Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 54 BC)
Encyclopedia
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul 54 BC, was an enemy of Julius Caesar
and a strong supporter of the aristocratic party in the late Roman Republic
.
He is first mentioned in 70 BC by Cicero
as a witness against Verres
. In 61 BC he was curule aedile, when he exhibited a hundred Numidia
n lion
s, and continued the games so long that the people were obliged to leave the circus before the exhibition was over, in order to take food, which was the first time they had done so. This pause in the games was called diludium. He married Porcia
, the sister of Cato the Younger
, and in his aedile
ship supported the latter in his proposals against bribery
at elections, which were directed against Pompey
, who was purchasing votes for Afranius
. The political opinions of Ahenobarbus coincided with those of Cato; he was throughout his life one of the strongest supporters the aristocratical party. He took an active part opposing the measures of Julius Caesar
and Pompey, and in 59 BC was accused, at the instigation of Caesar, of being an accomplice to the pretended conspiracy
against Pompey
's life.
Ahenobarbus was praetor
in 58 BC. He was candidate for the consulship
of 55 BC, and threatened that he would in his consulship carry into execution the measures he had proposed in his praetorship, and deprive Caesar of his province. He was defeated, however, by Pompey and Crassus, who became candidates, and was driven from the Campus Martius
on the day of election by force of arms. He became a candidate again in the following year, and Caesar and Pompey, whose power was firmly established, did not oppose him. He was accordingly elected consul for 54 BC with Appius Claudius Pulcher, a relation of Pompey
's, but was not able to effect anything against Caesar and Pompey. Both men were involved in an election scandal that year. He did not go to a province at the expiration of his consulship; and as the friendship between Caesar and Pompey cooled, he became closely allied with the latter.
Ahenobarbus was the elected magistrate presiding over the trial against Titus Annius Milo
in 52 BC for the murder of Publius Clodius, as related by Asconius' summary of Cicero
's Pro Milone. For the next two or three years during Cicero
's absence in Cilicia
, our information about Ahenobarbus is principally derived from the letters of his enemy Coelius to Cicero. In 50 BC he was a candidate for the place in the college of augur
s, left vacant by the death of Quintus Hortensius
, but was defeated by Mark Antony
through the influence of Caesar.
The senate appointed him to succeed Caesar as governor of the province of further Gaul
, and on the march of Caesar into Italy in 49 BC, he was the only one of the aristocratical party who showed any energy or courage. He threw himself into Corfinium
with about twenty cohort
s, expecting to be supported by Pompey; but as the latter did nothing to assist him, he was compelled by his own troops to surrender to Caesar. His soldiers were incorporated into Caesar's army, but Ahenobarbus was dismissed by Caesar uninjured—-an act of clemency which he did not expect, and which he would certainly not have shown, if he had been the conqueror. Despairing of life, he ordered his doctor to give to him poison, but the latter gave him only a sleeping draught. Ahenobarbus' feelings against Caesar remained unaltered, but he was too deeply offended by the conduct of Pompey to join him immediately. He retired for a short time to Cosa
in Etruria
, and afterwards sailed to Massilia, which he defended against Caesar. He prosecuted the war vigorously against Caesar; but the town was eventually taken, and Ahenobarbus escaped in a vessel, which was the only one that got off.
Ahenobarbus now went to Pompey
in Thessaly
, and proposed that after the war all senators should be brought to trial who had remained neutral in it. Cicero
, whom he branded as a coward, was not a little afraid of him. He was killed just after the Battle of Pharsalus
in 48 BC, in which he commanded the left wing against Publius Sulla. He was struck down trying to escape after the city had fallen. According to Cicero's assertion in the second Philippic
, Mark Antony
himself struck the blow that killed him. Ahenobarbus was a man of great energy of character; he remained firm to his political principles, but was unscrupulous in the means he employed to maintain them.
The poet Lucan
makes Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus a significant character in book 7 of his Pharsalia
(he is called "Domitius"). Domitius is significant in the poem because he is the only known senator who died supporting Pompey at Pharsalia
, and thus is a symbol of the dying republic. Additionally, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus is Nero
's great-great-grandfather and shares Nero's birth name.
He was the son of Gn. Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 96 BC), and the father of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
(consul 32 BC).
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and a strong supporter of the aristocratic party in the late Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
.
He is first mentioned in 70 BC by Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
as a witness against Verres
Verres
Gaius Verres was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. It is not known what gens he belonged to, though some give him the nomen Licinius.-As governor:...
. In 61 BC he was curule aedile, when he exhibited a hundred Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
n lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, and continued the games so long that the people were obliged to leave the circus before the exhibition was over, in order to take food, which was the first time they had done so. This pause in the games was called diludium. He married Porcia
Porcia (sister of Cato the Younger)
Porcia, also known as Porcia Catonis or Porcia the Elder was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus and Livia Drusa. She was the elder sister of Cato the Younger and the younger half-sister of Servilia Caepionis, the younger Servilia and Quintus Servilius Caepio...
, the sister of Cato the Younger
Cato the Younger
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis , commonly known as Cato the Younger to distinguish him from his great-grandfather , was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic, and a follower of the Stoic philosophy...
