• As quoted in Vita Divi Iuli [The Life of the deified Julius] (121 CE) by Suetonius, paragraph 33 (Caesar: ... "Iacta alea est", inquit. – Caesar said ... "the die is cast".)
• Said when crossing the river Rubicon with his legions on 10 January, 49 BC, thus beginning the civil war with the forces of Pompey. The Rubicon river was the boundary of Gaul, the province Caesar had the authority to keep his army in. By crossing the river, he had committed an invasion of Italy.
• A contrasting account from Plutarch, Life of Pompey, 60.2.9:
Ἑλληνιστὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἐκβοήσας, «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος», [anerrhíphtho kúbos] διεβίβαζε τὸν στρατόν.
He [Caesar] declared in Greek with loud voice to those who were present 'Let the die be cast' and led the army across.
He was reportedly quoting the playwright Menander, specifically "Ἀρρηφόρῳ" (Arrephoria, or "The Flute-Girl"), according to Deipnosophistae, Book 13, paragraph 8, saying «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος» (anerrhíphtho kúbos). The Greek translates rather as "let the die be cast!", or "Let the game be ventured!", which would instead translate in Latin as iacta ālea estō. According to Lewis and Short (Online Dictionary: alea, Lewis and Short at the Perseus Project. See bottom of section I.).
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Alea iacta est." in the context of "The die is cast.
• As quoted in Vita Divi Iuli [The Life of the deified Julius] (121 CE) by Suetonius, paragraph 33 (Caesar: ... "Iacta alea est", inquit. – Caesar said ... "the die is cast".)
• Said when crossing the river Rubicon with his legions on 10 January, 49 BC, thus beginning the civil war with the forces of Pompey. The Rubicon river was the boundary of Gaul, the province Caesar had the authority to keep his army in. By crossing the river, he had committed an invasion of Italy.
• A contrasting account from Plutarch, Life of Pompey, 60.2.9:
Ἑλληνιστὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἐκβοήσας, «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος», [anerrhíphtho kúbos] διεβίβαζε τὸν στρατόν.
He [Caesar] declared in Greek with loud voice to those who were present 'Let the die be cast' and led the army across.
He was reportedly quoting the playwright Menander, specifically "Ἀρρηφόρῳ" (Arrephoria, or "The Flute-Girl"), according to Deipnosophistae, Book 13, paragraph 8, saying «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος» (anerrhíphtho kúbos). The Greek translates rather as "let the die be cast!", or "Let the game be ventured!", which would instead translate in Latin as iacta ālea estō. According to Lewis and Short (Online Dictionary: alea, Lewis and Short at the Perseus Project. See bottom of section I.)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
About Julius Caesar