Power and Symbols of Power of Sextus Pompey

Sextus Pompey controlled Sicily for only eight years, but they were, all the same, very important years for the fate of the island. The presence of many armies and the clashes that saw them as protagonists had a heavy impact on the economic dynamics of Sicily, whose agricultural landscape, according to Strabo’s description, was then characterized, especially in the south-eastern sector, by an unusual eremia. This transformation was likely also partly connected to the punitive measures Caesar Octavian implemented after his final victory, considering the destruction of those centers that had strongly supported Sextus. In any case, a real and total earthquake in the structure of the landed property class resulted from the resolutions Caesar Octavian made in the aftermath of the battle of Naulochus, whereby the requisitions and confiscations from Sextus’s supporters led to redistributions and donations to Caesar’s collaborators and friends.