#pompey and the pirates

[duxfemina]

People who act like it's unrealistic when two characters in a novel discover they're related clearly aren't aware of how Caesar Augustus ended up proscribing his future wife and heir and he owes their not being dead to his nemesis who was making Sicily a safe haven for the proscribed and offering double the monetary reward for any living proscribed people that the Triumvirs were offering for one dead

[sepdet]

I hate to be That Guy, but it was Pompey who cleared the Mediterranean of pirates.

You should indeed be That Guy. My grey matter is turning to garum.

I'm sure you know what I was misremembering: young Julius Caesar drumming up a posse to avenge himself on the pirates who had kidnapped him. At the time, he was the Roman equivalent of a tween going off to college.

He didn't yet have the clout, backing or experience for a Mediterranean-wide anti-piracy campaign. His elders had it sewn up before he was ready to veni, vidi, vici.

I need to go back and reread Colleen McCullough. (What did grad students do before those books came out? I know, I know, Suetonius, Tacitus, et alia, but boy did she do her homework.)

[ancientcharm]

 'I am no king, but Caesar'

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 12, 100 BC in the Suburra, a populous neighborhood of Rome, to a patrician family although in economic decline. In Gens Iulia, those who had the surname Caesar descended, according to the account of Pliny the Elder, from a man who was born after a Caesarean section (from the Latin verb "to cut", caedo, -ĕre, caesus sum). He was born in a Republic in crisis and the aristocracy divided into two warring factions: The optimates and populares. He lost his father when he was about 14 years old; he was greatly influenced by his maternal uncle Gaius Marius. Caesar had an older sister, Julia Major, and a younger sister Julia Minor (maternal grandmother of Emperor Augustus). His uncle, Gaius Marius, was the leader of the Populares ("supporters of the people") and rival of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, leader of the Optimates ( "best ones")

In 84 BC Lucius Cornelius Cinna, an ally of Gaius Marius, chose the 16 year old Caesar to be flamen Dialis (priest of Jupiter) and married him to his 13 year old daughter Cornelia with whom Caesar had a daughter named Julia. It is not certain whether the girl was born a few months before or after the teen Caesar had fled Rome or, more likely according to historians, she was born when he returned years later and was reunited with his wife who died giving birth to Julia.

Following the suicide of Gaius Marius in 86 BC, Cinna, one of the leaders of the Populares, became sole ruler of Rome and most of the provinces while persecuting Sulla's followers. In 84 Cinna was assassinated and populares defeated. Because of Caesar's alliance with Cinna's family he was targeted for revenge by the dictator Sulla who attempted to force him to repudiate Cornelia, but Caesar refused and fled Rome to the East.

In addition to being a politician and a soldier, Julius Caesar was a writer. Among others, his works were a treatise on astronomy, another on Roman religion, a study on Latin and his comments on the war in Gaul and the Civil War; only his writings on those two wars have not been lost.

Sulla served the six months that Roman law allowed him to be dictator and became a private citizen again. After Sulla's death from natural causes, Caesar decided to return to Rome around 74 BC. He was reunited with his wife Cornelia, who had waited faithfully for him. After the death of Cornelia, he suffered a great mourning that some Roman historians describe as "excessively affectionate".

After serving as quaestor in the Hispania Ulterior province where he increased his network of clients - patronage was key to success in Roman politics - Caesar returned to Rome in 69 BC where he served as Aedile; he carried out building programs and offered the largest gladiatorial games seen until then. This left him almost bankrupt. In 60 BC he decided to make a private agreement with the prestigious general Pompey the Great and one of the richest man, Marcus Licinius Crassus. Pompey had just put an end to the pirate problem and years earlier, together with Crassus, he had defeated the slave rebellion led by Spartacus.

Pompey and Crassus were hampered in many of their ambitions by the Optimates in the Senate. Caesar, knowing this, approached them to put together an unofficial coalition - known to history as the Triumvirate - if they made him Consul, he would see to it that laws were passed that would benefit them. To further consolidate this alliance, Caesar married Pompey to his only daughter, Julia. Although this was a typical political marriage, classical sources state that Julia truly loved Pompey and he loved her.

Pompey and Crassus decided to ally themselves with Caesar and the populares in order to gain more offices and wealth. In this way, the three took full control of Rome. In 59 Caesar was appointed consul.

