[106] Roman forces then surrounded the Pontic camp. Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. As such, he sought to strengthen the aristocracy, and thus the Senate. [123], After the younger Marius' defeat, Sulla had the Samnite war captives massacred, which triggered an uprising in his rear. Each actor's story is unique and each brings something important to the ensemble. "[157] This duality, or inconsistency, made him very unpredictable and "at the slightest pretext, he might have a man crucified, but, on another occasion, would make light of the most appalling crimes; or he might happily forgive the most unpardonable offenses, and then punish trivial, insignificant misdemeanors with death and confiscation of property. Sulla was closely associated with Venus,[9] adopting the title Epaphroditos meaning favored of Aphrodite/Venus.[10]. [22] His first wife was called either Ilia or Julia. Constitutional reforms of Sulla - Wikipedia [64], Political developments in Rome also started to bring an end to the war. He left one of his allies, Quintus Lucretius Afella to maintain the siege at Praeneste and moved for Rome. For example: scholarly or popular books and articles, reference books, biographies, or textbooks. It was not until he was in his very late forties and almost past the age . "[158], His excesses and penchant for debauchery could be attributed to the difficult circumstances of his youth, such as losing his father while he was still in his teens and retaining a doting stepmother, necessitating an independent streak from an early age. Campaigning on his military record, the people were unwilling to hear tales of military bravado from a mere junior officer after two triumphs. The Late Republic - Clarkson Or he could attempt to reverse it and regain his command. The Romans neutralised a Pontic charge of scythed chariots before pushing the Pontic phalanx back across the plain. In 46 BC Julius Caesar appointed him governor of the province of Africa. However, his candidature was dealt a blow when he was brought up on charges of extorting Ariobarzanes. [13][14][15] Sulla's family thereafter did not reach the highest offices of the state until Sulla himself. [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. He attempted to mitigate this by passing laws to limit the actions of generals in their provinces, and although these laws remained in effect well into the imperial period, they did not prevent determined generals, such as Pompey and Julius Caesar, from using their armies for personal ambition against the Senate, a danger of which Sulla was intimately aware. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. 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 . [95], Mithridates' successes against the Romans incited a revolt by the Athenians against Roman rule. Family members of the proscribed were not excluded from punishment, and slaves were not excluded from rewards. [108] Adding to his challenges was Lucullus' fleet, reinforced by Rhodian allies. Cicero comments that Pompey once said, "If Sulla could, why can't I? Here are the names and relevant periods for some of the main ancient Latin and Greek sources for Roman history. Marius and his son, along with some others, escaped to Africa. 134/4 C.Marius spends his early life in the countryside near Arpinum. Find these with these special Subject terms. In a dispute over the command of the war against Mithridates, initially awarded to Sulla by the Senate, but withdrawn as a result of Marius' intrigues, Sulla marched on Rome in an unprecedented act and defeated Marian forces in battle. Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix[8] (/sl/; 13878 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He brought Pompeii under siege. [155] Plutarch notes that Sulla considered that "his golden head of hair gave him a singular appearance. 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. [30] Sulla was popular with the men, charming and benign, he built up a healthy rapport while also winning popularity with other officers, including Marius. He then sailed for Italy at the head of 1,200 ships. under Gaius Marius in the wars against the Numidian rebel Jugurtha. Sulla had total control of the city and Republic of Rome, except for Hispania (which Marius' general Quintus Sertorius had established as an independent state). 1011 accepts these inheritances without much comment and places them around Sulla's turning thirty years of age. 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. [78], When the march on Rome started, the Senate and people were appalled. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The first of the, Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback, sfn error: no target: CITEREFBadian2012 (. 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.. [75], Speaking to the men, Sulla complained to them of the outrageous behaviour of Marius and Sulpicius. 106/10 The quaestor L.Sulla arrives at Marius' camp with reinforcements from [32] After the Senate approved negotiations with Bocchus, it delegated the talks to Marius, who appointed Sulla as envoy plenipotentiary. Resigning his dictatorship in 79 BC, Sulla retired to private life and died the following year. [65] This had been preceded by the lex Julia, passed by Lucius Julius Caesar in October 90BC, which had granted citizenship to those allies who remained loyal. Plutarch, writing much . With Sulpicius able to enact legislation without consular opposition, Sulla discovered that Marius had tricked him, for the first piece of legislation Sulpicius brought was a law transferring the command against Mithridates to Marius. Taking Action: Benefits for students that extend beyond the classroom. They are different from secondary sources, accounts that retell, analyze, or interpret events, usually at a distance of time or place." Library of Congress Teacher's Page. Sulla - World History Encyclopedia He was a leader of the optimates, which sought to maintain senatorial supremacy against the populist reforms advocated by the populares, headed by Marius. [59] Sulla attempted also to assist Lucius' relief of the city of Aesernia, which was under siege, but both men were unsuccessful. 