Quintus Dellius
Encyclopedia
Quintus Dellius was a Roman commander and politician in the second half of the 1st century BC.
He was a political opportunist and was called desultor
bellorum civilium (horse changer of the civil war) by Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
. He received this name because he deserted from Publius Cornelius Dolabella
to Gaius Cassius Longinus
in 43 BC
, from Cassius to Mark Antony
in 42 BC
, and finally from Antony to Octavian
in 31 BC
.
Dellius was more than ten years an intimate friend of Antony, who used him mainly for diplomatic missions. In 41 BC
, he traveled by Antony’s order to Alexandria
to summon the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII to Tarsus
in Cilicia
. There she was to answer for the money that she allegedly had sent to Gaius Cassius for his war against Antony and Octavian. In 40 BC
or 39 BC
, Antony sent him to Judaea
to help Herod the Great
with the expulsion of the usurper Antigonus
. In 36 BC
or 35 BC
, Dellius negotiated with Herod, that the Jewish King should appoint the young brother of his wife Mariamne
, Aristobulus
, high priest. Dellius also participated in Antony’s campaign against the Parthian Empire
in 36 BC. Two years later he was ordered to persuade the Armenian king Artavasdes II
to wed his four year old daughter to the six year old Alexander Helios
, the son of Antony and Cleopatra VII. It is doubtful if this diplomatic mission was serious because Antony soon cunningly caught the Armenian king and his family.
Dellius liked to make mocking remarks and he was allegedly the matchmaker for Antony to satisfy his erotic passions. Therefore Cleopatra could not stand him.
When Antony fought his last war against Octavian (31 BC) Dellius accompanied his superior to Greece. He recruited reinforcement troops in Macedonia
and Thrace
when the situation for Antony deteriorated more and more. Just before the Battle of Actium
Dellius changed sides to Octavian and betrayed him Antony’s plans for the last fight. He justified his changeover with his fear, that Cleopatra VII wanted to murder him. Dellius was held in high regard by the first Roman emperor. According to the commentator Porphyrio the poet Horace
addressed an ode (2.3) to Dellius.
Dellius also wrote a historical work that was dealing with Antony’s war against Parthia, in which he had participated. Therefore it is often assumed that he was the source of Plutarch and Strabo in their account of this campaign.
's Antony and Cleopatra
as an unprincipled friend of Mark Antony
.
He was a political opportunist and was called desultor
Desultor
In antiquity, the term "apobates" or "desultor" has been applied to individuals skilled at leaping from one horse or chariot to another....
bellorum civilium (horse changer of the civil war) by Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus was a Roman general, author and patron of literature and art.-Family:He was the son of politician Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger Although, some dispute his parentage and claim another descendant of Marcus Valerius Corvus to be his father.Messalla Corvinus is...
. He received this name because he deserted from Publius Cornelius Dolabella
Publius Cornelius Dolabella
Publius Cornelius Dolabella was a Roman general, by far the most important of the Dolabellae. He arranged for himself to be adopted by a plebeian so that he could become a Tribune.. He married Cicero's daughter Tullia Ciceronis...
to Gaius Cassius Longinus
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Gaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
in 43 BC
43 BC
Year 43 BC was either a common year starting on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday or a leap year starting on Sunday or Monday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Monday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, from Cassius to 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...
in 42 BC
42 BC
Year 42 BC was either a common year starting on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, and finally from Antony to Octavian
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
in 31 BC
31 BC
Year 31 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday or Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
.
Dellius was more than ten years an intimate friend of Antony, who used him mainly for diplomatic missions. In 41 BC
41 BC
Year 41 BC was either a common year starting on Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, he traveled by Antony’s order to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
to summon the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII to Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
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...
. There she was to answer for the money that she allegedly had sent to Gaius Cassius for his war against Antony and Octavian. In 40 BC
40 BC
Year 40 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday or a leap year starting on Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
or 39 BC
39 BC
Year 39 BC was either a common year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Saturday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, Antony sent him to Judaea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
to help Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
with the expulsion of the usurper Antigonus
Antigonus the Hasmonean
Antigonus II Mattathias was the last Hasmonean king of Judea. He was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea...
. In 36 BC
36 BC
Year 36 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
or 35 BC
35 BC
Year 35 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday or Friday or a leap year starting on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, Dellius negotiated with Herod, that the Jewish King should appoint the young brother of his wife Mariamne
Mariamne (second wife of Herod)
Mariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus...
, Aristobulus
Aristobulus III of Judea
Aristobulus III was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and paternal grandson of Aristobulus II. He was a favorite of the people on account of his noble descent and handsome presence, and thus became an object of fear to Herod, who at first...
, high priest. Dellius also participated in Antony’s campaign against the Parthian Empire
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
in 36 BC. Two years later he was ordered to persuade the Armenian king Artavasdes II
Artavasdes II of Armenia
King Artavasdes II ruled Armenia from 53 to 34 BC. He succeeded his father, Tigranes the Great. Artavasdes was an ally of Rome, but when Orodes II of Parthia invaded Armenia following his victory over the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, he was forced to...
to wed his four year old daughter to the six year old Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios was a Ptolemaic prince and was the eldest son of Greek Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman triumvir Mark Antony. His twin was Cleopatra Selene II. He was of Greek and Roman heritage. Cleopatra named him Alexander in honour of her Macedonian heritage, and after her...
, the son of Antony and Cleopatra VII. It is doubtful if this diplomatic mission was serious because Antony soon cunningly caught the Armenian king and his family.
Dellius liked to make mocking remarks and he was allegedly the matchmaker for Antony to satisfy his erotic passions. Therefore Cleopatra could not stand him.
When Antony fought his last war against Octavian (31 BC) Dellius accompanied his superior to Greece. He recruited reinforcement troops in Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
when the situation for Antony deteriorated more and more. Just before the Battle of Actium
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman...
Dellius changed sides to Octavian and betrayed him Antony’s plans for the last fight. He justified his changeover with his fear, that Cleopatra VII wanted to murder him. Dellius was held in high regard by the first Roman emperor. According to the commentator Porphyrio the poet Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
addressed an ode (2.3) to Dellius.
Dellius also wrote a historical work that was dealing with Antony’s war against Parthia, in which he had participated. Therefore it is often assumed that he was the source of Plutarch and Strabo in their account of this campaign.
Fictional portrayals
Quintus Dellius is portrayed in Colleen McCulloughColleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
's Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra (novel)
Antony and Cleopatra is the seventh and purposely last novel in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.- Plot summary :McCullough continues her Masters of Rome series with the seventh and final installment, Antony and Cleopatra...
as an unprincipled friend of 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...
.