sulla primary sources

Sulla rose to prominence during the war against the Numidian king Jugurtha, whom he captured as a result of Jugurtha's betrayal by the king's allies, although his superior Gaius Marius took credit for ending the war. The Senate moved the senatus consultum ultimum against him and was successful in levying large amount of men and materiel from the Italians. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are made . Pompey was then dispatched to recover Sicily. [21], This article is about the Roman dictator. Editor: Paul Halsall. Marius was elected consul and, through assignment by tribunician legislation, took over the campaign. For other uses, see, Portrait of Sulla on a denarius minted in 54 BC by his grandson, They were designed to regulate Rome's finances, which were in a very sorry state after all the years of continual warfare. [66] Buttressed by success against Rome's traditional enemies, the Samnites, and general Roman victory across Italy, Sulla stood for and was elected easily to the consulship of 88BC; his colleague would be Quintus Pompeius Rufus. In 89BC, one of the tribunes of the plebs passed the lex Plautia Papiria, which granted citizenship to all of the allies (with exception for the Samnites and Lucanians still under arms). He also divorced his then-wife Cloelia and married Metella, widow of the recently-deceased Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. [90] By the end of 87BC, Cinna and Marius had besieged Rome and taken the city, killed consul Gnaeus Octavius, massacred their political enemies, and declared Sulla an outlaw; they then had themselves elected consuls for 86BC. His colleague was, 79 BC: Retires from political life, refusing the, 78 BC: Dies, perhaps of an intestinal ulcer, with funeral held in Rome, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 11:05. He used his powers to purge his opponents, and reform Roman constitutional laws, to restore the primacy of the Senate and limit the power of the tribunes of the plebs. Upon his arrival, Sulla had his quaestor Lucullus order Sura, who had vitally delayed Mithridates' advances into Greece, to retreat back into Macedonia. Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and is assistant head for academic life at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. Sarah is the . Sulla | Biography, Civil War, Roman Dictator, & Facts [23] The means by which Sulla attained the fortune which later would enable him to ascend the ladder of Roman politics are not clear; Plutarch refers to two inheritances, one from his stepmother (who loved him dearly) and the other from his mistress Nicopolis. Plutarch states in his Life of Sulla that "Sulla now began to make blood flow, and he filled the city with deaths without number or limit," further alleging that many of the murdered victims had nothing to do with Sulla, though Sulla killed them to "please his adherents.". His troops prepared the ground by starting to dig a series of three trenches, which successfully contained Pontic cavalry. Beginning Research Activities Student activities designed to help . Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, History, XIV.16: "The Luxury of the Rich in Rome," c. 400 A.D. [139][140], Sulla's goal now was to write his memoirs, which he finished in 78 BC, just before his death. He never allowed his debaucheries to interfere with his duties but he devoted all his leisure time to them. After the battle, Marius withdrew to Praeneste and was there besieged. [53], Relations between Rome and its allies (the socii), had deteriorated over the years up to 91BC. The Senate immediately sent an embassy demanding an explanation for his seeming march on the fatherland, to which Sulla responded boldly, saying that he was freeing it from tyrants. [24] Keaveney 2005, pp. His enemy, Lucius Cornelius Cinna, was elected consul for 87BC in place of his candidate;[83] his nephew was rejected as plebeian tribune while Marius' nephew was successful. This led him to a secret deal with Marius, who had for years been coveting another military command, in which Marius would support Sulpicius' Italian legislation in exchange for a law transferring Sulla's command to Marius. [98] He separately besieged Athens and Piraeus (the Long Walls had since been demolished). His primary duty was the defeat of Mithridates and the re-establishment of Roman power in the east. Sulla's law waived the sponsio, allowing such cases to be heard without it. [37], Starting in 104BC, Marius moved to reform the defeated Roman armies in southern Gaul. Proscribing or outlawing every one of those whom he perceived to have acted against the best interests of the Republic while he was in the east, Sulla ordered some 1,500 nobles (i.e. [59] Sulla served as one of the legates in the southern theatre assigned to consul Lucius Julius Caesar. Primary Sources: The 1960s: Selma to Montgomery March (1965) to the Birth of the Roman Empire (1969). Revised on November 11, 2022. [126] Sulla's specific movements are very vaguely described in Appian, but he was successful in preventing the Italians from relieving Praeneste or joining with Carbo. And for his consular colleague, he attempted to transfer to him the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo's army. Categories . As such, he sought to strengthen the aristocracy, and thus the Senate. [137][15] In a manner that the historian Suetonius thought arrogant, Julius Caesar later mocked Sulla for resigning the dictatorship. Primary Sources Sallust. [35], In 104BC, the Cimbri and the Teutones, two Germanic tribes who had bested the Roman legions on several occasions, seemed to again be heading for Italy. The veto power of the tribunes and their legislating authority were soon reinstated, ironically during the consulships of Pompey and Crassus.