Laws were passed granting the province of Syria to Crassus. Laws were passed distributing lands among Pompey's veterans. And at his own request, the Gallic provinces-both the pacified and the "wild" ones- were handed over to Caesar. Cicero, a true defender of the Republic, was exiled due his bold speeches against the Triumvirate, which he called a "three-headed monster" but was allowed to return the following year. The passage of the laws favoring the triumvirs was ensured by introducing veteran legionaries of Pompey into the meetings of the Senate.

Also in 59 BC Caesar established a military camp in the Arno valley, on the Via Cassi, the main communication route between Rome and the north of the country. He called the camp Florentia, which means "flowering." The camp quickly became an important commercial town. Today it is the beautiful Italian city Florence.

In Gaul with his legions, he defeated and subdued several peoples in just a few years. Caesar wrote in detail about this conquest in his Bellum Gallicum (Gallic War). Believing that everything was under control, he headed to the mysterious land that the Romans called Britannia and where they believed the world ended. The Gallic War was between 58-52 BC

Caesar finally arrived in Britain for the first time in the summer of 55 landing with two legions. The following year he arrived with 800 ships, five legions and 2,000 cavalry. Caesar's comments on this war constitute the first written descriptions of the people, culture and geography of the island.

Although Caesar not conquered Britania (it was conquered under the Emperor Claudius) this campaign it established Rome's first allied peoples in Britain.

While in Britania, Caesar received the news that his daughter and the baby she was expecting had died in childbirth.

At the same time he had no idea that a genuine leader named Vercingetorix, chief of the Arverni tribe, had managed to unite all the Gallic peoples under his authority, determined to expel the Romans

Caesar himself called him "King of all Gauls"

The most famous and final battle was that of Alesia. Although Vercingetorix was a great warrior, he could do nothing against the genius (sometimes bordering on madness) of Caesar and his legionaries. According to Caesar, Vercingetorix, seeing that if he continued he would starve his entire people to death due to the siege, rode towards the Roman camp, dismounted, took off his sword and sat imposingly on the ground, remaining silent for a long time. Caesar understood that Vercingetorix was surrendering in exchange for sparing the lives of his people. And so it happened, Vercingetorix was taken prisoner and lives of his people was spared. But Caesar had to wait years for his triumph because while he was fighting against the Gauls, many Roman senators were plotting his downfall.

Everything Caesar wrote about his battles and conquests, written in the third person, was copied and sent to be read publicly in Rome, which was celebrated by the plebs and Caesar 's supporters. True republicans such as Cato, Cicero, Cassius, and Brutus perceived a real danger to the Republic. The Triumvir Crassus was killed by Parthians in his failed attempt to conquer Parthia: The triumvirate was over and Pompey, who had become Sole Consul saw in Caesar a dangerous rival, then allied himself with the Optimates again and began planning how to get rid of him.

Pompey created a new law that prohibited running for public office in absentia. Thus, Caesar, who was away from Rome, lost the protection of the law that granted him a magistracy and could not run for consulship in order to return to Rome as consul. If he returned to Rome as a private citizen he would be lost everything So in January 49 BC he decided returned to Rome with the force of his legionaries who followed him with devotion.

No legion could cross the Rubicon River, that meant civil war. Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his XIII legion and proclaimed a very popular phrase in Ancient Rome that players always said before throwing the dice: "Alea Iacta Est" (the die is cast). This is known thanks to Roman historians who took as a source the writings of Gaius Asinius Pollio, who was close to Caesar and could have heard him.

Pompey and his legionaries left Rome and prepared for the war in Greece. In September of 48 Pompey was defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus. But he did not surrender and went to Egypt to seek the support of the young king Ptolemy XIII, while Cato the Younger and his men went to the province of Africa to continue the resistance, and Pompey's sons did the same in Hispania. Caesar went looking for Pompey to try to come to an agreement.

'Julius Caesar’s Dismay Upon Seeing The Head Of Pompey' (detail) By Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (18th century)

King Ptolemy XIII, who was engaged in his own war with his sister Cleopatra over the throne, believed that by killing Pompey and giving his head as a gift, he would win Caesar's favor. Caesar was enraged by the undignified manner in which a Roman general and consul was murdered.

The meeting between Cleopatra VII and Caesar at night and she entered hidden inside a huge rolled-up carpet carried by his slaves. Cleopatra was one of the many lovers that he had, they lived together and had a son, nicknamed Caesarion (little Caesar) whom he recognized but not legally. While some Republican Roman forces continued to resist, Caesar was immersed in the war between Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra and the other sister, Arsinoe IV. Caesar's troops, together with those of Cleopatra plus Caesar's allies such as Mithridates of Pergamon and his army and a Jewish armed force led by Antipater finally won that war in January 47 and Cleopatra kept the throne of Egypt.

