According to some authors, he uttered the phrase alea iacta est ("the die is cast") before crossing.ĭuring the late Roman Republic, the river Rubicon marked the boundary between the Roman province of Cisalpine Gaul to the northeast and Italy proper (controlled directly by Rome and its allies) to the south. As it was illegal to bring armies into Italy (the northern border of which was marked by the river Rubicon) his crossing the river under arms amounted to insurrection, treason, and a declaration of war on the state. As his term of governorship ended, the Senate ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome. Caesar had been appointed to a governorship over a region that ranged from southern Gaul to Illyricum. His crossing of the river precipitated Caesar's civil war, which ultimately led to Caesar's becoming dictator for life ( dictator perpetuo). Scholars usually place it on the night of 10 and 11 January because of the speeds at which messengers could travel at that time. Its meaning comes from allusion to the crossing of the river Rubicon by Julius Caesar in early January 49 BC. The phrase " crossing the Rubicon" is an idiom that means "passing a point of no return". The modern Rubicon river (dark blue), believed to be the same river crossed by Caesar Look up cross the Rubicon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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