Lucius Cornelius Sulla "Felix"
Dictator of Rome

Born	138 BC , Rome
Died	78 BC, Puteoli

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (Latin: L·CORNELIVS·L·F·P·N·SVLLA·FELIX)^[1] (c. 138 BC–78 BC) Roman general and dictator, was usually known simply as Sulla.^[2] His agnomen Felix — the fortunate — was attained later in his life, due to his skill and luck as a general. Image of Lucius Cornelius Sulla in a coin. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC - 130s BC - 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC Years: 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC 140 BC 139 BC - 138 BC - 137 BC 136 BC... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) coordinates: 41°54′N 12°29′E Time Zone: UTC+1 Administration Subdivisions 19 municipi Province Rome Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni ( The Union ) Characteristics Area 1,285 km² Population 2,547,677 (2005 estimate) Density 1983... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC - 70s BC - 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC Years: 83 BC 82 BC 81 BC 80 BC 79 BC - 78 BC - 77 BC 76 BC 75... Puteoli, the ancient predecessor of Pozzuoli, was an Italian city of Roman times on the coast of Campania, on the north shore of a bay running north from the Bay of Naples. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC - 130s BC - 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC Years: 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC 140 BC 139 BC - 138 BC - 137 BC 136 BC... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC - 70s BC - 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC Years: 83 BC 82 BC 81 BC 80 BC 79 BC - 78 BC - 77 BC 76 BC 75... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ... ...

His character was often described as being half fox, half lion due to his legendary cunning and bravery. Machiavelli later alluded to this description of Sulla in his work "The Prince". In character he was unusual for a Roman, in that he had a highly developed sense of humor and was completely unpredictable, both in his actions and moods. Although a clinically practical man, he was also superstitious to the extreme. He believed in his luck, hence his choice of Felix as an agnomen. He was a thoughtful man, who would plan out his strategy, however if faced with an immediate adversity, he would strike swiftly and with extreme prejudice. Of all the great men of ancient Rome, he is perhaps the most mysterious and difficult to understand. Detail of the portrait of Machiavelli, ca 1500, in the robes of a Florentine public official Niccolò Machiavelli (May 3, 1469—June 21, 1527) was an Italian political philosopher during the Renaissance. ...

Early years

Sulla was born into a branch of the Cornelii gens, of impeccable Patrician background, but his family, by the time of his birth, had fallen to an impoverished condition. Lacking ready money, Sulla spent his youth amongst Rome’s low-lifes – comics, actors, lute-players, dancers, female prostitutes. Such were to remain his true friends throughout his life. It was at this time he met the up-and-coming Roman actor Metrobius – a "female impersonator", as Plutarch describes him, to whom Sulla remained strongly attached throughout his life: even when both were quite old, Sulla never attempted to conceal this sentimental attachment^[3]. Cornelius (fem. ... GENS is an open source emulator for the Sega Genesis (Sega Megadrive). ... Patricians were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. ... Metrobius (lived 1st century BC) was a Roman tragic actor of Greek birth, widely known in his time. ... Plutarch Mestrius Plutarchus (c. ...

Despite his early waywardness, it seems certain that Sulla received a good education: he was fluent in Greek, a sure sign in Rome of an "educated man". The means by which Sulla attained the fortune which later would enable him to ascend the difficult ladder of Roman politics (or the Cursus honorum as it was known) are not clear, although Plutarch refers to two inheritances: one, conventionally, from his step-mother; the other, somewhat scandalously, from a low-born but rich unmarried lady ^[4] The cursus honorum (Latin: succession of magistracies) was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. ...

Africa and the capture of Jugurtha

In 107 BC, Sulla was nominated quaestor to Gaius Marius, the renowned Roman general, who had been elected consul for that year. Marius was taking control of the Roman army in the war against King Jugurtha of Numidia in northern Africa. The Jugurthine War had started in 112 BC but Roman legions under Quintus Caecilius Metellus had been suffering humiliating setbacks. Under the command of Marius, the Roman forces ultimately defeated the Numidians in 106 BC, thanks in large part to Sulla's initiative in capturing the Numidian king. He had persuaded King Bocchus of Mauretania, a nearby kingdom, to betray Jugurtha, who had fled to Mauretania for refuge. It was a fraught operation from the first, with the wily King Bocchus weighing up the advantages of handing Jurgurtha over to Sulla or Sulla over to Jurgurtha^[5]. The publicity attracted by this feat boosted Sulla's political career. Much to the annoyance of Marius, a gilded equestrian statue of Sulla was erected in the Forum to commemorate his accomplishment. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 112 BC 111 BC 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC - 107 BC - 106 BC 105 BC... Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. ... This article is about the Roman General who reorganizaed the Roman army, for other people known by the name of Marius see Marius (Disambiguation) Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)¹ (157 BC — January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an... Consul (abbrev. ... Jugurtha, (c. ... Numidia was an ancient African Berber kingdom and later a Roman province on the northern coast of Africa between the province of Africa (where Tunisia is now) and the province of Mauretania (which is now the western part of Algerias coastal area). ... The Jugurthine War (122-105 BC) was fought between the Roman Republic and Jugurtha, the renegade king of the African client state of Numidia. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC - 110s BC - 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC Years: 117 BC 116 BC 115 BC 114 BC 113 BC - 112 BC - 111 BC 110 BC... The Caecilii Metellii was one of the most important and wealthiest families in the Roman Republic. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 111 BC 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC - 106 BC - 105 BC 104 BC... Bocchus (Greek, Βοκχος, Bochos) was a King of Mauretania about 110 BC and designated by historians as Bocchus I. He was also the father-in-law of Jugurtha, with whom he made war against the Romans. ... Mauretania was a Berber kingdom on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa (named after the Mauri tribe, after whom the Moors were named), corresponding to western Algeria and northern Morocco. ...

