Antony as a soldier and commander - Part One

Today we look at the military career of Mark Antony, covering his early service under Gabinius in Syria, Judaea and Egypt, his time in Gaul under Julius Caesar, participation in the Civil War in 49-48 BC and then the fighting that developed after Caesar's murder. All the time we look at how the Roman system worked, emphasising that Roman aristocrats were never really specialist soldiers or politicians, but had to be both. The cliche of Antony the tough, simple soldier conceals a much more complicated reality, and a man with considerable political ability. Next month, in Part Two, we will cover the period from 40-30 BC as Antony led some very large scale operations.