Caesar: The Rubicon and the Ides

The chapters

1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

   The Republic Is Breaking

   Private armies, death lists, and a young man who refuses to bow.

   Sources: Plutarch, Caesar 1–2, Pompey 9–13 and 24–28, Sulla 9; Suetonius, Julius 1–4 and 74; Sallust, Jugurthine War 86

2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

   Gaul and Alesia

   Eight years, a ruined land, and a siege inside a siege.

   Sources: Caesar, Gallic War 1.1, 4.17–36, 7.4–90; Plutarch, Caesar 15–27; Cassius Dio 43.19

3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

   The Die Is Cast

   A small river, one legion, and a step there is no taking back.

   Sources: Suetonius, Julius 29–35; Plutarch, Caesar 28–48 and Pompey 57–80; Caesar, Civil War 3.88–99

4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

   Cleopatra and the Nile

   A queen in a bedroll, a war in a harbor, and three famous words.

   Sources: Plutarch, Caesar 48–61; Suetonius, Julius 35–44, 52 and 76; Caesar, Civil War 3.103–112; Pliny, Natural History 18.211

5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

   The Ides of March

   Twenty-three wounds, one famous line he never said, and a republic that dies anyway.

   Sources: Suetonius, Julius 76–89; Plutarch, Caesar 60–69, Brutus 8–20 and Antony 14; Appian, Civil Wars 2.111–148

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

• Pompey the GreatGeneral · Triumvir · Rival
• VercingetorixChieftain · Rebel · Prisoner
• Mark AntonyTribune · Cavalryman · Triumvir
• CleopatraQueen · Scholar · Last of the Ptolemies
• Marcus BrutusSenator · Philosopher · Assassin
• Julius CaesarGeneral · Dictator · Author

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Republic”. By the end of it, you can tell what crossing the Rubicon really meant, and why it was a crime.

Stories in this journey

1. Hannibal at the Gates: Rome vs Carthage
2. Caesar: The Rubicon and the Ides