Cimbri and the Teutones

The next threat to Rome proved to be much more serious. In 104 BC the migrating Germanic tribes of the Cimbri and the Teutones seemed headed for Italy. Sulla continued to serve on Marius' staff during this campaign. Due to the immediate threat facing the city, Marius was elected Consul an unprecedented 5 years in a row. Finally, with his consular colleague Catulus, the Roman forces faced the tribes at the battle of Vercellae in 101 BC. Sulla had by this time transferred to the army of Quintus Lutatius Catulus Caesar. Sulla is generally credited as being the prime mover in the defeat of the tribes (Catulus being a hopeless general and quite incapable of cooperating with Marius). Marius and Catulus were both granted Triumphs as the co-commanding generals. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC - 104 BC - 103 BC 102 BC... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cimbrian War. ... This entry is about the Teutonic people, not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights. ... Quintus Lutatius Catulus Caesar was a Roman general and was consul with Marius in 102 BC. He was originally Sextus Julius Caesar, son of Sextus Julius Caesar (brother of Gaius Julius Caesar, who was father of Gaius Julius Caesar, who was in turn father of Julius Caesar) and brother of...

First steps on the Cursus Honorum and Cilician governorship

Returning to Rome, Sulla was elected 'Praetor urbanus' in 97 BC. According to rumour, this was done through massive bribery. The next year he was appointed pro consule to the province of Cilicia (in modern Turkey). While in the East, Sulla was the first Roman magistrate to meet a Parthian ambassador, Orobazus, and by taking the seat between the Parthian ambassador and the ambassador from Pontus (the center seat being the place of honour), he sealed, perhaps unintentionally, the Parthian ambassador's fate. Orobazus was executed upon his return to Parthia for allowing Sulla to outmaneuver him. It was at this meeting he was told by a Chaldean seer, that he would die at the height of his fame and fortune. This prophecy was to have a powerful hold on Sulla throughout his life. In 92 BC Sulla repulsed Tigranes the Great of Armenia from Cappadocia. Later in 92 BC Sulla left the East and returned to Rome, where he aligned himself with the Optimates in opposition to Gaius Marius. // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC - 90s BC - 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC Years: 102 BC 101 BC 100 BC 99 BC 98 BC - 97 BC - 96 BC 95 BC 94... Bribery is a crime defined by Blacks Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions as an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. ... For the Miocene ape, see Proconsul (genus) Under the Roman Empire a proconsul was a promagistrate filling the office of a consul. ... Cilicia as Roman province, 120 AD In Antiquity, Cilicia (Κιλικία) was the name of a region, now known as Çukurova, and often a political unit, on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), north of Cyprus. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Traditional rural Pontic house A man in traditional clothes from Trabzon, illustration Pontus is the name which was applied, in ancient times, to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the main), by... Chaldea, the Chaldees of the KJV Old Testament, was a Hellenistic designation for a part of Babylonia. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC - 90s BC - 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC Years: 97 BC 96 BC 95 BC 94 BC 93 BC - 92 BC - 91 BC 90 BC 89... Coin of Tigranes II. The Greek inscription reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΟΥ ([coin] of King Tigranes). Tigranes the Greats Empire Tigranes the Great (Armenian: Տիգրան Մեծ) (ruled 95 BCE-55 BCE) (also called Tigranes II and sometimes Tigranes I and also known to be called Tigranes Karapietyan) was a king of Armenia. ... Cappadocia in 188 BC In ancient geography, Cappadocia (Greek: Καππαδοκία; see also List of traditional Greek place names; Turkish Kapadokya) was an extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC - 90s BC - 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC Years: 97 BC 96 BC 95 BC 94 BC 93 BC - 92 BC - 91 BC 90 BC 89... Optimates (Good Men) were the aristocratic faction of the later Roman Republic. ...

