The Civil War is Julius Caesar's personal account of his war with Pompey the Great-the war which destroyed the five hundred-year old Roman Republic. Caesar the victor became Caesar the dictator. In three short books, Caesar describes how, in order to defend his dignitas ("honour"), and the libertas ("freedom") of both himself and the Roman people, he marched on Rome, and defeated the forces of Pompey and the Senate in Italy, Spain, and Greece. Caesar's "commentaries," written in famously simple prose, with the distinctive use of the third person, offer a unique opportunity to read the victor's version of events.