86 - Pompey: Aftermath, Comparison w/ Spartan King Agesilaus

05/08/24 • 40 min

In which we follow the lead of Plutarch and study Pompey's character and analyze what we can learn from the life of Pompey the Great, by comparing him to King Agesilaus of Sparta, whom Plutarch paired him with.

Sources and Further Reading for the Life of Pompey:

John Leach, Pompey the Great: https://amzn.to/3UxOsW8

Robin Seager, Pompey: a Political Biography: https://amzn.to/3UPpeUg

Gareth Sampson: Rome's Great Eastern War, Lucullus, Pompey and the Conquest of the East: https://amzn.to/3wrVGD1

-The Battle of Dyrrhachium: https://amzn.to/3wp4Wro

-The Battle of Pharsalus: https://amzn.to/3ULWJHk

-"Rome in Crisis" Penguin edition of Plutarch:

https://amzn.to/4b2WgGv (feat. Lives of Sertorius, Lucullus, and Cato the Younger)

-"Fall of the Roman Republic" Penguin Plutarch Volume: https://amzn.to/4a7vpYw (feat. Lives of Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, and Cicero)

Sources and Further Reading for the Life of Pompey:

John Leach, Pompey the Great: https://amzn.to/3UxOsW8

Robin Seager, Pompey: a Political Biography: https://amzn.to/3UPpeUg

Gareth Sampson: Rome's Great Eastern War, Lucullus, Pompey and the Conquest of the East: https://amzn.to/3wrVGD1

-The Battle of Dyrrhachium: https://amzn.to/3wp4Wro

-The Battle of Pharsalus: https://amzn.to/3ULWJHk

-"Rome in Crisis" Penguin edition of Plutarch:

https://amzn.to/4b2WgGv (feat. Lives of Sertorius, Lucullus, and Cato the Younger)

-"Fall of the Roman Republic" Penguin Plutarch Volume: https://amzn.to/4a7vpYw (feat. Lives of Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, and Cicero)

Previous Episode

85 - Pompey III: Fields of Pharsalus

Life of Pompey Part 3 of 3: Pompey's final rise to the heights of Roman power, his war with his friend Julius Caesar, and his final downfall.

People:

(M. Tullius) Cicero

(Titus Pomponius) Atticus

C. Julius Caesar

Cn. Pompeius Magnus (Pompey)

Julia, Caesar's Daughter

(M. Licinius) Crassus

(L. Domitius) Ahenobarbus - Optimate Stalwart (Cos. 54)

(M. Porcius) Cato "The Younger" - the Stoic

(M. Calpurnius) Bibulus - Cos. 59

P. Clodius Pulcher - Populist Thug lord

(T. Annius) Milo - Pompey's Thug lord

M. Caelius (Rufus) - Cicero's young political analyst friend

Publius Licinius Crassus - The Richest Man's Son

Cornelia - Pompey's final wife

(Q. Caecilius) Metellus (Pius) Scipio - Pompey's new Father in Law

Aulus Gabinius - Pompey's friend, exiled after Egyptian expedition

Ptolemy XII Auletes ("The Piper") - exiled king of Egypt

(C. Scribonius) Curio - Optimate turncoat, Caesar's tribune

M. Antonius (Mark Antony)

M. Claudius Marcellus - Optimate stalwart (Cos 51)

C. Claudius Marcellus - Optimate stalwart (Cos. 50, cousin of Cos. 51)

M. Favonius - "Stamp, Pompey!" Senator

Themistocles - Athenian statesman

Camillus - 4th c. BC Roman statesman

T. Labienus - Caesar's general, deserted to Pompey

(M. Junius) Brutus - Future Conspirator

Theophanes of Mytilene - the Historian

Crassianus - Caesar's centurion at Pharsalus

Cratippus of Pergamon - Philosopher at Mytilene

Ptolemy XIII - Boy king of Egypt

Potheinus - Ptolemy XIII's Eunuch

Achillas - Ptolemy XIII's General

Theodotus - Ptolemy XIII's Rhetoric Teacher

Philippus - Pompey's freedman

Places:

The Roman Forum

The Tiber River

Parthia

Carrhae (Battle of) - in Mesopotamia (Parthian Empire)

Gaul (Mod. France)

Pompey's Theater ("Temple of Venus")

Alesia (Battle of) - in Gaul

Naples (Neapolis)

Ravenna (N. Italy, "Cisalpine Gaul" then)

Rubicon River

Ariminum (Rimini)

Corfinium - Italian town in the Apennines

Brundisium - Eastern Port in Italy

Dyrrhachium (Mod. Durrës) - in Epirus (Rom. province of Macedonia)

Thessaly - large plain in central Greece

Pharsalus - town in Thessaly

Tempē - Valley in Thessaly

Mytilene - City on island of Lesbos

Next Episode

87 - Pursuing Greatness — with Pano Kanelos

An interview with Pano Kanelos, the founding president of the University of Austin and the former President of St. John’s College, Annapolis.

In this episode:

How founding a university is like running a diner
The flourishing of American universities in the 19th century
How old philosophers were men of action
The Intellectual Foundations Program at UATX
How The Brothers Karamazov explains our current moment
Pursuing Greatness by finding your North Star
Plutarch on self-reflection
Why Heroes and Truth-tellers are needed when forming communities
Analyzing the opening scene from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

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