[150]. The proceeds from auctioned property more than made up for the cost of rewarding those who killed the proscribed, filling the treasury. [107], Mithridates, still in Asia, was faced with local uprisings against his rule. Sulla is generally seen as having set the precedent for Caesar's march on Rome and dictatorship. Sulla's First Civil War (88-87 BC) - HistoryOfWar.org Find & Discover | Primary Sources at Yale Sulla's body was cremated and his ashes placed in his tomb in the Campus Martius. The law was vetoed by one of the tribunes, but when Quintus Pompeius Rufus went to Pompey Strabo's army to take command under the Senate's authority, he was promptly assassinated after his arrival and assumption of command, almost certainly on Strabo's orders. Sulla's career is recounted in detail in Howard Hayes Scullard, From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 B.C. [17], One story, "as false as it is charming", relates that when Sulla was a baby, his nurse was carrying him around the streets, until a strange woman walked up to her and said, "Puer tibi et reipublicae tuae felix", which can be translated as, "The boy will be a source of luck to you and your state". You may copy and distribute the translations and commentaries in this resource, or parts of such translations and commentaries, in any medium . 1963), and Stewart Perowne, Death of the Roman Republic: From 146 B.C. Taking Action: Benefits for students that extend beyond the classroom. Sulla's military coup was enabled by Marius's military reforms, that bound the army's loyalty with the general rather than to the Roman Republic, and permanently destabilized the Roman power structure. Encyclopedias. The personal motto was "no better friend, no worse enemy.". A research article or study proving this would be a primary source. Even those whom Sulla had quarrelled with (including Publius Cornelius Cethegus, whom Sulla had outlawed in 88 BC) defected to join his side. PDF The Emperor Nero: A Guide to the Ancient Sources - Introduction Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using [155] Plutarch notes that Sulla considered that "his golden head of hair gave him a singular appearance. The Battle of Chaeronea was fought in early summer around the same time the Athenian acropolis was taken. [113] The extra time spent in Asia, moreover, equipped him with forces and money later put to good use in Italy. Textbook passages discussing specific concepts, events, and experiments. Primary sources are most often produced around the time of the events you are studying. Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 BCE) was a ruthless military commander, who first distinguished himself in the Numidian War under the command of Gaius Marius.His relationship with Marius soured during the conflicts that would follow and lead to a rivalry which would only end with Marius' death.Sulla eventually seized control of the Republic, named himself dictator, and after eliminating his . To this end, he reaffirmed the requirement that any individual wait for 10 years before being re-elected to any office. [59] Sulla attempted also to assist Lucius' relief of the city of Aesernia, which was under siege, but both men were unsuccessful. Years later, in 91BC, Bocchus paid for the erection of gilded equestrian statue depicting Sulla's capture of Jugurtha. 719-549-2333. Primary sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical . In 46 BC Julius Caesar appointed him governor of the province of Africa. [41] After the failure of negotiations, the Romans and Cimbri engaged in the Battle of the Raudian Field in which the Cimbri were routed and destroyed. In fact, many sources can be either primary or secondary depending on the context of the research and of the source itself. Resigning his dictatorship in 79 BC, Sulla retired to private life and died the following year. Sulla's body was brought into the city on a golden bier, escorted by his veteran soldiers, and funeral orations were delivered by several eminent senators, with the main oration possibly delivered by Lucius Marcius Philippus or Hortensius. Social War | Roman history | Britannica [44], His term as praetor was largely uneventful, excepting a public dispute with Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo (possibly his brother-in-law) and his magnificent holding of the ludi Apollinares. 1011 accepts these inheritances without much comment and places them around Sulla's turning thirty years of age. Primary Source Terms:. [67], Sulla's election to the consulship, successful likely due to his military success in 89BC, was not uncontested. With military and diplomatic victory, his political fortunes seemed positive. [97], Early in 87BC, Sulla transited the Adriatic for Thessaly with his five legions. Sulla, in southern Italy, operated largely defensively on Lucius Julius Caesar's flank while the consul conducted offensive campaigning. The ancient biography of Sulla written by Plutarch is useful. He declined battle with Pontus at the hill Philoboetus near Chaeronea before manoeuvring to capture higher ground and build earthworks. Sulla was the first Roman magistrate to meet a Parthian ambassador. The Roman general and dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 B.C.) They were, however, successful in holding Macedonia, then governed by propraetor Gaius Sentius and his legate Quintus Bruttius Sura. Primary Sources on Copyright - Record Viewer [114], The general feeling in Italy, however, was decidedly anti-Sullan; many people feared Sulla's wrath and still held memories of his extremely unpopular occupation of