'The Death of Cato of Utica' , By Jean-Paul Laurens.

In early 46 BC, Caesar defeated the army of Cato the Younger . The 49-year-old Cato did not take part in the battle and being in Utica, Africa, after receiving the news that Caesar had won and pardoned his adversaries, decided to take his own life because "Death is more worthy than a life spared by Caesar". Cato was a true but stubborn republican and was convinced that Caesar wanted to be king. He was the half-brother of Brutus's mother, Servilla (Caesar's long-time lover)

It was in this same year that Caesar, with the advice of the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, reformed the calendar, leaving each month with the same number of days as it has today and creating the leap year.

The final battle of Munda, in Hispania, was on March 17, 45 BC, thus ending the civil war. Caesar returned to Rome and an intimidated Senate legitimized his victory by appointing him dictator for a ten-year term.

The position of Dictator was created by the Republic itself; he was a magistrate, elected by the Senate, with absolute powers to resolve military emergencies or exceptional tasks for a period of six months. He had to leave after that period or before if he managed to resolve the problem. This 10-year dictatorship was unprecedented. To make matters worse, Queen Cleopatra was in Rome with her son.

In February 44 BC, Caesar succeeded in having the people of Rome proclaim him dictator for life. To make matters worse, Queen Cleopatra was in Rome with her son.

Cicero, horrified, resigned from political life in protest.

Cassius persuaded Brutus that the only way to save the Republic was to kill Caesar. They needed Brutus to lead the conspiracy because of his prestige; he was not only Cato's nephew but also the direct descendant of the Republic's founding father.

On 15 March 44 BC the group of conspirators intercepted Caesar just as he was passing the Theatre of Pompey, where the Roman Curia was meeting, and led him into a room off the portico. Lucius Tillius Cimber, under the pretext of presenting a petition, grabbed Caesar's toga with both hands and pulled him so tha Publius Servilius Casca could stab him, causing Caesar to exclaim "Ista quidem vis est?" "What kind of violence is this?" (Caesar, being Pontifex Maximus, was legally untouchable). Senator Casca, drawing a dagger, slashed him across the neck. "What are you doing, Casca, you villain?" were perhaps his last words; They stabbed him twenty-three times, Gaius Julius Caesar had 54 years old.

Mark Antony with other colleagues carefully collected the body and carried it before the people. Then he made a memorable speech.

The month then called Quintilis, the month of Caesar's birth, was renamed Iulius (July) in his honour on the initiative of Mark Antony. Julius Caesar was the last dictator of Rome; the office was abolished after his death.

Caesar named his grandnephew Gaius Octavius ​​as his sole heir, but nowhere in his will did he say that his nephew would be his successor in politics. Every aristocratic man in Ancient Rome who had no male children adopted and gave his surname to a young male in the family who had no living father or had at least one brother, so that he could carry on his family name. However, his nephew and adopted son would become the first emperor of Rome after years of chaos, another triumvirate (unlike the first one, this was an official triumvirate) and another civil war.

His surname CAESAR would become the Title of Imperial Power, even many centuries later translated into other languages, such as the German Kaiser or the Russian Tsar.

In front of the theatre, an altar was erected where the pyre was placed so that Julius Caesar's body could be cremated in great mourning. Part of this altar is still preserved in the ruins; more than two thousand years after the assassination, every 15th of March, Romans come to leave flowers there.

Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto, taken on March 15, 2008 Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

[annabelle--cane]

as a reminder, a bunch of the tmagp leads have been in other rq productions already, so if you like what you're hearing and want more of them, voices you have already heard include:

shahan hamza (sam): plays sivapathasundaram in trice forgotten, a plucky young cartographer on the run from the british after escaping execution for a crime he didn't commit. anxious and insecure with a tendency to run his mouth at all times, siva either instantly charms or makes enemies of everyone he meets.

sarah lambie (lena): plays octavia in cry havoc, sister to the triumvir gaius octavius. a bit of a champagne socialist who expresses her frustration at the roman political sphere through writing plays, octavia is trying to reconcile her position of vulnerability as a woman with her position of privilege as a noble, mayhaps finding love with an actress in her company along the way 👀

ryan hopevere-anderson (colin): plays sextus pompey in cry havoc, notorious pirate with a notoriously good ass. he's dangerous, he's sexy, he gives good relationship advice, he's here to kidnap the triumvirate's nearest and dearest for a hefty ransom.

kazeem tosin amore (teddy): plays mark antony in cry havoc, triumvir of rome who "doesn't do numbers" because "there's millions of them." he loves rome and he loves his wife, but he trained for the battlefield, not admin, and would rather do almost anything than have a conversation about negotiating supplies of grain. he's brash and impulsive, but a hard backbone runs through him, and there are certain moral lines he cannot ever bring himself to cross, even when he wants to.

