Cross the Rubicon

Julius Caesar, a Roman military and political leader, is one of the most colourful historical characters of all time. In a life well lived he invaded Britain, vanquished Pompey his arch rival, installed Cleopatra as queen of Egypt and was appointed Dictator for Life by the Romans. He not only enriched Roman political life but also the English language.

It is said that the term Caesarian – an operation by which a foetus is taken from the uterus by cutting through the walls of the abdomen and uterus – arose because Julius Caesar was supposed to have been delivered surgically. However there is some dispute about this as his mother lived to see his victories and in ancient times an operation of this nature was almost always fatal for the woman.

There is however no such dispute over the toponym Rubicon.

Rubicon

A point of no return. The usage: When an action marks a situation where there is no going back, we say the Rubicon has been crossed.

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a river that formed the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy. Crossing the Rubicon into Italy signaled the declaration of a war against the Roman Senate & Pompey as Caesar had broken the law which forbid a general from leading an army out of his province. There was now no going back for Caesar. Incidentally when he crossed the river he is supposed to have exclaimed “the die is cast” thus signifying that he was aware of the importance of his action.

Note:

Gaul: It was an ancient region in Western Europe, including the modern areas of Northern Italy, France, Belgium, and the Southern Netherlands. It consisted of two main divisions, one part south of the Alps (Cisalpine Gaul) and another part north of the Alps (Transalpine Gaul).