Rome during his consulship. What is a Primary Source? - Library Research Guide for the History of [123], After the younger Marius' defeat, Sulla had the Samnite war captives massacred, which triggered an uprising in his rear. [94] While Rome was preparing to move against Pontus, Mithridates arranged the massacre of some eighty thousand Roman and Italian expatriates and their families, confiscating any available properties. Published by at 29, 2022. under Gaius Marius in the wars against the Numidian rebel Jugurtha. Church and W. J. Brodribb. [100] The Pontic casualties given in Plutarch and Appian, the main sources for the battles, are exaggerated; Sulla's report that he suffered merely fifteen losses is not credible. No action was taken against the troops nor action taken to relieve Pompey Strabo of command. [40] But Catulus' army was defeated in the eastern Alps and withdrew from Venetia and thence to the southern side of the river Po. Collections Online | British Museum "[132] The majority of the proscribed had not been enemies of Sulla, but instead were killed for their property, which was confiscated and auctioned off. Marius and his son, along with some others, escaped to Africa. Lucius Cornelius Sulla (l. 138 - 78 BCE) enacted his constitutional reforms (81 BCE) as dictator to strengthen the Roman Senate's power. Biography Roman military commander and dictator of the Roman republic (81-80 BC). [72] Sulpicius' attempts to push through the Italian legislation again brought him into violent urban conflict, although he "offered nothing to the urban plebs so it continued to resist him". The populares nonetheless seized power once he left with his army to Asia. Sulla and Pompeius Rufus opposed the bill, which Sulpicius took as a betrayal; Sulpicius, without the support of the consuls, looked elsewhere for political allies. [106] Roman forces then surrounded the Pontic camp. 45-120 CE) was a Platonist philosopher, best known to the general public as author of his "Parallel Lives" of paired Greek and Roman statesmen and military leaders.He was a voluminous writer, author also of a collection of "Moralia" or "Ethical Essays," mostly in dialogue format, many of them devoted to philosophical topics, not at all . Sulla then increased the number of magistrates elected in any given year, and required that all newly elected quaestores gain automatic membership in the Senate. In the sciences and social sciences, primary sources or 'primary research' are original research experiments, studies, or . He might have been disinherited, though it was "more likely" that his father simply had nothing to bequeath. Sulla then left for Capua before joining an army near Nola in southern Italy.[74]. Perseus Collection of Greek and Roman Material - Has numerous texts of primary sources. [109] When Flaccus' consular army marched through Macedonia towards Thrace, his command was usurped by his legate Gaius Flavius Fimbria, who had Flaccus killed before chasing Mithridates with his army into Asia itself. was the first man to use the army to establish a personal autocracy at Rome.. Sulla first came into prominence when he served as quaestor (107-106 B.C.) Rome at the End of the Punic Wars [History, Book 6] [At this Site] Acts of the Divine Augustus (Res Gestae Divi Augusti) [At MIT] The Life of Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40-93 CE), [At UNRV History] Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola (40-93 CE), c.98 CE trans. If Plutarch's text is to be amended to "Julia", then she is likely to have been one of the Julias related to Julius Caesar, most likely. What Is a Primary Source? The Acropolis was then besieged. They are original research, thinking, or discovery on a topic or event, and are written or created by people who actually experienced the event . In 109, Rome sent Quintus Caecilius Metellus to continue the war. Book Sources: Bloody Sunday - Selma to Montgomery March (1965) A selection of books/e-books available in Trible Library. [138], As promised, when his tasks were complete, Sulla returned his powers and withdrew to his country villa near Puteoli to be with his family. How Do I Find - Primary Sources | UCR Library Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Sulla, hearing this, feigned an attack while instructing his men to fraternise with Scipio's army. [61] Pompeii was taken some time during the year, along with Stabiae and Aeclanum; with the capture of Aeclanum, Sulla forced the Hirpini to surrender. Sulla, undeterred, stood again for the praetorship the next year, promising he would pay for good shows; duly elected as praetor in 97BC, he was assigned by lot to the urban praetorship. Hind 1992, p.150 dismisses claims in Plutarch and Vellius Paterclus of Athens being forced to cooperate with Mithridates as "very hollow" and "apologia". Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events. Primary Sources - An Introductory Guide - Seton Hall University His descendants among the Cornelii Sullae would hold four consulships during the imperial period: Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 5 BC, Faustus Cornelius Sulla in AD 31, Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix in AD 33, and Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix in 52 AD (he was the son of the consul of 31, and the husband of Claudia Antonia, daughter of the emperor Claudius). Books. [citation needed], Sulla became embroiled in a political fight against one of the plebeian tribunes, Publius Sulpicius Rufus, on the matter of how the new Italian citizens were to be distributed into the Roman tribes for purposes of voting. Plutarch of Chaeronea in Boeotia (ca. (5) Horace, Epode (c. 35 BC) The constitutional