[historical-kitten]

Inviting Ancient Roman Politicians to a Modern Costume Party

Gaius Julius Caesar

Enjoys a good party and accepts your invitation, but when you go to pick him up you aren't sure if he's in a costume or just dresses like that. It's a very fabulous look. Or maybe he's dressed up as Elton John?

Marcus Licinius Crassus

The only way he attends is if you bribe him to go. He takes cash, Google pay, Apple Pay, Paypal, Cash App, and Venmo. It costs extra if you want him in a costume.

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus aka Pompey

He will accept your invitation, but he wants to go in one of those inflatable costumes that looks like he's riding an elephant. If you can fit that in your car and through all the doorways, he'll be decent company at the party.

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus aka Augustus

If Agrippa is meeting you there, lead with that and you might convince him to join you. He'll want all the details on the party and who will be there, so indulge him. He doesn't particularly want to wear a costume, but might dress as Apollo if pressed.

Marcus Antonius aka Mark Antony

He will absolutely come to your party, you don't even have to twist his arm. He likely takes it over once he arrives, though, so be prepared! He is fun and charming, but will not be going home sober. He might dress as Hercules, Dionysus, or Osiris.

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus

The way he disappears when you're at the party, he might as well be dressed as the Invisible Man. No really. Where'd he go?

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa

He will go and stay with you, a loyal friend, unless Octavianus shows up and then he ultimately follows him. He didn't wear a costume but let someone paint a teardrop on his face. He wins "Most Original Costume" for his 'personification of human sadness' outfit. He doesn't look happy about it.

Publius Clodius Pulcher

He's always up for a party and will look a million times better in his costume than you do. Whatever you do, don't tell him about that girl's night only Halloween party unless you want him to show up dressed like one of the girls. (He'll be really fun, but might cause a divorce.)

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius

He is gracious as a guest and wears a nautical Captain's costume. He'll party with you, but not over indulge. Just don't ask if he's a pirate, that's rude.

Marcus Junius Brutus

He only accepts the invitation if friends of his are going to the party. His costume seems to be a dark hood and cape and he disappears into the corner with Cassius soon after you arrive.

Gaius Cassius Longinus

He is quite amiable with his friends and if he's yours, he'll accept your invitation. The costume is sleek and dark and furtive, possibly a rogue or assassin? Just don't be hurt when he disappears into a corner with Brutus at some point in the night.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix

You do not want to invite him, do you? If you do, he accepts. Although he was wearing regular clothes initially, they're definitely covered in blood before you're at the party for long. That's fake blood... right?

Marcus Tullius Cicero

You have to cajole him to go, but once he is there, he is happy to be the center of attention telling jokes and stories. Wearing a costume is beneath his dignity, but judging everyone else's is not.

[cyberpunkonline]

💾 Top 10 Cracking Groups on the Commodore 64

Fairlight (FLT)

Eagle Soft Incorporated (ESI)

Ikari + Talent

The Dominators

Genesis Project (G*P)

Success & The Ruling Company (SCS+TRC)

Hotline

Active Cracking Crew (ACC)

Triad

Byterapers

👾 Top 10 Cracking Groups on the Atari ST

Pompey Pirates

Automation

The Medway Boys

The Replicants

The Union

The Blade Runners

The Lost Boys (TCB)

The Empire

Elite

The Syndicate

🖥️ Top 10 Cracking Groups on the Amiga

Fairlight (FLT)

Skid Row

Quartex

Crystal

Paradox

Red Sector Incorporated (RSI)

Angels

Vision Factory

Scoopex

TRSI (The Red Sector Inc. + Scoopex)

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

alright antony and cleopatra let’s get it

part ONE! (which is just until wherever the intermission break is)

-choreographed prologue??? 👀

-TECHNO PROLOGUE!!! low key this is such a vibe

-“my boss is a manwhore”

-just let them have bed wrestling fights!

