ABSTRACT
Gnaeus Pompeius (106–48 bce) was called Pompey the Great when he was only twenty-five years old, as a result of his military reputation. He entered the story of the Levant with two major successes: in 67 bce he dealt quickly with the menace of Mediterranean pirates, mostly centered in Cilicia (Cassius Dio, History 36.20–3; L. Annius Florus, Epitome 3.6.7–14; Appian, Mithridatic War 92–7); Appian likens Pompey to a “king of kings,” using the Parthian royal title. In the following year after a struggle in the Senate he received responsibility for the Province of Asia and command of the armies in the Mithradatic War. These campaigns were decisively important for Rome’s expanding empire, Pompey’s personal reputation, and Judea and its neighbors (Leach 1978, 66–101).
