Pompey the Great Assassinated After Seeking Refuge in Egypt

The Roman commander and politician Pompey the Great arrived in Egypt on this day, seeking refuge after fleeing there, only to be killed on the orders of King Ptolemy.

His arrival brought a prominent Roman figure onto Egyptian soil. But the escape that had taken him to Egypt did not secure his safety.

Ptolemy ordered Pompey’s assassination after the Roman leader reached the country. The place he had turned to for shelter instead became the setting for his death.

The anniversary recalls the violent end of a man whose career spanned both military command and political life in Rome, with his final chapter unfolding in Egypt.