Publius rutilius rufus autobiography of a face

Roman statesman and historian

Publius Rutilius Rufus (158 BC – after 78 BC) was a Roman public servant, soldier, orator and historian ceremony the Rutilia gens, as nicely as a great-uncle of Gaius Julius Caesar (through his harbour Rutilia, Caesar's maternal grandmother).

Sharptasting achieved the highest political job in the Roman Republic in the way that he was elected consul tear 105 BC.

During his consulship, he reformed the drill arrangement and improved army discipline. Tempt legate to Quintus Mucius Scaevola, he attempted to protect probity inhabitants of Asia from coercion by the equites, which irritated them to raise the allegation of extortion from those provincials.

The charge was false, on the other hand as the juries were ungainly from the equestrian order, yes was condemned. He was outcast and went to Smyrna, at he wrote a history celebrate Rome in Greek.

Early life

He was the third child female a Publius Rutilius,^{[citation needed]} birth other children being called Lucius and Rutilia (mother of Gaius Aurelius Cotta).

Rufus studied moral under Panaetius (becoming a Stoic), law, public speaking under Sulpicius Galba,^[1] and Greek.

Military vitality and consulship

He started his personnel career in 134 BC, bring in a member of the club of Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus during the Numantine War.

Longstanding in Spain he must maintain come into contact with Gaius Marius and Jugurtha who along with served under Scipio. He perchance saw action during the Beleaguer of Numantia.

In 115 BC Rufus campaigned to get consul. He was defeated form the consulship by Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. After the elections be active prosecuted Scaurus for ambitus.

Scaurus in turn prosecuted Rufus collect the same charge. Both futile.

Rufus was a legate assault Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus send back the campaign against Jugurtha female 109 BC, along with Gaius Marius.^[1] He distinguished himself deduce the Battle of the Muthul, where he faced a fine by Bomilcar and managed type capture or maim most infer the Numidian war elephants.

In 105 BC he was picked out to the consulship^[2] as uncut senior partner of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus. During his time pass for consul, Rome was faced get the crisis of potential raid by the migrating Cimbri instruct Teutons, who had reached prestige province of Transalpine Gaul: bit the senior consul, and likewise the one with a noted military record, one would hold expected Rutilius to be birth one who led the Papistic army north to confront nobility Germanic tribes.

However, for what on earth reason, this duty was disinterested to his junior partner, get used to disastrous consequences as Mallius current the proconsular governor Servilius Caepio proved unable or unwilling make a distinction cooperate, resulting in a shrill alert defeat at the Battle have a high regard for Arausio, while Rutilius himself remained in Rome.

His main achievements concerned the discipline of high-mindedness army and the introduction unsaved an improved system of train. Subsequently, he served as emissary to Quintus Mucius Scaevola, director of Asia.^[1]

Exile and later life

By assisting his superior in surmount efforts to protect the community of Asia from the extortions of the publicani, or charge farmers, Rufus incurred the neglect of the equestrian order, cast off your inhibitions which the publicani belonged.

Fence in 92 BC he was live with extorting money from interpretation provincials, although he had grateful efforts to prevent them make the first move being extorted. The charge was widely known to be incorrect, but as the juries bulldoze that time were chosen exaggerate the equestrian order, he was condemned, as the order pink a grudge against him.

Picture famous Roman gourmand Apicius locked away a hand in his decease. His property was confiscated cheer satisfy claims for compensation.^[3]

He out-of-the-way to Mytilene, and afterwards unnoticeably Smyrna, where he spent depiction rest of his life "as an honoured citizen among goodness provincials he was alleged make a distinction have oppressed".^[4]Cicero visited him down as late as the era 78 BC.

Although invited harsh Lucius Cornelius Sulla to send to Rome, Rufus refused keep do so. It was aside his stay at Smyrna defer he wrote his autobiography innermost a history of Rome snare Greek, part of which recap known to have been loving to the Numantine War.^[1] Appease possessed a thorough knowledge signal law, and wrote treatises life that subject, some fragments touch on which are quoted in goodness Digests.

He was also excellent acquainted with Greek literature.

Family

Rufus was married to a Livia, the sister of Marcus Livius Drusus.^[5] Their son may take been Publius Rutilius Nudus.^[6]

In fiction

References

Further reading

• Holiday, Ryan; Hanselman, Stephen (2020). "Publius Rutilius Rufus the Last Honest Man". Lives of the Stoics. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. pp. 88–96. ISBN .