This caused unrest which devolved into a civil war. He therefore received Cleopatra into his presence, which further angered Ptolemy and his supporters. Egypt had formed an alliance with Rome under the consulship of Caesar, and accordingly Caesar felt obligated to mediate the dispute regarding the kingship. Though he exiled his sister Cleopatra VII and acted as the sole ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy was supposed to be a co-ruler with Cleopatra according to the will of their father, Ptolemy XII. 1 Caesar also insisted on staying in Egypt contrary to Ptolemy’s expectations. Despite the enmity between the two Romans, Caesar was supposedly saddened by the death of his former rival. Ptolemy, seeing Caesar’s rising prominence and hoping to gain his favor, killed Pompey. Ptolemy had initially supported Pompey’s faction in the Roman Civil War, but he altered his position after Pompey lost the Battle of Pharsalus and sought refuge in Egypt. Upon Caesar’s arrival, the young Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII presented Caesar with Pompey’s severed head. He was pursuing his opponent, the statesman Gnaeus Pompey, with whom he was engaged in a brutal civil war. In late 48 BCE, Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria, Egypt. Instead, this paper examines the successes of the Egyptian expedition and the advantages Caesar and Cleopatra gained from forming their alliance. This view fails to consider both the strategic value of Egypt to the Romans and the importance of Roman assistance in establishing Cleopatra on the throne. The expedition is often seen as an unnecessary undertaking, ignited solely by Caesar’s supposed affection for Cleopatra rather than practical considerations.
This piece seeks to challenge common perceptions about Julius Caesar’s expedition to Egypt in 48-47 BCE.
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