Lucius Licinius Lucullus
Lucius Licinius Lucullus was a prominent Roman general and politician from a distinguished lineage, being related by marriage to the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. His military career began in 88 BCE during the first Marian-Sullan civil war, where he served as a military tribune under Sulla. Lucullus's strategic capabilities were highlighted during the first Mithridatic Wars, where he played a significant role, including impressing a fleet for Sulla. His loyalty to Sulla, however, had repercussions, as his refusal to assist a rival eventually led to prolonged conflict with Mithradates VI Eupator.
Later, as consul during the Third Mithridatic War, Lucullus commanded Roman forces in challenging campaigns for eight years, facing difficulties both from his opponents and within his ranks due to his strict discipline. Ultimately, he was relieved of command, which was handed over to Pompey the Great, who swiftly concluded the conflict. In his later years, Lucullus became embroiled in political disputes and was known for his extravagant lifestyle at his villa. His legacy is marked by his political maneuvers that contributed to the tensions leading to the civil war between Pompey and Julius Caesar, significantly impacting the trajectory of the Roman Republic.
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Lucius Licinius Lucullus
Related civilization: Republican Rome
Major role/position: Military leader
Life
Descended from the consular families of the Licinii Luculli and the Metelli, Lucius Licinius Lucullus (lew-SHEE-uhs li-SIHN-ee-uhs lew-KUHL-uhs) was related to the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla by marriage. He began his career in 88 b.c.e. as military tribune under Sulla in the first Marian-Sullan civil war and followed Sulla to the East, serving as quaestor and legate in the first of the Mithridatic Wars (89-84 b.c.e.). He impressed a fleet for Sulla from Crete, Cyrene, Cyprus, Rhodes, Cos, Cnidus, and Colophon, but in 85 b.c.e., his loyalty to Sulla led him to refuse assistance to Fimbria, then besieging Mithradates VI Eupator in Pitane. As a result, Mithradates escaped, and ultimately Rome fought two more wars to defeat Mithradates. Upon the outbreak of the Third Mithradatic War (75-65 b.c.e.), Lucullus, then consul, used his connections to obtain the command against Mithradates. Lucullus spent the next eight years in bitter, difficult fighting in Pontus and Armenia. In the end, after angering both the Roman bankers (he curtailed indemnity from the Asian cities from the first war) and his own troops (by his rigid discipline and unceasing demands), Lucullus was stripped of the command, which was given to Pompey the Great, who then quickly ended the war and conquered the East.
Upon his return to Rome, Lucullus’s last years were given to political affairs—defending lawsuits over his conduct in the East, fighting three years to obtain a triumph, and obstructing the policies of Pompey at all turns. He retired to his luxurious villa and gardens in 58 b.c.e., where he gained notoriety for his luxurious lifestyle, and died there, probably a victim of Alzheimer’s disease, in early 56 b.c.e.
Influence
Ultimately, despite his victories in the East, Lucullus’s legacy revolves around his obstruction of the policies of Pompey, which, combined with the support of the Optimates in the senate, drove Pompey into secret alliances for control of the state with Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Titus Annius Milo, a situation that ultimately led to Pompey’s civil war with Caesar and the destruction of the Roman Republic.
Bibliography
Arkenberg, Jerome S. “Licinii Murenae, Terentii Varrones, and Varrones Murenae: A Prosopographical Study of Three Roman Families.” Historia 42:3 (1993): 326-351.
Greenhalgh, Peter. Pompey: The Roman Alexander. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1981.
Gruen, Erich S. The Last Generation of the Roman Republic. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974.
Keaveney, Arthur. Lucullus: A Life. London: Routledge, 1992.