Customer Reviews

Pompey the Great: A Political Biography (Blackwell Ancient Lives)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The story of the rise and fall of Pompey is the story of the fall of the Roman Republic and its eventual rebirth as an Imperial empire. Both coincide with each other with ones gains coming at the expense of the other. However, Pompey did not initiate the events that began the Republics downward spiral. Rather he helped hasten them to their inevitable conclusion. And so begins Robin Seager's historical biography on Pompey.

Seager begins first at the events that set in motion the decline of the Republic and the rise of Pompey (and others sharing the same limitless ambitions) by discussing the popular reforms attempted by the Gracchi brothers to return land to the landless. Over the years, war service and an influx of slaves through military conquests had led to many Romans losing their farm lands and losing the ability to work in the agricultural sector. On top of this, once Romans lost their land, they no longer qualified for military service and thus the state lost a soldier. The reforms attempted to correct this reality by providing recently conquered land to the landless. The Senate, greatly opposing this as it would affect them financially, ensured that the reforms failed. This event marked the growing conflict between the Senate and the Tribunes (who directly represented the peoples interest, theoretically) over control of the Republic. An event that sparked bitter rivalries between equites (a sort of merchant class who were wealthy but until recently stayed out of politics) who demanded recognition and respect from the Senate and the aristocrats who believed it was their innate right to govern through exclusion.

Seager continues to set the stage for Pompey's entrance by discussing his father (Pompeius Strabo) and Sulla, both of whom had strong influences on Pompey. They reinforced the value of loyal troops and the value of maintaining multiple connections in the Senate, something Pompey would never forget (although he wasn't very skilful in the latter leading to problems later on). Over time, as Pompey built a reputation for himself, he won numerous accolades from the Senate on his victories in Spain, his successful war against the Mediterranean pirates and his accomplishments in the East against Mithradates. He also shrewdly took credit for the defeat of Spartacus even though he arrived too late for the final battle. With these victories he expected to be no less then worshipped by the people and the Senate. However, the reality proved different. Being humiliated and shunned, as the Senate wanted to ensure Pompey understood his rightful place in the Republic's hierarchy (he was from a relatively young wealthy family and thus did not have the long-established family history other Senators had); Pompey allied himself with another brash rising star, Caesar. All these events, as Seager discussed, amplified the decay of the Republic's core foundations. Rather then upholding the Republics values (regardless of how suspect and imaginative they were), these men began placing their importance and prestige first. With this change in focus, it would only be a matter of time when the Republic would be torn apart into rival factions vying for its crown. Seager brilliantly brings all these events to light. He covers every step of the deterioration through the life of Pompey who had an integral part in ushering in this new era. From his first salute to Sulla as imperator to his final stand in Greece, Seager, in a comprehensive narrative, outlines Pompey's many decisions, the reasoning behind them and their eventual consequences to himself and the Republic.

Although I strongly recommend this book (6 stars if it existed), a prospective reader needs to keep a few things in mind before purchasing this book. The books, at-many-times, excessive details does have its failings mainly being that the book can at times drag on. Add in Seager's obsession with including every Consul's name (many which are similar to others via familial relationships) and you can easily have one chaotic and confusing mess. I should know as I threw down this book in frustration on my first attempt at a read-through. This book needs to be read careful paying attention to the fine detail Seager adds in as most of it ties into later parts of his book. Doing this rewards the reader with an essential and absorbing look at the later Republics political life with all its rewards and treachery. As well, Seager's primary focus is on Pompey's political achievements and failures with a nod towards his campaigns, hence the books subtitle: A Political Biography. As you can probably tell at this point, this is a scholarly work with its main focus being on providing and critiquing information and sources rather then providing a quick and exciting narrative (see Tom Holland's excellent book, Rubicon: the Last Years of the Roman Republic for that).

If one wants a simple narrative of Pompey's actual military campaigns, this book is not the source. If one however wants a better understanding of all the characters directly involved in the downfall of the Republic including its main protagonists, Pompey, then I strongly recommend this book. Thank you Mr. Seager for providing us with an exceptional work. If you do end up liking this book, I would strongly recommend Seager's other work, Tiberius, as well.

