Editing Julius Caesar (section)

=== Alexandrine war and Asia Minor ===
{{see also|Alexandrine war}}
[[File:Cleopatra and Caesar by Jean-Leon-Gerome.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Cleopatra and Caesar (painting)|Cleopatra and Caesar]]'', 1866 painting by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]]]]
[[File:Venus and Cupid from the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus at Pompeii, most likely a depiction of Cleopatra VII.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|This mid-1st-century-BC [[Pompeian Styles|Roman wall painting]] in [[Pompeii]] is probably a depiction of [[Cleopatra VII]] as [[Venus Genetrix (sculpture)|Venus Genetrix]], with her son [[Caesarion]] as [[Cupid]]. Its owner Marcus Fabius Rufus most likely ordered its concealment behind a wall in reaction to the execution of Caesarion on orders of [[Octavian]] in 30&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roller |first=Duane W |title=Cleopatra: a biography |url=https://archive.org/details/cleopatrabiograp00roll_0 |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-536553-5 |location=Oxford |oclc=405105996 |page=175}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Walker |first=Susan |date=2008 |title=Cleopatra in Pompeii? |journal=Papers of the British School at Rome |volume=76 |pages=35–46 |doi=10.1017/S0068246200000404 |s2cid=62829223 |issn=2045-239X|doi-access=free }}</ref>]]

Pompey was killed when he arrived in [[Alexandria]], the capital of [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]]. Caesar arrived three days later on 2 October 48&nbsp;BC. Prevented from leaving the city by [[Etesian winds]], Caesar decided to arbitrate an Egyptian civil war between the child pharaoh [[Ptolemy XIII|Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator]] and [[Cleopatra]], his sister, wife, and co-regent queen.<ref>{{harvnb|Rawson|1994a|pp=433–34|ps=, noting that both children were left under Roman protection under their father's will.}} {{harvnb|Boatwright|2004|2p=253}}.</ref> In late October 48&nbsp;BC, Caesar was appointed<!-- this is not his first dictatorship; the first one was in 49 to hold elections --> in absentia to a year-long dictatorship,<ref>{{Harvnb|Wilson|2021|p=309}}, citing {{harvnb|Plut. ''Caes.''|loc=51.1}} and {{harvnb|Dio|loc=42.17.1–22.2}}.</ref> after news of his victory at Pharsalus arrived to Rome.<ref>{{harvnb|Rawson|1994a|p=435|ps=, citing {{harvnb|Dio|loc=42.18}}.}}</ref> While in Alexandria, he started an [[Marriage in ancient Rome|affair]] with Cleopatra and withstood a [[Siege of Alexandria (47 BC)|siege by Ptolemy]] and his other sister [[Arsinoe IV|Arsinoe]] until March 47&nbsp;BC. Reinforced by eastern client allies under [[Mithridates II of the Bosporus|Mithridates of Pergamum]], he then defeated Ptolemy at the [[Battle of the Nile (47 BC)|Battle of the Nile]] and installed Cleopatra as ruler.<ref>{{harvnb|Rawson|1994a|p=434}}. At the battle, Ptolemy drowned. {{harvnb|Boatwright|2004|p=253}}.</ref> Caesar and Cleopatra celebrated the victory with a triumphal procession on the [[Nile]]. He stayed in Egypt with Cleopatra until June or July that year, though the relevant commentaries attributed to him give no such impression. Some time in late June, Cleopatra gave birth to a child by Caesar, called [[Caesarion]].{{sfnm|Rawson|1994a|1p=434|Boatwright|2004|2p=253}}

When Caesar landed at [[Antioch]], he learnt that during his time in Egypt, the king of what is now Crimea, [[Pharnaces II of Pontus|Pharnaces]], had attempted to seize what had been his father's kingdom, Pontus, across the [[Black Sea]] in northern Anatolia. His invasion had swept aside Caesar's legates and the local client kings, but Caesar engaged him at [[Battle of Zela (47 BC)|Zela]] and defeated him immediately, leading Caesar to write {{lang|la|[[veni, vidi, vici]]}} ("I came, I saw, I conquered"), downplaying Pompey's previous Pontic victories. He then left quickly for Italy.<ref>{{harvnb|Rawson|1994a|p=434}}, citing {{harvnb|Plut. ''Caes.''|loc=50.2}} and {{harvnb|Suet. ''Iul.''|loc=35.2, 37.2}}.</ref>