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It is unclear as to whether Pompey's nickname "adulescens carnifex" meaning "teenage" or "young" butcher was intended as an insult. Essentially, it could also have meant that Pompey was,(to borrow from the description of Byron) "Mad, bad and dangerous to know." The people who gave him the nickname helped him kill several hundred unarmed Marian prisoners, and were very loyal to him.

This also goes for his titles of "Imperator," and "Magnus" that Sulla tags him with. The debate is whether it is intended with sarcasm. Pompey earns "Imperator" and "magnus" (the great) when he shows up with a few legions to help Sulla exterminate the Marian rebels. Though Pompey had done nothing special to earn "Imperator" (other than having a couple of personal legions) Sulla addresses him as such. While it is hard to picture Sulla kidding around, I think he was offering a mild jest at the young commander.

Yes, Pompey was, by modern standards, a murderous sociopath, but his actions were only marginally out of the norm for Rome. Sulla kills 50,000 including a good many senators. Crassus crucifies the prisoners of the Spartacus rebellion on a gory march from the battlefield to Rome. Caesar was also brutal to his prisoners. The nickname was probably akin to Patton's "Blood and Guts" moniker. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.110.159.227 (talk) 01:30, 9 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Source? This doesn't seem accurate. Crassus and Pompey served under Sulla. Caesar was to be head priest of Jupiter, which forbid him leaving Rome. Further, Caesar was the nephew of Sulla's enemy Marius, and son-in-law to his enemy Cinna. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.70.75.98 (talk) 18:37, 16 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]