Pompeius+and+the+Pirates

Cassius Dio, 20-23, 37: Michael Burke

20 I will now relate the progress of Pompey's career. Pirates always used to harass those who sailed the sea, even as brigands did those who dwelt on land. There was never a time when these practices were unknown, nor will they ever cease probably so long as human nature remains the same. 2 But formerly freebooting was limited to certain localities and small bands operating only during the summer on sea and on land; whereas at this time, ever since war had been carried on continuously in many different places at once, and many cities had been overthrown, while sentences hung over the heads of all the fugitives, and there was no freedom from fear for anyone anywhere, large numbers had turned to plundering. 3 Now the operations of the bandits on land, being in better view of the towns, which could thus perceive the injury close at hand and capture the perpetrators with no great difficulty, would be broken up with a fair degree of ease; but those on the sea had grown to the greatest proportions. 4 For while the Romans were busy with their antagonists, the pirates had gained great headway, sailing about to many quarters, and adding to their band all of like condition, to such an extent that some of them, after the manner of allies, assisted many others. 21 Indeed, I have already related how much they accomplished in connection with others. When those wars had been ended, the pirates, instead of desisting, did much serious injury alone by themselves both to the Romans and to their allies. They no longer sailed in small force, but in great fleets; and they had generals, so that they had acquired a great reputation. 2 First and foremost they robbed and pillaged those sailing the sea, no longer permitting them any safety even during the winter season, since as the result of their daring, practice, and success they made voyages in security even then; and next they despoiled even those in the harbours. For if any one ventured to put out against them, he would usually be defeated and perish; 3 but even if he conquered, he would be unable to capture any of the enemy by reason of the speed of their ships. Accordingly, they would return after a little, as if victors, and would ravage and set in flames not only farms and fields, but also whole cities; some places, however, they conciliated, so as to gain naval stations and winter quarters in a friendly land as it were.

22 As these operations of theirs met with success it became customary for them to go into the interior, and they inflicted many injuries on those even who had nothing to do with the sea. This is the way they treated not only the distant allies of Rome, but even Italy itself. 2 For, believing that they would obtain greater gains in that quarter and also that they would terrify all the others still more if they did not keep their hands off that country, they sailed into the very harbour of Ostiaas well as other cities in Italy, burning the ships and pillaging everything. 3 Finally, as no attention was paid to them, they took up their abode on the land, disposing fearlessly of whatever men they did not kill, and of whatever spoils they took, just as if they were in their own land. 4 And though some plundered here and some there, since of course it was not possible for the same persons to do harm throughout the whole length of the sea at once, they nevertheless showed such friendship one for another as to send money and assistance even to those entirely unknown, as if to their nearest of kin. 5 In fact, this was one of the chief sources of their strength, that those who paid court to any of them were honoured by all, and those who came into collision with any of them were despoiled by all.

23 To such an extent did the power of the pirates grow that their hostility became a grave and constant menace, admitting of no precaution and knowing of no truce. The Romans, of course, heard of these deeds from time to time, and even saw a little of what was going on, inasmuch as imports in general ceased coming in and the corn supply was shut off entirely; 2 but they paid no serious attention to it at the proper time. Instead, they would send out fleets and generals only as they were stirred by individual reports, but accomplished nothing; on the contrary, they caused their allies all the greater distress by these very means, until they were finally reduced to the last extremity. Then at length they came together and deliberated for many days as to what really should be done. 3 Wearied by the continued dangers and perceiving that the war against the pirates would be a great and expensive one, and believing, too, that it was impossible to assail them all at once or yet individually, inasmuch as they helped one another and there was no way of driving them back everywhere at once, the people fell into great perplexity and despair of making any successful move. 4 In the end, however, one Aulus Gabinius, a tribune, set forth his plan. He had either been prompted by Pompey or wished in any case to do him a favour; certainly he was not prompted by any love of the common welfare, for he was a most base fellow. His plan, then, was that they should choose from among the ex-consuls one general with full power against all the pirates, who should command for three years and have the use of a huge force, with many lieutenants. 5 He did not directly utter Pompey's name, but it was easy to see that if once the populace should hear of any such proposition, they would choose him.

