Caius Maxentius Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 I'll go with Appius Claudius Caudex, who got the conflict with the Carthaginians going, and helped start Roman expansion beyond Italy. You also gotta love the colourful nickname "Caudex" (the blockhead). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Calpurnius Capitolinus Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 Has the great Byzantine general Flavius Belisarius been mentioned yet? I am too lazy to search all the back pages. Regardless, he has always been among my favorites. Despite how mistreated he was by his friends and lovers, he went dutifully about his job and should be placed among the greatest generals of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 Has the great Byzantine general Flavius Belisarius been mentioned yet? I am too lazy to search all the back pages. Regardless, he has always been among my favorites. Despite how mistreated he was by his friends and lovers, he went dutifully about his job and should be placed among the greatest generals of all time. He has been and I do agree with his actions, deeds and I beleive almost overlooked contributions and accomplishments. Though I question the stories told by Procopius in 'The Secret History' on his wife Antonia and of Empress Theodora. I really think it's more false slander, there may be some truth but it's just so heavily laid on it's almost repulsive to take it as truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metforce Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullafelix Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I would have to go with L. Licinius Lucullus. A close friend of Sulla's (but don't hold that against him!). He was a true and noble Roman and a bloody good general. He all but won the Mithridatic campaign before Pompey took advantage and stole all the glory (nothing new there). Lucullus was a great lover of all things Greek and wept while his soldiers burnt a town he had instructed them not to. He was also furious with one of his officers when they took a notable philosopher prisoner and enslaved him against his express orders. The officer freed him but Lucullus pointed put that freedom "thus granted was a real diminuition of what he had had before". When he retired he lived well and left us his name as a byword for elegant excess. In his military heyday he expanded the Roman Empire's frontiers further than anyone before him. Cities queued up to join because of his reputation for fairness. He removed tax burdens and sorted out the finances of many peoples. He is remembered for being fat and a failure ------ Posterity Sucks! Sulla Felix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I would have to go with L. Licinius Lucullus. A close friend of Sulla's (but don't hold that against him!). He was a true and noble Roman and a bloody good general. He all but won the Mithridatic campaign before Pompey took advantage and stole all the glory (nothing new there). Lucullus was a great lover of all things Greek and wept while his soldiers burnt a town he had instructed them not to. He was also furious with one of his officers when they took a notable philosopher prisoner and enslaved him against his express orders. The officer freed him but Lucullus pointed put that freedom "thus granted was a real diminuition of what he had had before". When he retired he lived well and left us his name as a byword for elegant excess. In his military heyday he expanded the Roman Empire's frontiers further than anyone before him. Cities queued up to join because of his reputation for fairness. He removed tax burdens and sorted out the finances of many peoples. He is remembered for being fat and a failure ------ Posterity Sucks! Sulla Felix Truly an excellent choice. Lucullus is one of those too oft ignored characters that made an enormous contribution to the expansion of the empire, yet is terribly overshadowed by those that both preceeded and followed him. I don't mean to discredit Pompey's abilities, but one had to wonder about the what if's of Pompey's command and legacy if not for the advance work of Lucullus. What has always baffled me is, why was Lucullus remembered so negatively. I understand that Pompey's triumphant return superceded Lucullus and downplaying the former's achievement was a necessity to further Pompey's own glory, but Plutarch is downright glowing of Lucullus. Is there some other sentiment that truly changed the view or was it simply the legend of Pompey and later rise of Caesar that relegated Lucullus to the comparative abyss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullafelix Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Truly an excellent choice. Lucullus is one of those too oft ignored characters that made an enormous contribution to the expansion of the empire, yet is terribly overshadowed by those that both preceeded and followed him. I don't mean to discredit Pompey's abilities, but one had to wonder about the what if's of Pompey's command and legacy if not for the advance work of Lucullus. What has always baffled me is, why was Lucullus remembered so negatively. I understand that Pompey's triumphant return superceded Lucullus and downplaying the former's achievement was a necessity to further Pompey's own glory, but Plutarch is downright glowing of Lucullus. Is there some other sentiment that truly changed the view or was it simply the legend of Pompey and later rise of Caesar that relegated Lucullus to the comparative abyss? Well there is quite a lot too it I guess so I will try and sum it up in short choppy sentences! He was not a man of the people, he was a man of the right