Julius Caesar was possibly the most important man of antiquity, if not all of history. Alexander Hamilton once remarked that “the greatest man who ever lived was Julius Caesar.” Such a tribute, coming from one of the Founding Fathers of the quintessential modern democracy in reference to a man who destroyed the Roman Republic, is testament to the enduring mark that Caesar left upon the world.

The ultimate conqueror, statesman, dictator, visionary, and opportunist, during his time in power Caesar expanded the borders of Rome to almost twice their previous size, revolutionized the infrastructure of the Roman state, and finished the Roman Republic for good, leaving a line of emperors in its place. His legacy is so strong that his name has become, in many languages, synonymous with power: the emperors of Austria and Germany bore the title kaiser, and the tsars of Russia also owe the etymology of their title to Caesar. His name also crept further eastward out of Europe, even cropping up in Hindi and Urdu, where the term for “emperor” is kaisar.

Given how history played out, it’s often forgotten that before Rome’s civil war, Pompey was one of the most powerful men in Rome, and many assumed he would defeat Caesar. During his military career, Pompey played a role in defeating many of Rome’s enemies across the world, from Africa to Spain, and he even helped put down Spartacus’ uprising. He had built his military power and acumen by participating in Rome’s previous civil war between Gaius Marius and Sulla, sharpening both his political and military skills, and he used them to great effect for decades during one of ancient Rome’s most chaotic periods.

In July 48 B.C., Pompey nearly destroyed Caesar’s army at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in modern Albania, where Caesar gave chase against his enemy’s larger army despite the dangers inherent in such a move.