Pompeius Strabo
Encyclopedia
Gnaeus Pompeius
Strabo (died 87 BC), whose cognomen
means "cross eyed
", is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo to distinguish him from Strabo
, the geographer
. Strabo lived in the Roman Republic
. Strabo was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum
(modern Marche
& Abruzzo
) a rural district in Northern Italy
, off the Adriatic
coast. Strabo's mother was called Lucilia. Lucilia’s family originated from Suessa Aurunca (modern Sessa Aurunca
) and she was a sister of satire poet Gaius Lucilius
. Lucilius was a friend of Roman general Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
. Strabo’s paternal grandfather was Gnaeus Pompeius, while his father was Sextus Pompeius. His elder brother was Sextus Pompeius
and his sister was Pompeia
. His brother was the father of another Sextus Pompeius and Quintus Pompeius, the first of whom was the father of another Sextus Pompeius, Consul in 35 BC (not to be confused with Sextus Pompeius, enemy of the Triumvirate, who died the same year), in turn the father of still another Sextus Pompeius.
Strabo became the first of his branch of the gens
Pompeia to achieve senatorial status in Rome
, despite the anti-rural prejudice of the Roman Senate
. After proving his military talent, he climbed the cursus honorum
and became promagistrate
in Sicily 93 BC and consul
in the year 89 BC, in the midst of the Social War.
Strabo commanded Roman forces against the Italian Allies in the northern part of Italy
. His three Roman legion
s were instrumental in Rome's victory. After his consulship and the war, he retired to Picenum
with all of his veteran soldiers. Optimates gave his army to Pompeius Rufus, the new consul. This caused Pompeius Rufus to be murdered by Strabo’s soldiers. He remained there until 87 BC, when he responded to the Optimates' request for help against Marian Party. Strabo had the habit of playing both ends against the middle in the intense politics of the period. For this Rutilius Rufus referred to him as "the vilest man alive".
In 87 BC Strabo was killed by lightning. His avarice and cruelty had made him hated by the soldiers to such a degree that they tore his corpse from the bier and dragged it through the streets. Cicero describes him (Brut. 47) as "worthy of hatred on account of his cruelty, avarice, and perfidy." His son took the legions back to Picenum once again.
Strabo married a Roman woman whose name is unknown. He had at least two children: a son, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great or Pompey
the triumvir, who took as his fourth wife Julia
(the daughter of dictator
Gaius Julius Caesar
), and a daughter called Pompeia
.
In his honor his name was given to the cities of Alba Pompeia and Laus Pompeia.
Pompeius
Pompeius , sometimes anglicized as Pompey, is the nomen of the gens Pompeia, an important family of ancient Rome from the Italian region of Picenum, which lies between the Apennines and the Adriatic...
Strabo (died 87 BC), whose cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
means "cross eyed
Strabismus
Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...
", is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo to distinguish him from Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, the geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
. Strabo lived in the 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...
. Strabo was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
(modern Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
& Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
) a rural district in Northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, off the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
coast. Strabo's mother was called Lucilia. Lucilia’s family originated from Suessa Aurunca (modern Sessa Aurunca
Sessa Aurunca
Sessa Aurunca is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta. It located on the south west slope of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, 40 km by rail west north west of Caserta and 30 km east of Formia....
) and she was a sister of satire poet Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius , the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain, was a Roman citizen of the equestrian class, born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania.-The Problem of his birthdate:...
. Lucilius was a friend of Roman general Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Numantinus , also known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a leading general and politician of the ancient Roman Republic...
. Strabo’s paternal grandfather was Gnaeus Pompeius, while his father was Sextus Pompeius. His elder brother was Sextus Pompeius
Sextus Pompeius (relatives of triumvir Pompey)
This article is about Sextus Pompeius, the paternal uncle of triumvir Pompey and the descendants from Pompey’s uncle. For Pompey’s son of the same name, see Sextus Pompey.-Brother to Pompeius Strabo:...
and his sister was Pompeia
Pompeia (sister of Pompeius Strabo)
Pompeia was a Roman woman. Pompeia was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum a rural district in Northern Italy, off the Adriatic Coast....
. His brother was the father of another Sextus Pompeius and Quintus Pompeius, the first of whom was the father of another Sextus Pompeius, Consul in 35 BC (not to be confused with Sextus Pompeius, enemy of the Triumvirate, who died the same year), in turn the father of still another Sextus Pompeius.
Strabo became the first of his branch of the gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Pompeia to achieve senatorial status in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, despite the anti-rural prejudice of the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
. After proving his military talent, he climbed the cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
and became promagistrate
Promagistrate
A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the promagistracy was invented in order to provide Rome with governors of overseas territories instead of having to elect...
in Sicily 93 BC and 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 the year 89 BC, in the midst of the Social War.
Strabo commanded Roman forces against the Italian Allies in the northern part of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. His three Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s were instrumental in Rome's victory. After his consulship and the war, he retired to Picenum
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
with all of his veteran soldiers. Optimates gave his army to Pompeius Rufus, the new consul. This caused Pompeius Rufus to be murdered by Strabo’s soldiers. He remained there until 87 BC, when he responded to the Optimates' request for help against Marian Party. Strabo had the habit of playing both ends against the middle in the intense politics of the period. For this Rutilius Rufus referred to him as "the vilest man alive".
In 87 BC Strabo was killed by lightning. His avarice and cruelty had made him hated by the soldiers to such a degree that they tore his corpse from the bier and dragged it through the streets. Cicero describes him (Brut. 47) as "worthy of hatred on account of his cruelty, avarice, and perfidy." His son took the legions back to Picenum once again.
Strabo married a Roman woman whose name is unknown. He had at least two children: a son, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great or Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
the triumvir, who took as his fourth wife Julia
Julia (daughter of Julius Caesar)
Julia Caesaris , 83 or 82 BC-54 BC, was the daughter of Gaius Julius Caesar the Roman dictator, by his first wife, Cornelia Cinna, and his only child in marriage. Julia became the fourth wife of Pompey the Great and was renowned for her beauty and virtue.-Life:Julia was born around 83 BC–82 BC...
(the daughter of dictator
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
Gaius 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 a daughter called Pompeia
Pompeia (sister of triumvir Pompey)
Pompeia was a Roman noblewoman of plebs status. Her mother was an unnamed Roman woman and her father was the consul and general Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo. Pompeia’s brother was the triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus or Pompey the Great...
.
In his honor his name was given to the cities of Alba Pompeia and Laus Pompeia.
Sources
- Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2002
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1930.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2808.html