Naso

I certainly agree about Cato.

Many of the responses are focusing almost exclusively on Pompey; so I want to point out that there were others who were perhaps more truly Republican heroes in the war against Caesar (such as M. Porcius Cato, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio, etc.) Remember that the Senate very reluctantly chose Pompey as their leader and only out of necessity. I say this only to encourage us to consider outcomes other than Caesar or Pompey. If Scipio and Cato had defeated Caesar in North Africa 2 years after Pharsalus, they would almost certainly have attempted to restore Republicanism. The Republicans were still very strong after Pharsalus and still had a good chance of defeating Caesar. Recall that very few senators actually died at Pharsalus; the only big name to die was L. Domitius Ahenobarbus. To us today, it's easy to think of Pharsalus essentially as the 'end' of the war, but to those living at the time, it was not at all a foregone conclusion that Caesar would win. Just consider how close later leaders came to defeating Caesarianism: Gnaeus Pompey, Brutus and Cassius; Lucius Antonius; Sextus Pompey, etc.

They are all part of the Calpurnian family, which was very influential well back into the Republic. The family held many consulships in the 1st and 2nd centuries BCE, and they continued to be a powerful family well into Imperial times. Here's a link to the Consular records, which shows just how many consulships the family held. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Repub...n_Roman_Consuls If you want to read more about the guys you mentioned... The first Piso, Gaius Calpurnius Piso, who led the conspiracy against Nero, you can find in Tacitus' Annales Book 15 (especially, 15.48-15.65). The second Piso you talked about, whom many people suspected of killing Germanicus, can be found in Tacitus' Annales mostly in books 2 and 3 (especially 3.7-3.24). The last is Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, who was sent to Spain to try to keep Pompey's influence over the region in check. Pompey's supporters killed him there in 64 BCE. This man's son, also Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, is even more interesting (and not as unlucky as the other Piso's you mention--haha). He sided with the Pompeians during the civil war but survived and was pardoned. He then joined the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar but was pardoned again. Augustus even granted him a consulship in 23 BCE! This man is the father of the second guy you mentioned. See Tacitus Annales 2.43. Another well-known Piso is L. Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, consul of 58 BCE, who was Julius Caesar's father-in-law and was a friend and supporter of the Epicurean philosopher, Philodemus. I hope this helps.

Thank you so much. Syme's work is brilliant and very helpful. I am definitely going to look for a copy of this work. Many thanks!!!

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone could suggest a comprehensive genealogical study of Roman families during the Republic and/or Empire. In other words, is there a book (or website) that traces many or most of the important Roman gentes? I'm looking for sources that would include not just the Julio-Claudians, Cornelii, etc. but that would also include the Metelli, Domitii, Iunii, Aemilii, etc. over a long period of time. I would GREATLY appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks a million!