BC but none of the places referred to in the text are marked on the map and vice versa, making it less useful. It is understandable that there are few illustrations to accompany a text that deals predominantly with events on a large scale and the relationships between various individuals and political groups, and it would be equally strange if the pages were filled with illustrations of the minutiae of Republican life, but it is disappointing that those that are appropriate have not been used to their full extent. The accessibility of the text does, however, go some way towards compensating for this dearth of visual interest.

 Conclusion

What comes across from Southern's text is that Pompey was a man whose success was based on his military achievements and ability to rise to the occasion and rescue the Roman state from the various difficult situations in which it found itself. However, Pompey was unable to convert these military achievements into consistent political success. He was elected consul without the requisite experience and career, but his political ambitions were often thwarted by the activities of others, or the need for him to be elsewhere. It was only when he allied with Caesar and Crassus that his fortunes began to change before yet again the fickle nature of Roman politics resulted in Pompey finding himself facing civil war. In this respect, Southern achieves her intention to 'bring him alive' and by stressing the long term significance of his actions and achievements she succeeds in giving him the recognition he deserves. Having said this, the text remains balanced and unbiased and does not appear to be trying to make the case for Pompey being 'greater' or more important than Caesar, content to simply emphasise the role that he played in the turbulent political situation of the time. The text is both engaging and interesting despite the nature of its content and the reader is left agreeing that although Pompey was often unfortunate and situations did not always unfold as he might have wished. His contribution to the future establishment of the Empire was indeed great and should be recognised as much by modern scholars as it was by his own soldiers who first dubbed him Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus: Pompey the Great.

E-J Graham (biography)

E-J Graham has recently completed a PhD on the funerary practices of the urban poor in ancient Rome. Her research interests include commemoration and burial in the cemeteries of Roman Italy and the social context of dining.