Social War

The Social War (91–87 BC) was fought against the Socii, Roman allies in Italy, and was the result of Rome's intransigence in regarding the civil liberties of it own citizens (Romans) as above those of the citizens of the rest of Italy. As subjects of the Roman Republic, these Italian provincials might be called to arms in its defence, they might be subjected to extraordinary taxes, but they had no say in the expenditure of these taxes, or in the uses of the armies that might be raised in their territories. The Social War was, in part, caused by the assassination of Marcus Livius Drusus the Younger. His reforms were intended to grant to the Roman allies in Italy full Roman citizenship, which would have given these "provincials" a say in the external and internal policies of the Roman Republic. When Drusus was assassinated most of his reforms addressing these grievances were declared invalid. This greatly angered the Roman provincials. In consequence, most allied against Rome. Template:Campaignbox Social War This article is about the conflict between Rome and her allies between 91 and 88 BC The Social War (also called the Italian War or the Marsic War, Social come from Socii meaning ¨Allies¨) was a war from 91 – 88 BC between the Roman Republic and... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC - 90s BC - 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC Years: 96 BC 95 BC 94 BC 93 BC 92 BC - 91 BC - 90 BC 89 BC 88... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC 88 BC - 87 BC - 86 BC 85 BC 84... Marcus Livius Drusus was the name of two magistrates in the Roman Republic. ... The toga was the characteristic garment of the Roman citizen. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ...

At the beginning of the Social War, the Roman aristocracy and Senate were starting to fear Marius' ambition, which had already given him 5 consulships in a row from 104 BC to 100 BC. They were determined that he would not have overall command of the war in Italy. In this last rebellion of the Italian allies, Sulla served with brilliance as a general. He outshone both Marius and the consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (the father of Pompey Magnus). For example, in 89 BC Sulla captured Aeclanum, the chief town of Hirpini, by setting the wooden breastwork on fire. As a result of his success in bringing the Social War to a successful conclusion, he was elected consul for the first time in 88 BC, with Quintus Pompeius Rufus (soon his daughter's father-in-law) as his colleague. Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)¹ (157 BC - January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC - 104 BC - 103 BC 102 BC... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC 101 BC - 100 BC - 99 BC 98 BC 97 BC 96 BC 95... Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)¹ (157 BC - January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ... Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, often referred to as Strabo or Pompey Strabo in English, was a Roman from the rural province of Picenum. ... Marble bust of Pompey the Great Pompey or Pompey the Great (Classical Latin: CN·POMPEIVS·CN·F·SEX·N·MAGNVS¹, Gnaeus or Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus) (September 29, 106 BC – September 29, 48 BC), was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman republic. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 94 BC 93 BC 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC - 89 BC - 88 BC 87 BC 86... Aeclanum was an ancient town of Samnium, Italy, 15 m. ... Samnite warriors Samnium (Oscan Safinim) was a region of the southern Apennines in Italy that was home to the Samnites, a group of Sabellic tribes that controlled the area from about 600 BC to about 290 BC. Samnium was delimited by Latium in the north, by Lucania in the south... Consul (abbrev. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 93 BC 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC - 88 BC - 87 BC 86 BC 85...

Grass Crown

Sulla served not only with brilliance as a general during the Social War, but also with immense personal bravery. He was awarded a corona obsidionalis ("obsidional crown"), also known as a corona graminea ("Grass Crown"), the highest Roman military honor, awarded for personal bravery to a commanding general in the saving of a Roman Army in the field. Unlike all other Roman military honors, it was awarded by acclamation of the soldiers of the rescued army, and consequently very few were ever awarded.^[6] In the Roman Republic and early Empire, the Grass Crown (or Blockade Crown; in Latin, corona obsidionalis or corona graminea) was the highest and rarest of all militry decorations. ...

Consul and first march on Rome

As the consul of Rome, Sulla prepared to depart once more for the East, to fight the first Mithridatic War, by the appointment of the Senate. But he would leave trouble behind him. Marius was now an old man, but he still had the ambition to lead the Roman armies against King Mithridates VI of Pontus. Marius convinced the tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus to call an assembly and revert the Senate's decision on Sulla's command. Sulpicius also used the assemblies to eject Senators from the Senate until there were not enough senators needed to form a quorum. As violence in the Forum ensued and the efforts of the nobles to effect a public lynching similar to what had happened to the brothers Gracchi and Saturninus were smashed by the gladitatorial bodyguard of Sulpicius, Sulla went to the house of Marius and made a personal plea to stop the violence which was ignored. Sulla's own son-in-law was killed in those riots. The First Mithridatic War was fought between the Roman Republic and Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysius, the king of Pontus. ... Mithridates VI, (in Greek Μιθριδάτης, 132 BC–63 BC), called Eupator Dionysius, also known as Mithridates the Great, was the King of Pontus from 120 BC to 63 BC in Asia Minor and one of Romes most formidable and successful enemies, meeting and engaging three of the most successful generals... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ... Publius Sulpicius Rufus (c. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... The Gracchi were a noble plebeian family of ancient Rome. ... Lucius Appuleius Saturninus, Roman demagogue. ... Pollice Verso, an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, is a well known history painters researched conception of a gladiatorial combat. ...

