Gaius Papirius Carbo (consul 120 BC)
Encyclopedia
Gaius Papirius Carbo
was an Ancient Roman
statesman
and orator. He was associated with Gaius Gracchus
in carrying out the provision of the agrarian law of Tiberius Gracchus
. When tribune
of the people (131 BC), Carbo carried out a law extending the secret ballot for the enactment and repeal of laws. He also proposed that the tribunes should be allowed to become candidates for the same office in successive years. The proposal was defeated by Scipio Aemilianus. Carbo was suspected of having been involved in the sudden death of Scipio Aemilianus in 129 BC. He subsequently went over to the optimates, and (when consul
in 120 BC) successfully defended Lucius Opimius
, the murderer of Gaius Gracchus
. He was impeached for the murder of a citizen without a trial (Gaius Gracchus). At trial, he said that Gracchus had been justly slain. But the optimates did not trust Carbo. He was impeached by Lucius Crassus on a similar charge, and, feeling that he had nothing to hope for from the optimates and that his condemnation was certain, he committed suicide.
Carbo
Carbo was a plebeian family within the gens Papiria of ancient Rome. Several members were notable:* Gaius Papirius Carbo, praetor 168 BC* Gaius Papirius Carbo, consul 120 BC* Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, consul 113 BC...
was an Ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and orator. He was associated with Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
in carrying out the provision of the agrarian law of Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populares politician of the 2nd century BC and brother of Gaius Gracchus. As a plebeian tribune, his reforms of agrarian legislation caused political turmoil in the Republic. These reforms threatened the holdings of rich landowners in Italy...
. When tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
of the people (131 BC), Carbo carried out a law extending the secret ballot for the enactment and repeal of laws. He also proposed that the tribunes should be allowed to become candidates for the same office in successive years. The proposal was defeated by Scipio Aemilianus. Carbo was suspected of having been involved in the sudden death of Scipio Aemilianus in 129 BC. He subsequently went over to the optimates, and (when consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
in 120 BC) successfully defended Lucius Opimius
Lucius Opimius
Lucius Opimius was Roman consul in 121 BC, known for ordering the execution of 3,000 supporters of popular leader Gaius Gracchus without trial, using as pretext the state of emergency declared after Gracchus's recent and turbulent death....
, the murderer of Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
. He was impeached for the murder of a citizen without a trial (Gaius Gracchus). At trial, he said that Gracchus had been justly slain. But the optimates did not trust Carbo. He was impeached by Lucius Crassus on a similar charge, and, feeling that he had nothing to hope for from the optimates and that his condemnation was certain, he committed suicide.