Seager's Pompey is an excellent book that is a necessity for anyone wanting to fully understand the political career of Pompey Magnus. Over the years, countless books have been written on Caesar and the fall of the Republic, and I find it interesting that very few (at least very few in English) book have been written on the life of Pompey.
Seager's book does a fantastic job of explaining how Pompey was able to rise to power through the use of the army and his military victories. An interesting point that Seager makes about Pompey's rise is that since Pompey skipped many of the offices that most Romans needed to obtain before becoming consul he did not have the political acumen of others in his position. This explanation does much for enlightening the reader as to why Pompey made some decisions (which in hindsight) which damaged his reputation within the Republic.
Another interesting point that Seager makes in his book is that he believes that Cicero may have exaggerated the threat of Catiline to galvanize the Republic against the return of Pompey. After all Sulla's return from the east was still fresh in many Romans' minds (the proscriptions had effected most of the patrician families in one way or another) and since Pompey had been a lieutenant of Sulla there was speculation that he too would make a grab at supreme power over the Republic.
Seager has produced a thorough biography of Pompey's life in this book and it should be read by those interested in the complexities of Pompey and the late Roman Republic. However, be aware that Pompey's military exploits are glossed over in this book and Seager's primary focus is on Pompey's political career.

I sure am going against the grain here. Although I believe Seager certainly is knowledgeable on Pompey, it wasn't presented to the reader in any way that could have been enjoyable.

Seager tackles a difficult subject on a very important Roman figure. It is difficult because of of the subject, which excludes his military exploits and focuses solely on his political accomplishment. Although this may be necessary area to focus on, it certainly is not interesting to read about. The fault lies in that the mechanism of the historical narrative was removed from the style of writing when you focus on something that involves the listing of names and laws passed. When you are constantly citing consuls and other political figures with little to no background you are left with nothing to sink your teeth in to. I found I was constantly unable to really get a good grasp on Pompey's political life because there were too many names thrown at me, and too many laws passed, that I was constantly playing catch up.

Not focusing on his military exploits is one thing, but you can certainly talk about them a little in order to build the greater picture. For example, the Battle of Pharsalus. It was basically talked about in about 2 sentences, saying nothing more than Pompey lost to Caesar. This all important clash between two of Rome's greatest generals was relegated to nothing more than a few words in passing. This to me is a huge oversight and something that certainly could have been expanded upon if only to talk more about the political ramifications more in depth.

Ultimately you have a subject and author that are both very in depth and knowledgeable, but didn't quite execute on the level that makes the subject accessible. Granted, maybe the book is intended for those who are already familiar with the subject in something more than passing, but background is always needed no matter the subject. Additionally, a little narrative history would have gone a long ways with making the book more enjoyable. We see a little bit of this when Caesar is talked about, but for the most part it is absent. Overall I was disappointed. Good for a serious scholar looking for an in-depth view of Pompey's political life, but not so good for an amateur historian or lay reader.

3 stars.

I found this to be a good biography on one of my favorite characters of the late republic. There are few biographies on Pompey, and this one does a good job chronicling the man's life and assessing his political choices. Some of the best moments of the book come when Seager tries to assess the calculations Pompey's courting of the optimates versus Caesar. I also appreciate the introduction for the context it provided. Seager does have a good sense of humor, which shows through at interesting points (for example, noting that Saturninus won his election for tribune "only" at the "cost" of murdering a fellow candidate. You have to love Roman politics, and Seager does a great job portraying its complexities and ugliness.

As other reviewers have noted, this is not a book for a neophyte in ancient Roman history. I have read several other books about the late republic and consider myself reasonably well-informed. However, I do think at some points it would have been useful to provide more background on characters who appear. In particular, it would have been nice to get more of a flavor of people who appeared to play an important role, such as Gabinius. Too often, such men are named and the events are narrated, but the reader never really understands who exactly they were. Likewise, Pompey's relationship with Crassus receives much less attention than I thought it would. I'm sure some of this is due to Seager's admirable reluctance to not stray too far from the sources. On the other hand, it is sometimes useful to understand the author's view of such characters. For example, the new introduction provides some background history, but also tells us much about Seager's own opinion and sympathies (for example, he views the Gracchi and populares relatively favorably), which in turn could impact our reading of the book.

