Roman civil wars
During the Roman civil wars of the 40s, Valerius Orca resurfaces as one of Caesar's legates. Early in 49 BC, Orca was sent to occupy Sardinia. Caesar claims that the inhabitants of Caralis (modern Cagliari), the capital, were so roused by word of Orca's approach that on their own initiative ("sua sponte") they threw out the Pompey-allied governor, who fled to Africa. The Greek historian Appian implies that part of Sardinia's strategic significance in the conflict was its importance as a center of grain production; Cassius Dio says little about the occupation of Sardinia by the Caesarians, noting merely that it was uncontested.