Sulla fled Rome and went to the camp of his victorious Social War veterans, in the South of Italy, ready to cross over to Greece. He incited them to stone the envoys of the assemblies who came to announce that Marius would be leading the Mithridatic war. Sulla then took six of his most loyal legions and prepared to march on Rome. This was an unprecedented event. No general before him had ever crossed the city limits, the pomerium, with his army. It was so unethical that most of his commanders (with the exception of Lucullus) refused to accompany him. Sulla justified his actions on the grounds that the senate had been neutered and the mos maiorum ("The way things were done" which as a reference amounted to a Roman constitution though none of it was codified as such) had been offended by the negation of the rights of the consuls of the year to fight the wars of that year. Armed gladiators were unable to resist Roman soldiers, Marius and his followers fled the city. A modern reconstruction of a roman centurion around 70 AD The Roman legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army. ... Lucius Licinius Lucullus (c. ... The Mos maiorum are traditions of ancestors, an unwritten constitution of laws and conduct in Rome. ...

Sulla consolidated his position, ordered death for Marius and a few of his allies and addressed the Senate in harsh tones, portraying himself as a victim, presumably to justify his violent entrance into the city. After restructuring the city's politics and with the Senate's power strengthened, Sulla returned to his camp and proceeded with the original plan of fighting Mithridates in Pontus. Traditional rural Pontic house A man in traditional clothes from Trabzon, illustration Pontus is the name which was applied, in ancient times, to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the main), by...

Marius, however, was not dead. He had fled to safety in Africa. With Sulla out of Rome, Marius plotted his return. During his period of exile Marius became determined that he would hold a seventh consulship, as foretold by the Sybil decades earlier. By the end of 87 BC Marius returned to Rome with the support of Lucius Cornelius Cinna and, in Sulla's absence, took control of the city. Marius declared Sulla's reforms and laws invalid and officially exiled Sulla. Then, through the proscriptions, Marius ordered the slaughter of many supporters of Sulla and others whom he considered had slighted him. The heads of the victims were displayed in the Forum. Some one hundred supporters of Sulla were killed during this time. Marius and Cinna were elected consuls for the year 86 BC. Marius died a few days after the election at which point Cinna ordered his own soldiers to kill Marius's men. Cinna was now in sole control of Rome Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC 88 BC - 87 BC - 86 BC 85 BC 84... Lucius Cornelius Cinna (Latin: L·CORNELIVS·L·F·L·N·CINNA), a member of the Cinna family of the Cornelii of ancient Rome, was a supporter of Marius in his contest with Sulla. ... Proscription (French: proscriptio) is the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. ... Roman Forum with Palatine Hill in the background. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC 88 BC 87 BC - 86 BC - 85 BC 84 BC 83...

First Mithridatic War and the siege of Athens

In the spring of 87 BC Sulla landed at Dyrrachium, Greece. Asia was occupied by the forces of Mithridates under the command of Archelaus. Sulla’s first target was Athens, ruled by a Mithridatic puppet; the tyrant Aristion. Sulla moved southeast, picking up supplies and reinforcements as he went. Sulla’s chief of staff was Lucullus, who went ahead of him to scout the way and negotiate with Bruttius Sura, the existing Roman commander in Greece. After speaking with Lucullus, Sura handed over the command of his troops to Sulla. At Chaeronea, ambassadors from all the major cities of Greece with the exception of Athens, met with Sulla, who impressed on them the determination of Rome to drive Mithridates from Greece and Asia Province. Sulla then advanced on Athens. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC 88 BC - 87 BC - 86 BC 85 BC 84... The name Mithridates (more accurately, Mithradates) is helenized form of a Indo-Aryan Mithra-Datt, which means One given by Mithra. Mithra is the Indo-Aryan sun-god and Datt (Given by) derives from the Indo-European root da, to give. That name was borne by a large number of... Archelaus was a general of Mithridates VI of Pontus in the First Mithridatic War. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Aristion (died 86 BC in Athens) was a philosopher and tyrant of Athens from 88 BC to 86 BC. Aristion joined forces with Mithridates against the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Sulla, but to no avail. ... Lucius Licinius Lucullus (c. ...