I remember once reading, in a Batman comic of all things, a quote that asked how many great champions are known not for their victories but how they were done in by time and a new generation. Does anyone remember Sony Liston for anything else other than being beaten by Muhammad Ali? Although there are a great many historical figures who legacies survive defeat--Hannibal, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, and Erwin Rommel are great examples--Ca. Pompeius Magnus does not seem to be one of them. On Amazon a list for `Pompey' only four books came up that were just about Pompeius, two that were about him and Caesar, and the rest were about the famous city or other people with `Pompey' in their names. After the first page, Pompeius does not appear much. Caesar on Amazon has endless works about him carrying into the hundreds. It is strange that Pompeius is confined to the dustbin of history; he is just part of Caesar's story not a character in his own right. Robin Seager does a great job of telling Pompeius' own story, in which Caesar plays just a part and only shows up half way through.

The book begins with a summary of the major historic events that had happened to Rome since the fall of Carthage. The Republic was coming to pieces because it could not, with rare exception, function as intended. Pompeius starts his career by raising a private army in the service of the Roman Dictator, Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Pompeius earns the nickname the `young butcher' in his early service to Sulla.

"On a practical level it seemed best to Sulla to find Pompeius further immediate employment. So Pompeius' position was for the first time placed on a legal footing. He was invested with praetorian imperium by decree of the senate and sent in pursuit of Carbo, who had fled, when the resistance to Sulla collapsed, and despite his pleas for mercy he was put to death and his head sent to Sulla. His defense of Pompeius in 86 might have given him cause to hope, but Pompeius was never to show any hesitation in betraying old friends when the occasion demanded. For him his link with Carbo must merely have underlined the need to prove his loyalty to Sulla by a suitably harsh and dramatic gesture."(p.27)

After the Marian forces are defeated Pompeius embarks, first under Sulla, then under a restored Republic, on a career that--for a time--makes him the greatest Roman that had ever lived. He becomes the golden boy who has victories all over the Empire. He wins in Africa, Spain, and Greece. He lifts the pirates from the Mediterranean Sea, and settles the Greek east for the Roman Empire. He serves as consul but his career takes an interesting turn when he forms the `First Triumvirate' with Marcus Crassus and Julius Caesar. The triumvirate dominates the Republic for the next decade. Pompeius holds on to power in Rome while Caesar conquers Gaul and Crassus gets himself killed in Parthia. This leads to a standoff with two of the greatest leaders in the history of any civilization. As it was said centuries later as battle between a man who could not accept any other as an equal (Pompeius) vs. the man who would tolerate no superior (Caesar).

"What would Pompeius do if Caesar wanted to exercise it while still retaining his army? `What', said Pompeius very gently, `would I do if my son wanted to take a stick to me?' This reply puts his position in a nutshell. He saw himself as a father, Caesar as his son. In that there was a message, for the optimates could rest assured that Pompeius would act to keep Caesar in his place, subordinate as a son should be to his father, but they were also being warned that he was still not prepared to abandon Caesar, that a bond still existed between them as close as that between a father and his son. Similarly Caesar could read in the words a promise that Pompeius would not forsake him but protect him as a man should his son, but only if he accepted that he owed obedience to Pompeius as a father."(p.143)

Pompeius chooses to fight for the cause of the optimates but, in opposing Caesar, Pompey is chased out of Italy and in the first time of his life he tastes defeat at the battle of Pharsalus. He has to run as his friends abandon him. Pompeius flees to Egypt where a pharaoh who owes him his crown is expected to provide assistance in his time of need. Pompeius is instead greeted with murder.

The story of C. Pompeius Magnus is one of glory and tragedy. He is raised as high as anyone can go only to be defeat at the hands of one friend and killed at the hands of another. Robin Seager wrote a great book that I would recommend to anyone who wanted to learn more about the famous general Pompey the Great.

The book was great ... informative and an easy read . Amazon , however , sucks .

You've got to be kidding. I would love to read this, but at $20+, there is absolutely no way. Come on now.