-ANTONY BYRNE??? DUKE VINCENTIO ANTONY BYRNE??? yaaaaaaaaaay

-i love them both already

-seriously they are such an amazing vibe

-the way he covers his face with a pillow when she teases him for blushing omg

-they are just so utterly besotted and it’s making me so happy

-ooh boy we have another soothsayer

-this has the same energy as the carmen card trio

-wait i feel like this actor playing one of the ladies in waiting was in troilus and cressida (edit: yes! it’s amber james! aka cressida and now charmian!)

-cleopatra fully just said “i’m out i’m not talking to him right now” lol

-well that just happened (fulvia is dead!)

-somebody give antony a hug pls

-enobarbus what are you doing

-“I CAN’T DO THE HONEYMOON PHASE ANYMORE”

-she is just so. utterly. brilliant. and. so. MUCH. and i love it

-“eternity was in our lips and eyes”

-oh wait this is the scene from this play they did at [area shakespeare company’s] founder’s retirement party

-their energy is so much and i love it

-“Sir, you and I must part, but that’s not it/Sir, you and I have loved, but there’s not it…”

-soundtrack continues to pop off

-octavius: insecure about masculinity

-octavius wants to cancel antony and lepidus isn’t so sure

-YAAAAAAAY PIRATES OF PLOT CONVENIENCE! (okay maybe just plot spice but whatever)

-okay we fully just skipped a scene i guess (from the few lines i skimmed it looks like “cleopatra and her girls do edibles”)

-okay so pompey is collaborating with Pirates Of Plot Spice TM?

-“okay so how do we get the boys to start fightingggggg”

-okay we’re jumping back to cleopatra and her girls doing edibles

-love the music and love the mardian dude

-“where’s my serpent of old Nile?…now i feed myself with most delicious poison” so uh. about that.

-‘you’re not mark antony’ lolol

-not sad or merry but a secret third thing

-‘charmian that was LAST play’

-the boys are fightingggggggg

-‘i didn’t say i wouldn’t, i just didn’t do it’ mood

-“That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.” OOOOOOOOH

-oh this is definitely a great idea /s

-oh hey it’s the barge speech!

-he’s just a boy who cain’t say no!

-“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety.”

-sleepover at agrippa’s!

-LUCY PHELPS OCTAVIA??? (so the duke and isabella did get married in an alternate universe then)

-“i will definitely, 100%, not cheat on you” yeah it’s act two i’m not putting it past you

-no one ever listens to the soothsayer

-FUCKIN CALLED IT

-“Give me some music—music, moody food/Of us that trade in love.” 🤝 “if music be the food of love, play on”

-y’know, iras is so Not Even In This Play

-she is a QUEEN

-“But sirrah, mark, we use/To say the dead are well.” ross over in scotland, about to tell macduff his family is dead: *shuffles uncomfortably*

-i love their banter

-“you did NOT just say octavia was better at banging than me”

-oh she’s straight up beating him up

-“PLEASE DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER”

-she is Going Through It

-pompey: *gives very emotional speech*

octavius: …take your time

lmao

-BOAT PARTY

-so enobarbus and menas are besties anyway? i thought they were on opposite sides (which obvs does not prevent bestie relationships but yeah)

-enobarbus knows what’s up

-BOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAT PAAAAAAAARTY

-yeah lepidus words are hard

-menas has a Plan

-octavius: buddy i am Not Getting Drunk Tonight

-PLAY THIS IN THE CLUB

-Many Complicated Emotions Between These Two,

-antony, fully intending to ditch octavia at first opportunity: well this is awkward

-messenger: i can’t fucking believe i still have to work this customer service job even after getting beat up

-scoping out the competition

-uh oh. there are Political Problems

-GO OFF OCTAVIA (also this is just like blanche in king john)

-“The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak, your reconciler. Wars ’twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men should solder up the rift.”

-oh octavius is Big Mad

-“YOUR HUSBAND IS CHEATING ON YOU OCTAVIA” “NO I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO STOP FUCKING FIGHTING”

-ooh did octavia just take her ring off 👀

and that’s intermission! this is GREAT and i would continue watching but it is also late and i am tired so…rest tomorrow!

[willtheweaver]

No vanilla extract. No garum. You cannot get more sticks, or break the one in half.