On arrival, Sulla threw up a siege encompassing not only Athens but also the port of Piraeus. At the time Archelaus had command of the sea, so Sulla sent Lucullus to raise a fleet from the remaining Roman allies in the eastern Meditarranean. His first objective was Piraeus, without it Athens could not be re-supplied. Huge earthworks were raised, isolating Athens and its port from the land side. Sulla needed wood, so he cut down everything including the sacred groves of Greece, up to 100 miles from Athens. When more money was needed he “borrowed” from temples and Sybils alike. The currency minted from this treasure was to remain in circulation for centuries and prized for its quality. View of Piraeus A night ferry about to leave the port of Piraeus for the Dodecanese Piraeus, or Peiraeus (Modern Greek: Πειραιάς Peiraiás or Pireás, Ancient Greek / Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Pireéfs) is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, located south of Athens. ... In antiquity, the oracular seeresses of the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean were referred to by the Greek term sibyls. ...

Despite the complete encirclement of Athens and its port, and several attempts by Archelaus to raise the siege, a stalemate seemed to have developed. Sulla however patiently bided his time, despite the insults hurled from the walls of Athens by Aristion and his followers, alluding to Sulla’s complexion (aggravated by the sun and heat) to the effect that his face looked like mulberry sprinkled with flour. Aspersions were also cast about his private life and his wife Metella. The Athenians were to later bitterly regret this episode. Soon his camp was to fill with refugees from Rome, fleeing the massacres of Marius and Cinna. These also included his wife and children as well as most of the Optimate party, not already dead.

Athens by now was starving and corn was at famine levels in price. Inside the city, the population was reduced to eating shoe leather and grass. A delegation from Athens was sent to treat with Sulla, but instead of serious negotiations they expounded on the glory of their city. Sulla sent them away saying: “I was sent to Athens, not to take lessons, but to reduce rebels to obedience.”

His spies then informed him that Aristion was neglecting the Heptachalcum. Sulla immediately sent sappers to undermine the wall. Nine hundred feet of wall was brought down between the Sacred and Piraeic gates on the southwest side of the city. A midnight sack of Athens began, and after the taunts of Aristion, Sulla was not in a mood to be magnanimous. Blood literally flowed in the streets, it was only after the entreaties of a couple of his Greek friends (Midias and Calliphon) and the pleas of the Roman Senators in his camp that Sulla decided enough was enough. His then concentrated his forces on the Port of Pireaus and Archelaus seeing his hopeless situation withdrew to the citadel and then abandoned the port to join up with his forces under the command of Taxiles. Sulla not having a fleet as yet, was powerless to prevent Archeleus’ escape. Prior to leaving Athens, he burnt the port to the ground. Sulla then advanced into Boeotia to take on Archeleus' armies, and remove them from Greece. Taxiles (in Greek Tαξιλης; lived 4th century BC) was a prince or king, who reigned over the tract between the Indus and the Hydaspes rivers, in the Punjab at the period of the expedition of Alexander the Great, 327 BC. His real name was Ambhi, and the Greeks appear to...

Battle of Chaeronea

Sulla lost no time moving to intercept the Pontic army and moved to occupy a hill called Philoboetus that branched off Mount Parnassus. It overlooked the Elatean plain and had plentiful supplies of wood and water. The army of Archelaus, presently commanded by Taxiles had to approach from the north and proceed along the valley towards Chaeronea. Over 120,000 strong, it outnumbered Sulla's forces by at least 3 to 1. Archelaus was in favor of a policy of attrition with the Roman forces, but Taxiles had orders from Mithridates to attack at once. In the meantime, Sulla got his men digging. Next, Sulla occupied the ruined city of Parapotamii. It was impregnable and commanded the fords on the road to Chaeronea. He then made a move that looked to Archelaus like a retreat. He abandoned the fords and moved in behind an entrenched palisade. Behind the palisade were the field artillery from the siege of Athens. Archelaus advanced across the fords and tried to outflank Sulla’s men, only to be hurled back on the Mithridatic right wing, causing even more confusion. Archelaus’ chariots then charged the Roman center, only to be destroyed on the palisades. Next came the phalanxes, they too found the palisades impassible, added to the fact that they were receiving withering fire from the Roman field artillery. Next Archelaus flung his right wing at the Roman left, Sulla seeing the danger of this maneuver raced over from the Roman right wing to help. Sulla stabilized the situation at which point Archelaus flung more troops in from his right flank. This destabilized the Pontic army, giving it a slew towards its right flank. Sulla dashed back to his own right wing and ordered the general advance. The legions supported by cavalry dashed forward and Archelaus’ army folded in on itself like closing a pack of cards. The slaughter was terrible and some reports estimate that only 10,000 of the original army of Mithridates survived. Chaeronea was one of the great battles of history, Sulla had defeated a vastly superior force in terms of numbers, it was also the first time that the use of battlefield entrenchments are recorded to have been used. Sulla’s innovation could be said to have come of age 2,000 years later at the battle of the Somme. Mount Parnassus (also Mount Parnassos) is a mountain in central Greece that towers above Delphi. ... Chaeronea was a city in the province of Boeotia in Ancient Greece. ... Taxiles (in Greek Tαξιλης; lived 4th century BC) was a prince or king, who reigned over the tract between the Indus and the Hydaspes rivers, in the Punjab at the period of the expedition of Alexander the Great, 327 BC. His real name was Ambhi, and the Greeks appear to... Somme is a French département, named after the Somme River, located in the north of France. ...