kind of people. Anything smelly and unwashed he couldn't/wouldn't relate to. So despite being a brilliant general he was constantly trying to make sure his troops didn't rebel...this was his one big military failing and partly led to his losing the Mithridatic leadership to that upstart self-publicist Pompey He was a friend of Sulla's He was an optimates and the main reason he is een as a failure is that he retired as soon as he got back from the Mithridatic campaign (more or less). Unlike Caesar and Pomepy his friends were unable to form the right kind of platform to save his command from you see and he had a bit of a hissy fit on his return. To my mind this is understandable...you know "where the hell where you lot when I needed you?" type thing. It is rather telling that the only political business he conducted from this date onward was to come into the forum to give Pompey a hard time (ooooh he hated that man!). Then, of course, he becomes rather decadent which was abit unRoman. Most of his political stuff failed too before he went away, even when he was Consul. he was a Sullan and he failed to uphold the Sullan Constitution another black mark. That's why, but it is out of all proportion to the level of his acheivments though. I find the stuff about coming into the forum to give Pompey a hard time rather endearing really..I mean I would be furious! Sulla Felix There is an excellent book called Lucullus a Life by Arthur Keaveney on this subject but its a bit hard to track down and about $200 to buy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 A couple of points about Lucullus are worth underlining. First, his energetic prosecution of the rapacious publicani--in addition to being admirable--puts the lie to the almost ubiquitous claim that the "senatorial faction" was only interested in milking the provinces. Although Lucullus was deep optimate--he was the third part of the Catulus/Horentisius anti-Pompeian axis--he was truly beloved by the Asian provincials for revitalizing the territory. Second, Lucullus was an important benefactor of Roman cultural life. Although his political enemies may have envied him for his display of wealth, Rome was a better place thanks to Lucullus. With Hortensius, he was a patron of the poet Archias, whom the Pompeians cynically attacked. Lucullus' history of the Social War, written in Greek, was still read at the time of Plutarch. In Cicero's eloquent defense of Archias, I think one can hear the values of Lucullus strong and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted February 25, 2006 Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 My favourite is Didius Julianus. Seriously! At first you might simply write him off as a cowardly prat, but in an understated way he was colourful character. I don't admire him, I just find it curious that a man with a succesful career in politics was naive enough to believe he could buy authority, power, and respect simply by telling everyone they were going to be rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolgolfer Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 I would have to say that one of my many favorites is Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus. Hadrian was a very excellent leader who commanded a great following of people who admired him. Plus, he was of the only emperor who took time spending most of his reign travel around the empire meeting people and learning and undertsanding the needs of the people, army and so forth. My favourite is Didius Julianus. Seriously! At first you might simply write him off as a cowardly prat, but in an understated way he was colourful character. I don't admire him, I just find it curious that a man with a succesful career in politics was naive enough to believe he could buy authority, power, and respect simply by telling everyone they were going to be rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted March 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Hadrian is very famous, specially in the UK because of his wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Neil Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Does Ammianus Marcellinus count as a minor character? I think his history is great reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iulius Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Mine was Pertinax, a man who was no noble and moral that the Praetorian Gaurd killed him b/c he was going to reform Rome and try to stop the corruption. Sadly, after his death the throne was sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 Mine was Pertinax, a man who was no noble and moral that the Praetorian Gaurd killed him b/c he was going to reform Rome and try to stop the corruption. Sadly, after his death the throne was sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Indeed, but at least Severus put an end to that the good old fashioned way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Mine was Pertinax, a man who was no noble and moral that the Praetorian Gaurd killed him b/c he was going to reform Rome and try to stop the corruption. Sadly, after his death the throne was sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Indeed, but at least Severus put an end to that the good old fashioned way Serverus was an excellent Emperor, it's just a damned shame he scared the hell out of his forces when he was angered and supplied with this knowledge, a tribune who was afraid of dying got the PG to think they were to be killed and so to save themselves they killed him. I wonder what would have happened had he lived to go after Persia... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.