[marcusagrippa]

this bit in appian v this bit in the res gestae......the rg 'pirates' being sextus pompey......hhggrggggghh

[theantonian]

Pompey the Great assassinated, September 28th, 48 BC

Upon landing in Egypt, Roman general and politician Pompey is murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt.

During his long career, Pompey the Great displayed exceptional military talents on the battlefield. He fought in Africa and Spain, quelled the slave revolt of Spartacus, cleared the Mediterranean of pirates, and conquered Armenia, Syria and Palestine. Appointed to organize the newly won Roman territories in the East, he proved a brilliant administrator.

In 60 B.C., he joined with his rivals Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus to form the First Triumvirate, and together the trio ruled Rome for seven years. Caesar’s successes aroused Pompey’s jealousy, however, leading to the collapse of the political alliance in 53 B.C. The Roman Senate supported Pompey and asked Caesar to give up his army, which he refused to do. In January 49 B.C., Caesar led his legions across the Rubicon River from Cisalpine Gaul to Italy, thus declaring war against Pompey and his forces.

Caesar made early gains in the subsequent civil war, defeating Pompey’s army in Italy and Spain, but he was later forced into retreat in Greece. In August 48 B.C., with Pompey in pursuit, Caesar paused near Pharsalus, setting up camp at a strategic location. When Pompey’s senatorial forces fell upon Caesar’s smaller army, they were entirely routed, and Pompey fled to Egypt.

Pompey hoped that King Ptolemy, his former client, would assist him, but the Egyptian king feared offending the victorious Caesar. On September 28, Pompey was invited to leave his ships and come ashore at Pelusium. As he prepared to step onto Egyptian soil, he was treacherously struck down and killed by an officer of Ptolemy.

[redsixwing]

Pompey and the Pirates is my new cover band.

[gailyinthedark]

History of the Holy Grail: highlights so far

-The framing device in chapter one with the priest narrator. I love this dude.

-Evalach/Mordrain's secret sex doll

-Pompey and the Pirates taking up an entire chapter out of nowhere. It's Victor Hugo levels of unnecessary backstory and it's amazing.

-The Turning Isle aka Medieval Physics 101

-Adam and Eve being so so sad that they have to have Carnal Relations (because sex = sin) and God graciously providing a Modesty Cloud (tm) so at least they don't have to look at each other whilst having Sad Carnal Relations

-Okay the number of Unnecessary Backstory Detours is actually getting quite impressive. Most of them are more interesting than the main story too

-The repeated warnings about Women, who are So Sneaky and Clever that no man can hope to outwit them, so Watch Out Guys

-Hercules and Samson were related, obviously, since they were both Strong. This tidbit has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story, it's just there.

[beholdingslut]

finally writing about that hot little pirate, sextus pompey

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Grèce : Les maisons anti-pirates de l’île d’Ikaria.

Les pirates, aussi vieux que la marine, ont été un terrible fléau en Méditerranée depuis l’Antiquité, puisque le grand Pompée fut chargé de mener une expédition pour les exterminer. Ils ont particulièrement sévi dans les nombreuse îles grecques qui leur servaient de refuge. Ikaria a été leur victime à plusieurs époques, l’îlot voisin de Phourni constituant une base de raids idéale. Les habitants cessaient alors de vivre sur les côtes et se réfugiaient dans les montagnes où la géologie les protégeait, on trouve souvent de grands blocs de pierre plus ou moins plats formant un toit naturel qu’il suffisait de fermer par un ou deux murs. Visibles seulement de tout près, ils ont permis aux Ikariotes de disparaître littéralement pendant tout le XVIIe siècle, au point que l’île semblait inhabitée. Pour éviter d’attirer l’attention, les maisons n’avaient généralement qu’un seul niveau, plus bas que le rocher ou la falaise qui la camouflait et elles n’avaient pas de cheminée, pour éviter les colonnes de fumée. Les habitants interagissaient principalement la nuit et évitaient d’utiliser le feu ou toute source de lumière, et ils ne gardaient même pas de chiens, de peur que leurs aboiements n’attirent des invités indésirables. Quand par hasard des pirates parvenaient jusqu’à ces refuges, les habitants, prévenus par un système de guetteurs, avaient disparu. Les brigands ne trouvaient chez ces gens très pauvres, que quelques hardes ou objets sans valeur et en étaient pour leurs frais. Fait intéressant, malgré les difficultés endurées par les habitants au cours des siècles, Ikaria est connue comme la terre de la longévité en Grèce, où une personne sur trois finit par vivre jusqu’à 90 ans et beaucoup deviennent centenaires. Greece: The anti-pirate houses on the island of Ikaria. Pirates, who are as old as the sea, have been a terrible scourge in the Mediterranean since Antiquity, when the great Pompey was commissioned to lead an expedition to exterminate them. They were particularly rampant on the many Greek islands that served as their refuge. Ikaria has been their victim at various times, with the neighbouring islet of Phourni providing an ideal base for raids. The inhabitants stopped living on the coast and took refuge in the mountains, where the geology protected them: large, more or less flat blocks of stone are often found, forming a natural roof that could be closed off with one or two walls. Only visible up close, they allowed the Ikariotes to literally disappear throughout the 17th century, to the point where the island seemed uninhabited. To avoid attracting attention, the houses were generally only one storey high, lower than the rock or cliff that camouflaged them, and had no chimneys to avoid smoke columns. The inhabitants interacted mainly at night and avoided using fire or any source of light, and they didn't even keep dogs, for fear that their barking would attract unwanted guests. When by chance pirates reached these refuges, the inhabitants, warned by a system of lookouts, disappeared. The brigands would only find a few items of clothing or worthless objects in the homes of these very poor people, and they would have had their money's worth. Interestingly, despite the hardships endured by the inhabitants over the centuries, Ikaria is known as the land of longevity in Greece, where one in three people ends up living to the age of 90 and many become centenarians. Muriel Marchand