Battle of Orchomenos

The government of Rome, read Cinna, then sent out Lucius Valerius Flaccus with an army to relieve Sulla of command in the east. Flaccus had been given as second in command a certain Fimbria, an individual that history records had few virtues. (He was to eventually agitate against his commanding officer and incite the troops to murder Flaccus). In the meantime, the two Roman armies camped next to each other and Sulla, not for the first time, encouraged his soldiers to spread dissension among Flaccus’ army. Many deserted to Sulla before Flaccus packed up and moved on north to threaten Mithridates’ northern dominions. In the meantime Sulla moved to intercept the new Pontic army. He chose the site of the battle to come - Orchomenos. Not only was it a natural place for a smaller army to meet a much larger one, due to its natural defenses, but it afforded Sulla the ideal terrain to expand on his entrenchment innovations. This time the Pontic army was in excess of 150,000 and it encamped itself in front of the busy Roman army, next to a large lake. It soon dawned on Archelaus what Sulla was up to. Sulla had not only been digging trenches, but dykes, and before long he had the Pontic army in deep trouble. Desperate sallies by the Pontic forces were repulsed by the Romans and the dykes moved onward. On the second day, Archeleus made a determined effort to escape Sulla’s web of dykes, the entire Pontic army was hurled at the Romans, but the Roman legionaries were pressed together so tightly that their short swords were like an impenetrable barrier through which the enemy could not escape. The battle turned into a rout and once again the slaughter was on an immense scale. Plutarch notes that two hundred years later, armor and weapons from the battle were still being found. The battle of Orchomenos was another of the world's decisive battles. It determined that the fate of Asia Minor was with Rome and her successors for the next millennium. Flaccus was a Roman cognomen of the plebeian Fulvii, considered one of the most illustrious gentes of the city. ... A fimbria (plural fimbriae) is an appendage in many gram-negative bacteria that is thinner and shorter than a flagellum. ...

Second March on Rome

Determined to regain control of Rome, Sulla returned to Italy. With the support of Metellus Pius and others, Sulla's armies marched up Italy from the Port of Brindisium. He chased the remnants of the Marians, led by Marius's son, into Praeneste and bottled them up. Shortly afterwards, following a mad dash march to Rome, Sulla's army defeated the Samnite forces of Pontius Telesinus in November, 82 BC at the battle of Colline Gate. The strength of the right wing, commanded by Marcus Licinius Crassus, proved crucial in securing victory. Sulla also had the aid of the young Pompey, who defeated Gneus Papirius Carbo's supporters in Sicily and Africa. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 87 BC 86 BC 85 BC 84 BC 83 BC - 82 BC - 81 BC 80 BC 79... The battle of the Colline Gate, fought in November of 82 BC, was the final battle of the civil war between the peoples party of ancient Rome (originally led by Marius) and the aristocrats led by Sulla. ... Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives (Latin: M·LICINIVS·P·F·P·N·CRASSVS·¹) (c. ... Marble bust of Pompey the Great Pompey or Pompey the Great (Classical Latin: CN·POMPEIVS·CN·F·SEX·N·MAGNVS¹, Gnaeus or Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus) (September 29, 106 BC – September 29, 48 BC), was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman republic. ...

Dictator of Rome

At the beginning of 82 BC, Sulla was appointed dictator,- "rei publicae constituendae causa" by the Senate, with no limit on time in office. Sulla had total control of the city and empire of Rome. This unusual honour (used hitherto only in times of extreme danger to the city, such as the Second Punic War, and only for 6 month periods) represented an exception to Rome's policy of not giving total power to a single individual. Sulla can be seen as setting the precedent for Julius Caesar's dictatorship, and the eventual end of the Republic under Octavian (Augustus). Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC - 80s BC - 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 87 BC 86 BC 85 BC 84 BC 83 BC - 82 BC - 81 BC 80 BC 79... Dictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. ... Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Publius Cornelius Scipio†, Titus Sempronius Longus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Gaius Flaminius†, Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus†, Lucius Aemilius Paullus†, Gaius Terentius Varro, Marcus Livius Salinator, Gaius Claudius Nero, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus†, Masinissa Hannibal Barca, Hasdrubal Barca†, Mago Barca†, Hasdrubal Gisco, Maharbal, Syphax, Hanno the... Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ...