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. Threatened by the Pontic navy, Sulla sent his quaestor Lucullus to scrounge about for allied naval forces. [102] According to the ancient sources, Archelaus commanded between 60,000 and 120,000 men;[103] in the aftermath, he allegedly escaped with only 10,000. Plutarch states in his Life of Sulla that he retired to a life spent in dissolute luxuries, and he "consorted with actresses, harpists, and theatrical people, drinking with them on couches all day long." Plutarch of Chaeronea in Boeotia (ca. [81.4] It note also contains an account of Thracian . [119][120] The remainder of 83BC was dedicated to recruiting for the next year's campaign amid poor weather: Quintus Sertorius had raised a considerable force in Etruria, but was alienated from the consuls by the election of Gaius Marius' son rather than himself and so left to his praetorian province of Hispania Citerior; Sulla repudiated recognition of any treaties with the Samnites, whom he did not consider to be Roman citizens due to his rejection of Marius and Cinna's deal in 87BC. In a typical year, the Graduate Acting Department will personally audition more than 800 students in order to select an ensemble of 16 actors. Church and W. J. Brodribb. The Samnite and anti-Sullan commanders were then hunted down as "for all intents and purposes the civil war in Italy was over". Livy, Periochae 81-85 - Livius This unusual appointment (used hitherto only in times of extreme danger to the city, such as during the Second Punic War, and then only for 6-month periods) represented an exception to Rome's policy of not giving total power to a single individual. The Black Death: The Plague, 1331-1770 - University of Iowa The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. Historical documents : how to read them. Essentially, they're sources about primary sources. He was also notorious for his personal relationships . [79], Sulla then had Sulpicius' legislation invalidated on the grounds that they had been passed by force. The two armies then crossed the Po and attacked the Cimbri. This prophecy was to have a powerful hold on Sulla throughout his lifetime. You can use the following terms to search HOLLIS for primary sources:. The breakdown allowed Sulla to play the aggrieved party and place blame on his enemies for any further bloodshed. [6] He also disbanded his legions and, through these gestures, attempted to show the re-establishment of normal consular government. Secondary sources are interpretations of history. Marius, offering his services to Cinna, helped levy troops. To do so would mean total humiliation at the hands of his opponents, the end of his political career, and perhaps even further danger to his life. [84] Cinna, even before the election, said he would prosecute Sulla at the conclusion of the latter's consular term. [141][140][142][143][144] Accounts were also written that he had an infestation of worms, caused by the ulcers, which led to his death. Normally, candidates had to have first served for ten years in the military, but by Sulla's time, this had been superseded by an age requirement. After the battle, Marius withdrew to Praeneste and was there besieged. Sulla played an important role in the long political struggle between the optimates and populares factions at Rome. The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, when the U.S. Congress agreed to a declaration of war. Life dates 138 BC-78 BC. From Book 81 [81.1] [87 BCE] Lucius Sulla besieged Athens, which had been occupied by Archelaus, an officer of Mithridates; [81.2] [86] after much labor he took the city .. note he gave it back the freedom it used to have. Primary sources - How to find resources by format - Research Guides at Sulla - Wikipedia You may copy and distribute the translations and commentaries in this resource, or parts of such translations and commentaries, in any medium . He was to return the kingdoms of Bithynia and Cappadocia to Nicomedes and Ariobarzanes, respectively. There, Sulla attacked him in an indecisive battle. . Types of Sources and Where to Find Them: Primary Sources The ancient biography of Sulla written by Plutarch is useful. 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. [27], When Marius took over the war, he entrusted Sulla to organise cavalry forces in Italy needed to pursue the mobile Numidians into the desert. By the end of the war, the SSA had conscripted over 2.8 million American men. His family was patrician, part of the ruling class in ancient Rome. If Sulla hesitated it can only have been because he was not sure how his army would react. [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. [109] Faced with Fimbria's army in Asia, Lucullus' fleet off the coast, and internal unrest, Mithridates eventually met with Sulla at Dardanus in autumn 85BC and accepted the terms negotiated by Archelaus. Collections Online | British Museum The Athenian politician Aristion had himself elected as strategos epi ton hoplon and established a tyranny over the city. 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. Primary sources in history are often created by people who witnessed, participated in, or were otherwise close to a particular event. Sulla can be seen as setting the precedent for Julius Caesar's dictatorship, and for the eventual end of the Republic under Augustus. What is a Primary Source? - Library Research Guide for the History of These sieges lasted until spring of 86BC. [113], Sulla crossed the Adriatic for Brundisium in spring of 83BC with five legions of Mithridatic veterans, capturing Brundisium without a fight. This brief guide is designed to help students and researchers find and evaluate primary sources available online. Finding Primary Sources Primary Sources from DocsTeach Thousands of online primary source documents from the National Archives to bring the past to life as classroom teaching tools. Published by at 29, 2022. [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. [104], After the Battle of Chaeronea, Sulla learnt that Cinna's government had sent Lucius Valerius Flaccus to take over his command. be determined. [16] His father may have served as praetor, but details are unclear; his father married twice and Sulla' stepmother was of considerable wealth, which certainly helped the young Sulla's ambitions. Lucius other name: Sulla Details individual; military/naval; official; Roman; Male. [69], Sulla started his consulship by passing two laws. Sulla was a man to whom, up to victory, sufficient praise can hardly be given, and for whom, after victory, no criticism can be adequate. [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". Sulla almost certainly received a normal education for his class, grounded in ancient Greek and Latin classics. Ariobarzanes had been driven out by Mithridates VI of Pontus, who wanted to install one of his own sons (Ariarathes) on the Cappadocian throne. [127] Sulla himself was defeated and forced to flee into his camp, but his lieutenant Crassus on the right wing won the battle in the night. Sulla - in ancient sources @ attalus.org When it came to hiding his intentions, his mind was incredibly unfathomable, yet with all else he was extremely generous; especially with money. Marius, Sulla, and the Fall of the Roman Republic [137][15] In a manner that the historian Suetonius thought arrogant, Julius Caesar later mocked Sulla for resigning the dictatorship. Later political leaders such as Julius Caesar would follow his precedent in attaining political power through force. Social War | Roman history | Britannica Primary Sources - An Introductory Guide - Seton Hall University The Battle of Sacriportus occurred between the forces of Young Marius and the battle-hardened legions of Sulla.