[kerakitty]

So during one of Garak and Bashir's lunch dates, Garak asserts that Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a "farce" rather than a tragedy. The show plays this as Garak just failing to appreciate the work, but I think he just pitched the greatest Shakespeare adaptation of all time!

Just imagine: instead of opening on Caesar's triumphant return to Rome after defeating the sons of Pompey, we open on a group of pirates dragging a captive with a bag over his head onto their ship. They tie their victim down and roughly pull the bag off his head, revealing a young Julius. Julius Caesar, indignant yet calm: For your own sake, I hope you know with whom you're dealing.

Pirate Captain, smugly: From the looks of it, you're rich. We don't need to know more than that. If your family wants to see you again, they'd best pay our ransom. 20 silver talents!

Julius Caesar, visibly shocked: 20 talents?! That's an absurd amount!

Pirate Captain, almost sing-song: Not one libra less.

Julius Caesar, genuinely offended: I'm worth at least 50 talents! I demand you increase the ransom!

Awkward pause as the pirates react with confusion.

First Mate, whispering to captain: Are we sure they'll want him back?

Smash cut to title.

The rest of the movie follows the play relatively faithfully, but with comedic music and editing.

[duxfemina]

So do y'all wanna see my mental fan cast for the Pompeians as I write my books? Because that's what I feel like sharing tonight

Daddy Pompey aka Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus just with more auburn hued hair because we all know Pompeius has that ginger blond Alexander vibe going but like Lee Pace has the PERFECT chin and mouth to be Pompeius. Go look at Pompey's statues and imagine him as a younger man and you'll see it

Mucia Tertia mother of all three of Pompeius' children and such a force that not only did she raise them mostly by herself while he was at war but when her son is warring with the triumvirate they send her to talk with Sextus. She has the tragedy of outliving her ex-husband and her two sons. (Yes she's ginger too because I know my genetics and gotta keep that ginger blood strong so Pompeia can look just like grandad for plot purposes)

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius the sexy pirate king of Sicily. I will admit that this is mainly inspired by Hayden as RotS Anakin having the right color of hair and also the youthfulness. Sextus was stupidly young when he started kicking ass, just like his dad. Unfortunately for world history he lived an even shorter amount of time than his dad and was dead by 32 much like his dad's honorific namesake Alexander the Great

Fatherless by age six I have a whole story in my head that I've invented for Pompeia Magna daughter of Sextus and believe me it's not cheerful because what is in the Roman world. But she does have one true friend and he happens to be someone who is the most ride or die guy in Rome and will one day be the most powerful man in the empire

Tiberius Claudius Nero who has known Pompeia since they were toddlers together on Sicily when her father Sextus gave his parents refuge from Augustus' proscriptions. Yes Tiberius was a hottie. Fight me on this. Plus Cavill fits the Tiberius mould in the sense that everyone sees big hunky warrior but at heart they're just an absolute nerd. How Cavill is about video games would be Tiberius with Homer or something