Editing Pompey (section)

==Death==

[[File:Death of Pompey Magnus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|Death of Pompey Magnus; 18th-century engraving]]

Pompey escaped from the battlefield and made his way to [[Mytilene]], where he was reunited with his wife Cornelia. Most of his Eastern allies were present at Pharsalus and had either been killed or captured. The main absentee was 14-year-old [[Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator|Ptolemy XIII]], ruler of the wealthy and strategically important kingdom of [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]], making it an obvious destination. Cato announced his intention to continue the war from Africa, although most of his senatorial colleagues, including Cicero and [[Marcus Junius Brutus]], made their peace with Caesar and returned to Rome.{{sfn|Holland|2004|p=323}}

Pompey sailed from [[Cyprus]] with a small fleet, and on 28 September 48 BC arrived at [[Pelusium]] in Egypt, where Ptolemy was engaged in a bitter civil war with his co-ruler and elder sister, [[Cleopatra VII]]. When he went ashore to greet an official delegation, Pompey was killed by [[Lucius Septimius]], a Roman officer and former colleague serving in the Egyptian army. His body was cremated by two servants, while the head was kept as evidence.{{sfn|Beard|2015|p=290}} 

One suggestion is that Ptolemy and his advisors feared Pompey planned to seize control of Egypt, especially since many Egyptian army officers were Roman mercenaries like Septimius who had previously served with him. At the same time, it seemed an easy way to win Caesar's support against Cleopatra, although ultimately this proved not to be the case.{{sfn|Holland|2004|p=327}} Pompey's head was later returned to Cornelia for burial at his villa in the [[Alban Hills]], while his ignominious death prompted Cicero to write "his life outlasted his power".{{sfn|Beard|2015|p=290}}