In total control of the city and its affairs, Sulla instituted a reign of terror, the likes of which had never been seen in Rome before. Proscribing or outlawing every one of his political opponents, Sulla ordered some 1,500 Roman nobles (i.e., senators and equites) executed. The blood bath went on for months. Romans were executed for any reason or none at all. Helping or sheltering a person who was proscribed was also punishable by death. The State confiscated the wealth of the outlawed, making Sulla and his supporters vastly rich. (One option commonly taken by those who had been proscribed was suicide, which under Roman law allowed their property to pass as inheritance to their families, and not as spoils to Sulla.) The children of the outlawed who weren't killed outright were banned from future political office, a restriction not removed for over 30 years. Proscription (French: proscriptio) is the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. ... An Equestrian (Latin eques, plural equites) was a member of one of the two upper social classes in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. ...

The young Caesar, as Cinna's son-in-law, was one of Sulla's targets and fled the city. He was saved through the efforts of his relatives, many of whom were Sulla's supporters, but Sulla noted in his memoirs that he regretted sparing Caesar's life because of the young man's notorious ambition. The historian Suetonius records that when agreeing to spare Caesar, Sulla warned those who were pleading his case that he would become a danger to them in the future, saying "In this Caesar there are many a Marius." This article is about the Roman historian. ...

Only Quintus Sertorius, the last Marius supporter, held out against Sulla's armies under Metellus Pius in distant Hispania. Quintus Sertorius (died 72 BC), Roman statesman and general. ... The Caecilii Metellii was one of the most important and wealthiest families in the Roman Republic. ... Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ...

Without any political obstacle, Sulla enacted a series of reforms to put control of the State firmly in the hands of the Senate. He arranged that the number of senators was doubled from 300 to 600 and that membership was automatic on election to the office of quaestor instead of at the decision of the censors. He also reduced the tribune's political power, and limited the Assembly's ability to pass laws or veto them without the Senate's approval. His goal was to return the Republic to a time before the Gracchi. In this, he was too late: Rome's politics had moved on, in an ominous direction. Finally, in a demonstration of his absolute power, he expanded the "Pomerium", the sacred boundary of Rome, untouched since the time of the kings. The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. ... Censor was the title of two magistrates of high rank in the Roman Republic. ... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ... The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) vested formal governmental powers in four separate peoples assemblies — the Comitia Curiata, the Comitia Centuriata, the Comitia Tributa, and the Concilium Plebis. ... The Gracchi were a noble plebeian family of ancient Rome. ... The pomerium (or pomoerium) was the sacred boundary of the city of Rome. ...

After two years of unchallenged power, Sulla stunned Rome by resigning the Dictatorship. He disbanded his legions, re-established consular government (in accordance to his own rules, he stood for and was elected consul in 80 BC). He dismissed his lictors and walked unguarded in the forum, offering to give account of his actions to any citizen. This lesson in supreme confidence, Caesar later ridiculed - "Sulla did not know his political ABC's". In retrospect, of the two, Sulla was to have the last laugh, as it was he who died in his own bed.

Retirement

Lucius Cornelius Sulla - a denarius portrait issued by his grandson

After his second consulship he withdrew completely from political life to his country villa near Puteoli. Image File history File linksMetadata Sullahead. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sullahead. ...

With a cool detachment, he probably figured he had done his best to put Rome back on a stable footing, and if Rome had not learnt the brutal lessons he had meted out to her, it was Rome's bad luck. Sulla's purpose now was to write his memoirs (completed just before his death, but now lost). He ended up surrounded by a troupe of actors and dancers. Amongst them was Metrobius, a famous actor that he had known since his youth. In his last address to the Senate, Sulla was keen to acknowledge him as his lifetime lover, to the dismay of the audience. With this merry company, Sulla died after a brief illness in 78 BC. The symptoms described in contemporary accounts indicate that the cause of death was liver failure, brought on by a lifetime of hard work and hard partying. His funeral was stupendous, and not matched until the death of Augustus in 14.^[7] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Metrobius (lived 1st century BC) was a Roman tragic actor of Greek birth, widely known in his time. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC - 70s BC - 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC Years: 83 BC 82 BC 81 BC 80 BC 79 BC - 78 BC - 77 BC 76 BC 75... Liver failure is the final stage of liver disease. ... Augustus (Latin: IMPERATOR CAESAR DIVI FILIVS AVGVSTVS;[1] September 23, 63 BC – August 19, AD 14), known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (in English Octavian) for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, was the first and among the most important of the Roman Emperors. ... Events First year of tianfeng era of the Chinese Xin Dynasty. ...

