49 BCE: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon

Download this file

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• Google Classroom
• Email
• Print

• Background Info
• Vocabulary

• On January 10, 49 BCE, General Julius Caesar entered Roman territory by crossing the Rubicon, a stream in what is now Northern Italy. In crossing the Rubicon, Caesar began a civil war that signaled the end of the Roman Republic.

   

  Julius Caesar was a very popular military and political leader who expanded the borders of the Roman Republic through what are today France, Spain, and the island of Great Britain. Caesar’s popularity and independence created tension between him and other elected officials in Rome.

   

  The Rubicon was a shallow river that served as a boundary between Rome and its provinces. Caesar crossed from a part of Gaul, where he was serving as governor. It was against the law to cross into Roman territory with an army, and Caesar knew this—he knew he was starting a civil war. He may have quoted one of his favorite plays when crossing the stream—Alea iacta est, the die is cast. (Romans were familiar with throwing (casting) dice as a game of chance.)

   

  The Roman civil war that followed lasted five years. It ended with Caesar being named Rome’s “dictator for life.” Years later, the Roman Republic dissolved and the Roman Empire emerged—with Caesar’s adopted son, Augustus, serving as its first emperor.

• Term	Part of Speech	Definition	Encyclopedic Entry
  adopt	Verb	to formally raise and care for a child of other biological parents.
  border	Noun	natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land.	Encyclopedic Entry: border
  boundary	Noun	line separating geographical areas.	Encyclopedic Entry: boundary
  cast	Verb	to throw or toss.
  civil war	Noun	conflict between groups in the same country or nation.
  dice	Plural Noun	small cubes marked with numbers or other symbols on each side, tossed and used in games of chance.
  dictator	Noun	person with complete control of a government.
  dissolve	Verb	to break up or disintegrate.
  emerge	Verb	to develop or come into view.
  emperor	Noun	ruler of an empire.
  expand	Verb	to grow or get larger.
  Gaul	Noun	Western European civilization that became a major part of ancient Rome.
  military	Noun	armed forces.
  political	Adjective	having to do with public policy, government, administration, or elected office.
  province	Noun	division of a country larger than a town or county.	Encyclopedic Entry: province
  republic	Noun	system of government where power rests in citizens who vote and representatives who stand for those citizens. The United States is a republic.
  Roman Empire	Noun	(27 BCE-476 CE) period in the history of ancient Rome when the state was ruled by an emperor.
  signal	Verb	to communicate using signs.
  stream	Noun	body of flowing fluid.
  tension	Noun	uncomfortable relationship between two people or groups.
  territory	Noun	land an animal, human, or government protects from intruders.