Pompey The Great
106-48 B.C.
Pompey was an extremely rich "self-made"
general from a region south of Rome. Early in his career he fought in the
social wars for Sulla, in campaigns in Spain, and against the pirates of
the Mediterranean. Eventually his power was rivaled only by Julius Caesar and Marcus Crassus,
with whom he formed the First Triumvirate. When Crassus died, relations
between Caesar and
Pompey became strained, with Pompey allying himself with the Senate and
Caesar allying himself
with the common people. The two fought a great Civil War which reached its
climax in the battle at Pharsalus.
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*The portrait on this coin is not
of Pompey. In the days of the Republic, it was illegal to put the face of
a living man on a coin. This is a coin issued by Pompey, with the head of
Jupiter on it.
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