In 49 B.C. on the banks of the Rubicon, Julius Caesar faced a critical choice. To remain in Gaul meant forfeiting his power to his enemies in Rome. Crossing the river into Italy would be a ...

Gaius Julius Caesar is marching southbound to the river Rubicon with an army. He pauses. To cross this river and move into Italy would amount to insurrection. Treason against the republic.

The two men were rivals but Caesar was able to bridge the gap between them and ... In January, 49 BC, he led his troops across the Rubicon River into Italy and started civil war.

Forty-nine years before Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem, Roman general Julius Caesar and his army crossed the river Rubicon—the waterway separating Gaul (modern-day France) and Italy.