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Pompey was very important in the development of the Annona or the supply of free or subsidized grain for Roman citizens. The city’s hinterland was unable to grow enough food for the city and it is estimated that up to 90% of the city’s food had to be imported. Pompey played a crucial role in the development of the Annona. He was entrusted during his war with the Pirates to safeguard the seal lanes. He cleared the Eastern Mediterranean of pirates. He then turned his attention to the food supply of Rome. Pompey established a system whereby grain from Sicily, Egypt and North Africa was exported to Rome by sea. This grain was then distributed to the populace of Rome<ref> Garnsey, Peter. Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World: Response to Rise and Crisis (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998)p. 231</ref>. Pompey used this grain to secure support in the city and to establish social stability in the city. This food distribution system that was first developed by Pompey the Great was briefly abandoned but was resurrected during the reign of Augustus. It was to remain in place for several centuries and played a key role in Rome’s economy, society and even politics<ref> Garnsey, p 117</ref>.

Pompey had many achievements but perhaps his most significant contribution to the history of Rome was his role in the Civil War with Caesar. Pompey, despite his previous clashes with the senatorial class was appointed leader of the Republican armies. The Republican forces sought to destroy Caesar and to restore a traditional form of government in Rome. The Republicans were very divided and the only thing that they had in common was that all hated Caesar who they saw as a would-be tyrant and rebel. Pompey was the military commander of the Republican army, he was given command because of his previous successes <ref>Greenhalgh, P., Pompey The Republican Prince (Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; 1981), p. 118</ref>. However, Pompey was no longer a young man and had not seen active service in many years. He strategy in the war with the Caesar has been widely criticized. The Republicans had been taken by surprise by Caesar’s bold advance on Rome and they had never expected him to cross the Rubicon, this action started the Civil War. In this war the Roman legions turned on each other, in the words of the poet Lucan ‘Rome's high race plunged in her vitals her victorious sword’<ref>Lucan, Pharsallia, 3, 6</ref>. Pompey had very few legions at his disposal and he decided to leave Rome and abandon Italy and this even surprised Caesar, who could not believe his luck. The Republicans then set up base in the Balkans and assembled a large force by extorting money from allies such as Egypt and Rome’s client kings.

The Caesarian army was able to land in modern day Albania. Pompey displayed some of his old military skill to inflict a minor defeat on Caesar. The battle was significant in that it left the Caesarian army in a perilous position, with its supplies running low. The Republican legions did not press home its advantage and it allowed Caesar to regroup and launch an attack<ref> Holland, p. 119</ref>. Pompey had missed the chance to inflict a heavy defeat on the enemy and possibly end the war. It is possible that he may not have been able to act decisively because of interference from the many Senators who were present in his headquarters. Plutarch believed that the Republicans and especially Pompey had become overconfident ‘’ Pompey…… wrote to distant kings and generals and cities in the tone of a victor’’ <ref> Plutarch, Life of Pompey 1. 62</ref>. However, Caesar was a military genius and Pompey was simply out-thought by one of the greatest commanders of all time. Pompey and his army was totally defeated by the Caesar at Pharsalus. After this battle, the Republicans were no longer able to challenge him and he was master of the Roman Republic, although some Republican forces continued to resist the Cesarean army for some years. The failure of Pompey in the Civil War meant that the fall of the Roman Empire was inevitable. Pompey had failed to save the Roman Republic in his war with Caesar. After Pharsalus, Caesar and later his heir Augustus began establishing the Imperial system in Rome.

== Conclusion==