Ancient name of the small river flowing into the Adriatic that, under the Roman Republic, marked the boundary between Italy proper and Cisalpine Gaul. When Caesar led his army across it 49 BC, he therefore declared war on the Republic; hence to ‘cross the Rubicon’ means to take an irrevocable step.
The Rubicon is believed to be the present-day Fiumicino, which flows into the Adriatic just north of Rimini.
This article is © Research Machines plc
2009. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.
No comments:
Post a Comment