reforms of Sulla were a series of laws enacted by the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla between 82 and 80 BC, reforming the Constitution of the Roman Republic in a revolutionary way.. By the end of the war, the SSA had conscripted over 2.8 million American men. [76][77] They then killed Marcus Gratidius, one of Marius' legates, when Gratidius attempted to effect the transfer of command. Primary sources how to use them | Services to Schools [118], For 82BC, the consular elections returned Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, in his third consulship, with the younger Gaius Marius, the son of the seven-time consul, who was then twenty-six. Each actor's story is unique and each brings something important to the ensemble. The allies in central and southern Italy had fought side by side with Rome in several wars and had grown restive under Roman autocratic rule, wanting instead Roman citizenship and the privileges it conferred. The Gracchi, Marius, and Sulla - Primary Source Edition Paperback - September 30, 2013 by Augustus Henry Beesly (Author) 3.4 out of 5 stars 4 ratings Gaius Marius, a lieutenant of Metellus, returned to Rome to stand for the consulship in 107BC. 213/23 P.Cornelius Sulla is chosen to be Flamen Dialis. Sulla - World History Encyclopedia He brought Pompeii under siege. Lucius Cornelius Sulla was born in 138 BCE in Puteoli, Italy. Throughout the research process, you'll likely use various types of sources. [45][46], While governing Cilicia, Sulla received orders from the Senate to restore Ariobarzanes to the throne of Cappadocia. While besieging Pompeii, an Italian relief force came under Lucius Cluentius, which Sulla defeated and forced into flight towards Nola. These marriages helped build political alliances with the influential Caecilii Metelli and the Pompeys. N.S. [86] He then left Italy with his troops without delay, ignoring legal summons and taking over command from a legate in Macedonia. He was also notorious for his personal relationships . [117] Sulla attempted to open negotiations with Norbanus, who was at Capua, but Norbanus refused to treat and withdrew to Praeneste as Sulla advanced. Sulla would ratify Mithridates' position in Pontus and have him declared a Roman ally. Sulla retained his earlier reforms, which required senatorial approval before any bill could be submitted to the Plebeian Council (the principal popular assembly), and which had also restored the older, more aristocratic "Servian" organization to the Centuriate Assembly (assembly of soldiers). 9, The Last Age of the Roman Republic, 146-43 BC. They are often based on primary sources. Sulla's Reforms as Dictator - World History Encyclopedia Sulla and the proscriptions Lucius Cornelius Sulla was consul in 88 BC (and again in 80 BC) and dictator from 82 to 79 BC. [127] In the north at the same time, Norbanus was defeated and fled for Rhodes, where he eventually committed suicide. [58] At the start of the war, there were largely two theatres: a northern theatre from Picenum to the Fucine Lake and a southern theatre including Samnium. During these times on the stage, after initially only singing, he started writing plays, Atellan farces, a kind of crude comedy. The circumstances of his relative poverty as a young man left him removed from his patrician brethren, enabling him to consort with revelers and experience the baser side of human nature. The second was Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who died young. "[148][149] Sulla's example proved that it could be done, therefore inspiring others to attempt it; in this respect, he has been seen as another step in the Republic's fall. [43] Refusing to stand for an aedileship (which, due to its involvement in hosting public games, was extremely expensive), Sulla became a candidate for the praetorship in 99BC. This, along with the increase in the number of courts, further added to the power that was already held by the senators. The Iraq War Ten Years After - George Washington University [17] Sallust declares him well-read, intelligent, and he was fluent in Greek. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook is one of series of history primary sourcebooks. Although he was able to regain the command, his political setup in Rome collapsed almost as soon as he left Italy, and the war would . [40], In 102BC, the invaders returned and moved to force the Alps. [17] After his father's death, around the time Sulla reached adulthood, Sulla found himself impoverished. When Scipio refused, Sulla let him go. Further, Sulla failed to frame a settlement whereby the army (following the Marian reforms allowing nonland-owning soldiery) remained loyal to the Senate, rather than to generals such as himself. Sulla's descendants continued to be prominent in Roman politics into the imperial period. 134/3 eagle's brood foretells the number of Marius' consulships. Modern sources have been somewhat less damning, as the Mithridatic campaigns later showed that no quick victory over Pontus was possible as long as Mithridates survived. Capturing the city, Sulla had it destroyed. [60], The next year, 89BC, Sulla served as legate under the consul Lucius Porcius Cato. Livy, Periochae 81-85 - Livius The two greatest of these were Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He's remembered best for bringing his soldiers into Rome, the killing of Roman citizens, and his military skill in several areas. Primary Sources: Definition and Examples | Grammarly [25], The Jugurthine War had started in 112BC when Jugurtha, grandson of Massinissa of Numidia, claimed the entire kingdom of Numidia in defiance of Roman decrees that divided it among several members of the royal family.