Sulla's legacy

Even though Sulla's laws reorganizing the legal system (courts), qualification for admittance to the Senate and regulation of governorships among many other initiatives remained on Rome's statutes for some considerable time, some of his legislation was repealed less than a decade after his death. The veto power of the tribunes and their legislating authority were soon reinstated, ironically during the consulships of Pompey and Crassus. A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... The word veto comes from Latin and literally means I forbid. ... The Roman office of tribune of the people (tribunus plebis) was established in 494 BC, about 15 years after the foundation of the Roman Republic in 509. ... For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... Marble bust of Pompey the Great Pompey or Pompey the Great (Classical Latin: CN·POMPEIVS·CN·F·SEX·N·MAGNVS¹, Gnaeus or Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus) (September 29, 106 BC – September 29, 48 BC), was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman republic. ... Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives (c. ...

However, his most lasting legacy and the one he tried hardest to avoid, was the feeling among his successors that: "...if Sulla could do it, so can I..." It is interesting to note that none of them followed his most extraordinary example, that of resigning power, most of them like Caesar ended up paying the ultimate price as a result.

He tried hard to instill in Rome a horror of absolute power, by his proscriptions, by his lifestyle and by his feared temperament. Had he carried through on his better judgement and had Julius Caesar killed, he may have preserved the Republic for a few more decades or even longer. In the end he could not undo his own example. Caesar, for all his disdain of Sulla, based his own grab for power very much on the Sullan model; he even based many of his greatest victories on Sulla's battles (use of battlefield entrenchments etc...). In the end, Sulla could not undo the damage done to the republican institution by the Gracchi, by Marius and finally by himself. Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... The Gracchi were a noble plebeian family of ancient Rome. ... Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)¹ (157 BC - January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ...

Sulla's marriages and children

• First wife, Ilia (possibly Julia)
  • Cornelia Sulla, married first with Gnaeus Pompeius Rufus and later with Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus, mother of Pompeia Sulla, second wife of Julius Caesar
  • Lucius Cornelius Sulla, died young
• Second wife, Aelia. Sulla divorced her due to her sterility.
• Third wife Caecilia Metella Dalmatica
  • Faustus (I) Cornelius Sulla
  • Fausta Cornelia Sulla, married Titus Annius Milo (praetor in 54 BC)
• Fourth wife, Valeria Messala
  • Postuma Cornelia Sulla (delivered after Sulla's death)

Chronology

• around 138 BC – born in Rome
• 107 BC – nominated Quaestor to Marius
• 106 BC – end of Jugurthine War
• 104/103 BC – legatus to Marius in Further Gaul
• 103 BC – legatus to Quintus Lutatius Catulus Caesar in Further Gaul
• 101 BC – defeats the Cimbrii in the battle of Vercellae
• 94 BC – elected praetor urbanus
• 93 BC – governor of Cilicia
• 91/88 BC – general in the Social War
• 88 BC –
  • consulship with Pompeius Rufus
  • invades Rome and outlaws Marius
• 87 BC – Command of Roman armies to fight King Mithridates of Pontus
• 86 BC – Sack of Athens, Battle of Chaeronea
• 85 BC – Battle of Orchomenus
• 84 BC – Expulsion of Mithridates' forces from Western Asia Minor & reorganization of Asia province
• 83 BC – Returns to Italy and invades Rome for the second time
• 82 BC – Appointed "Dictator - rei publicae constituendae causa"
• 80 BC – Resigns the dictatorship, elected consul with Metellus Pius
• 79 BC – Retires completely from political life
• 78 BC – Dies of liver failure, Funeral held in Rome

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Lucius Cornelius Sulla

• Plutarch's Life of Sulla
• Marius and Sulla
• Sulla and the proscriptions

Notes

1. ^ Official name of Sulla. The meaning in English is "Lucius Cornelius Sulla, son of Lucius, grandson of Publius, the lucky."
2. ^ Sulla's name is also seen as "Silla", presumably due to corruption of ancient writing SVILLA, that went in the two directions of Sulla and Silla. It is also occasionally seen as "Sylla" (Often the Greek upsilon was transliterated into the Roman Alphabet as a "y").
3. ^ Plutarch: Sulla, Sect 36. Gutenberg English Trans: Aubrey Stewart & George Long. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14114
4. ^ Plutarch: Sulla, Sect 2.
5. ^ Plutarch: Sulla, Sect 3
6. ^ [1].
7. ^ His epitaph, written by Sulla himself, has become a common phrase used by those wishing to portray themselves as powerful. It has recently been popularized by Lieutenant General James Mattis as the motto of the 1st Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps: No greater friend, no worse enemy.