, and in his aedile
Aedile
Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
ship supported the latter in his proposals against bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
at elections, which were directed against Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, who was purchasing votes for Afranius
Lucius Afranius (consul)
Lucius Afranius was an ancient Roman legatus and client of Pompey the Great. He served with Pompey during his Iberian campaigns against Sertorius in the late 70s BC, and remained in his service right through to the Civil War. He died after the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC.-Early career:Lucius...
. The political opinions of Ahenobarbus coincided with those of Cato; he was throughout his life one of the strongest supporters the aristocratical party. He took an active part opposing the measures of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and Pompey, and in 59 BC was accused, at the instigation of Caesar, of being an accomplice to the pretended conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
against Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
's life.
Ahenobarbus was praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 58 BC. He was candidate for the consulship
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
of 55 BC, and threatened that he would in his consulship carry into execution the measures he had proposed in his praetorship, and deprive Caesar of his province. He was defeated, however, by Pompey and Crassus, who became candidates, and was driven from the Campus Martius
Campus Martius
The Campus Martius , was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome...
on the day of election by force of arms. He became a candidate again in the following year, and Caesar and Pompey, whose power was firmly established, did not oppose him. He was accordingly elected consul for 54 BC with Appius Claudius Pulcher, a relation of Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
's, but was not able to effect anything against Caesar and Pompey. Both men were involved in an election scandal that year. He did not go to a province at the expiration of his consulship; and as the friendship between Caesar and Pompey cooled, he became closely allied with the latter.
Ahenobarbus was the elected magistrate presiding over the trial against Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo Papianus was a Roman political agitator, the son of Gaius Papius Celsus, but adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus...
in 52 BC for the murder of Publius Clodius, as related by Asconius' summary of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
's Pro Milone. For the next two or three years during Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
's absence in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, our information about Ahenobarbus is principally derived from the letters of his enemy Coelius to Cicero. In 50 BC he was a candidate for the place in the college of augur
Augur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
s, left vacant by the death of Quintus Hortensius
Quintus Hortensius
Quintus Hortensius Hortalus was a Roman orator and advocate.At the age of nineteen he made his first speech at the bar, and shortly afterwards successfully defended Nicomedes IV of Bithynia, one of Rome's dependants in the East, who had been deprived of his throne by his brother. From that time...
, but was defeated by Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
through the influence of Caesar.
The senate appointed him to succeed Caesar as governor of the province of further Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, and on the march of Caesar into Italy in 49 BC, he was the only one of the aristocratical party who showed any energy or courage. He threw himself into Corfinium
Corfinium
Corfinium was a city in Ancient Italy, on the eastern side of the Apennines, due east of Rome. It is now near the modern Corfinio, in the province of L'Aquila .-History:...
with about twenty cohort
Cohort (military unit)
A cohort was the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion following the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC.-Legionary cohort:...
s, expecting to be supported by Pompey; but as the latter did nothing to assist him, he was compelled by his own troops to surrender to Caesar. His soldiers were incorporated into Caesar's army, but Ahenobarbus was dismissed by Caesar uninjured—-an act of clemency which he did not expect, and which he would certainly not have shown, if he had been the conqueror. Despairing of life, he ordered his doctor to give to him poison, but the latter gave him only a sleeping draught. Ahenobarbus' feelings against Caesar remained unaltered, but he was too deeply offended by the conduct of Pompey to join him immediately. He retired for a short time to Cosa
Cosa
Cosa was a Latin colonia founded under Roman influence in southwestern Tuscany in 273 BC, perhaps on land confiscated from the Etruscans...
in Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
, and afterwards sailed to Massilia, which he defended against Caesar. He prosecuted the war vigorously against Caesar; but the town was eventually taken, and Ahenobarbus escaped in a vessel, which was the only one that got off.
Ahenobarbus now went to Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, and proposed that after the war all senators should be brought to trial who had remained neutral in it. Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, whom he branded as a coward, was not a little afraid of him. He was killed just after the Battle of Pharsalus
Battle of Pharsalus
The Battle of Pharsalus was a decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War. On 9 August 48 BC at Pharsalus in central Greece, Gaius Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the republic under the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus...
in 48 BC, in which he commanded the left wing against Publius Sulla. He was struck down trying to escape after the city had fallen. According to Cicero's assertion in the second Philippic
Philippic
A philippic is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term originates with Demosthenes, who delivered several attacks on Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC....
, Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
himself struck the blow that killed him. Ahenobarbus was a man of great energy of character; he remained firm to his political principles, but was unscrupulous in the means he employed to maintain them.
The poet Lucan
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus , better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman poet, born in Corduba , in the Hispania Baetica. Despite his short life, he is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period...
makes Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus a significant character in book 7 of his Pharsalia
Pharsalia
The Pharsalia is a Roman epic poem by the poet Lucan, telling of the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Great...
(he is called "Domitius"). Domitius is significant in the poem because he is the only known senator who died supporting Pompey at Pharsalia
Pharsalia
The Pharsalia is a Roman epic poem by the poet Lucan, telling of the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Great...
, and thus is a symbol of the dying republic. Additionally, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus is Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
's great-great-grandfather and shares Nero's birth name.
He was the son of Gn. Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 96 BC), and the father of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 32 BC)
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was a general and politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BC.-Life:Ahenobarbus was captured with his father, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, at Corfinium in 49 BC, and was present at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, but did not take any further part in the war...
(consul 32 BC).