37: 37 . . . and of Italy in place of consul for three years; and they assigned to him fifteen lieutenants and voted all the ships, money and armaments that he might wish to take. The senate also, though quite reluctantly, ratified these measures and likewise passed such others from time to time as were necessary to their effectiveness. Its action was prompted more particularly by the fact that when Piso refused to allow the under-officers to hold enlistments in Gallia Narbonensis, of which he was governor, the populace was furiously enraged and would straightway have removed him from office, had not Pompey begged him off. So, after making preparations as the situation and as his judgment demanded, Pompey patrolled at one time the whole stretch of sea that the pirates were troubling, partly by himself and partly through his lieutenants; and he subdued the greater part of it that very year. For not alone was the force that he directed vast both in point of fleet and infantry, so that he was irresistible both on sea and on land, but his leniency toward those who made terms with him was equally great, so that he won over large numbers by such a course; for those who were defeated by his troops and experienced his clemency went over to his side very readily. Besides other ways in which he took care of them he would give them any lands he saw vacant and cities that needed more inhabitants, in order that they might never again through poverty fall under the necessity of criminal deeds. Among the other cities settled at this time was the one called Pompeiopolis. It is on the coast of Cilicia and had been sacked by Tigranes; its former name was Soli. Questions 1. Which places did the pirates attack most often? 2. Why did the people choose pompey for going after the pirates over other ex-consuls? 3.Was Pompey successful in keeping the pirates that he relocated from coming back to being priates? 4.Was the towns that Pompey founded with pirates successful?

1.The places that the [|pirates] attacked most often were the port cities until they had reached enough power and influence to come inland and start raiding citys farther inland. 2. [|Pompey] was chosen because of his friend in the senate,[|Gabinius], who quickly passed a law giving total control to Pompey, so even tho it was for every ex-consul Gabinius made it so Pompey was the only choice. This gave him total control over all the seas and men in the army. 3. He placed them mainly in three cties/areas which were towns of the Cilicians, city of the Solians, and Dyme. Which after he had placed them there they stayed there and became a part thoes cities. 4. It does not seem that after the pirates were put into these places that the towns became more or less successful. Nor does it seem that the reason for Pompey putting the former pirates there was for the cities to be more successful but to just repopulate cities that had lost large amounts of people and to give the former pirates a new profession that helped Rome like becoming a farmer.

This document is useful because it shows how far Rome and the leaders in Rome will go to have total control over everything. They let the problem with these pirates get out of control so Pompey ,with a little help from his friend Gabinius, took the Roman fleet and divided them among the Mediterranean and over the course of a few months he flushed out all the pirates. He then asserted his power even more by then taking these pirates, which he could have just killed to show everybody else what happens when you become a pirate, and puts them into different cities and makes them become essentially farmers. It works and he is able to turn bad pirates into productive members of the Roman Republic. This is not only important but quite impressive because not only is he able to get rid of the pirate problem, which stays away for the next few hundred years, but he is also able to take thoes same pirates and turn them into the same types of people that they were stealing from and put them into the same kinds of towns that they had been plundering. The Roman Republic, then the Roman Empire used tactics just like this to win wars with other people that they were to fight in the furture. They would use overwhelming force and dominance to force the peoples that they were fighting to just give up sometimes like the pirates did when Pompey took them and forced them into cities. But this not only helped get rid of the pirate problem but also helped repopulate decimated cities (Some of these cities decimated by the same pritates). The former Pirates, working as farmers now, would not have been making nearly as much money as they had been making as when they were pirates but they would have been to afriad of what Pompey might do to them if they were to return to being pirates. So they made the best of being farmers in the new cities that they were put into and over generations their children would come to think of the city (that the former pirates had repopulated) as home to them and from their they would want to do as their forefathers had done and be farmers or soilders or maybe even a butcher or a baker. Pompey would be a model of how to win over the Senate by doing something that they thought could not be done specialy because he did what he had done with the pirates so fast and within a few short years he had them in cities and basicly working for the Roman Republic instead of themselves. Pompey used the Senate to get the permission he need so that he could take care of the pirates but he did not just do it for the sake of Rome or for the sake of the Senate or even for the people that the pirates were plundering but he did it so that he could make a name for himself, so that he could be the next big man of Rome.This is what everbody who wanted to make a name for themselves did at this time.

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- I really liked how you answered the questions direct after you listed them and made the answers short and to the point for everyone to understand. Also, you provided very useful links for those who might not have any background information on the subject. My suggestion is that when your summing everything up in the last paragraph, your sentences at times are very length and repetitive of previous sentences. I appreciate the clarity, but sometimes I got lost in all the repetition. Kortney Lee

I think that your summary really showed how this document relates to the Roman people. In you summary you use phrases like "I think.." but by using more assertive statements your argument would be stronger. It would be more of an argument than an opinion that way. The summary really put the document into context for me. Alexandra Watkins

Great summary, I thought it was a bit to casual and you used "I think" to much. There was a bit of repetitiveness with pirates and I got lost a few times. Overall I think you displayed the overall message very well and in great detail. Sarah Rosenquist