The Life of L. Licinius Lucullus

"But Lucullus, from his youth up, was devoted to the genial and so-called ‘liberal’ culture then in vogue, wherein the Beautiful was sought. And when he came to be well on in years, he suffered his mind to find complete leisure and repose, as it were after many struggles, in philosophy, encouraging the contemplative side of his nature, and giving timely halt and check, after his difference with Pompey, to the play of his ambition."

  -Plutarch, Life of Lucullus

~Birth and Youth - 118-92 B.C.

Lucius of the House Licinius of the line of Lucullus was born in 118 B.C., in a generation of late Roman Republic statesmen who flexed their powers just before the supremacy of Caesar, and who marched  contemporary with the likes of such totalitarian personalities as Sulla, Marius, Pompey, and Crassus.
Lucullus showed himself from boyhood to be an astute and quick learner. He was excellent in speaking his native Latin and highly skilled in Greek, for Hellenophilia was in vogue in the late Republic and was a mark of high education and culture - the conservative, traditionally-minded Catonians railed privately and publicly of the corrupting influences foreign cultures offered to the Roman youth and their waning adherence to traditional Italian morals and sensible pragmatism. Lucullus would become a favorite target of theirs.

As such, this love of language naturally extended to a love of literature. It is said that later in his life he once dined with Hortensius the Orator and Sisenna the Historian and, in jest, offered the two scholars the choice of him composing either a poetry or history of the Social War, in which he had served in his youth. It seems that Hortensius and Sisenna settled upon the theme of a history, for there once existed a prose history in Greek of the Social War.

~The Social War - 91-88 B.C.

Lucullus first served as tribune in the that war (91 - 88 B.C.) in which the Romans were forced to put down their socii, “allies” (the Italian allies, the Roman confederates, wanted equal rights and Roman citizenship; the Romans said no. After three years of fighting bloody battles over the matter, the Romans wrecked them and gave them citizenship anyway). It was here that his skills and efficiency were noticed by the general and Dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (“The Fortunate”). Sulla was the Optimate (Patrician, Aristocratic) rival of the Popular (Plebeian, Populist) statesman, Gaius Marius. 

~The Mario-Sullan Civil War - 88 - 87 B.C.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix

Gaius Marius

Fulfilling the inevitability of a conflict between these two very powerful rival factions over a substantial empire, Sulla eventually declared open hostilities with Marius and marched his army upon Rome, thereby breaking Roman taboo and incuring a great deal of infamy (does anyone else recall Sir Laurence Olivier crying, "Sulla? To the infamy of his name?"). Lucullus is likely the sole Quaestor ("Quartermaster" for 88 B.C.) to dare to follow Sulla to the city walls in this mad venture - the other officers refused, on the grounds that they would not dare commit such a religious sacrilege. Lucullus' post as Quaestor would be extended while he enjoyed Sulla's confidence to act as a pro-Quaestore ("Acting Quartermaster") until 80 B.C.

~The First Mithridatic War - 89 - 85 B.C.

Once Marius, surprised by Sulla’s boldness, had fled the city, it was easily taken by Sulla who made quick work of the Marian gladiators raised to fight his own army of veterans. Naming himself Dictator, he desired nothing greater than to go East with an army and carry out a campaign against the king of Pontus (modern day Turkey), Mithradates VI Eupator, who had been acting grossly against Rome for a few years and had raised an army against Roman power in the region; however, the new-made Dictator needed to solidify his power at Rome. Indeed, the authority to command this campaign was the catalyst of the fracture between Marius and Sulla which sparked their civil wars.

Mithradates VI Eupator, King of Pontus

Fortunately for Sulla (Felix was his cognomen, after all), he had two brilliant protégés: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Pompey the Great; and our Lucullus, whom Sulla took with him East to conduct important military matters, chief amongst them the handling of minting money, which was used for some time in Greece and was called the lucullan after him. In 87 B.C., Sulla left Rome under the Consulship of Lucius Cornelius Cinna, a compromise candidate (and the father-in-law of a teenage Julius Caesar) propped up to keep the Marians happy. Once Sulla left Italy, Marius returned and took control of Rome in an attempt to reverse Sulla's decrees and legislations - his leadership would last merely a fortnight before old age took him and the Populist party passed completely under Cinna. Sulla largely left these Roman matters unchecked, his attention focused almost entirely on bringing Mithridates to heel.

So Sulla sailed to Greece and conducted his preliminary campaign there by seizing the Aegean waterways to limit Mithridates' movements Westward; it was in decisive movements like this that Sulla, an excellent model in the ways of Roman aristocratic pragmatism and no-nonsense leadership, would influence Lucullus, Pompey, and later Caesar in the ways to conduct a successful campaign (see Caesar's Commentaries of the Gallic War, the epitome of Roman generalship). Sulla first landed in Epirus (western Greece) and marched Eastward to Athens, for he wished to occupy the important and strategically located harbor town of  the Peiraieus, which lay a few miles southwest of Athens. After a successful siege, the Romans sacked the great city Athens on March 1st, 87 B.C. 

~Crete, Cyrene, Egypt, Cyprus, and Rhodes

Having taken a valuable safe harbor in the Peiraieus, Sulla sent Lucullus to gather more ships from coastal Roman allies to further control the seaways; the young pro-Quaestore left the Peiraireus with three small Greek yachts and three light Rhodian biremes. Avoiding pirates and dangerous winter weather (it was winter 87-86 B.C. and the Mediterranean waters are still dangerous even today in these months), Lucullus put in at Crete and won the island over to the Romans; he then sailed on to Cyrene in Libya, put an end to the seven-year civil conflict which had been flaring up there, and established a new constitution and new government for them; finally, he sailed on to Egypt where his luck failed and he fell into the near-constant danger of being attacked by pirates (it would be his rival Pompey who would effectively clear the Mediterranean of the pests). 

Managing to escape, he then successfully landed in Alexandria in grand style as "befitting a king" Plutarch tells us, for the entire Pharaoh's navy put out to meet him and escort his yacht into the harbor. Plutarch further tells us that Lucullus was the first foreigner to stay in the royal palace, a personal guest of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes ("The Flute-Player" and father of Queen Cleopatra VII). Such gifts and wealth Ptolemy wished to give him that Lucullus had to refuse it all, saying that the treasures nor the offered scenic vacation to the sacred city of Memphis would befit a Roman officer sent on a mission by his commanding officer who was still "encamped under the open sky next to the enemy's walls and battlements"; though at their parting at the Pharaoh's insistence Lucullus did accept a marvelous emerald set in gold in which had been etched Ptolemy's own image - how could anyone pass that up? 

Ptolemy did not wish to commit to either the Romans or Mithridates (favoring instead to sit on the matter until a clear victor presented himself) he gave Lucullus ships to escort him to Cyprus. They parted as friends, the emerald with the Pharaoh's etching sat on the young Roman's person and a handful of ships by which he put in at every harbor along the way to Cyprus (except those engaged in piracy) and obtained more ships from them. 

Arriving at Cyprus, Lucullus received word through informants that the enemy had laid anchor off the island's headlands and were prepared to ambush him as he attempted to return to Sulla. Though Pompey would later give Lucullus the nickname "the toga-ed Xerxes" for the extravagance of his tastes and lifestyle, "the toga-ed Odysseus" would have been just as apt if one drew their attention to such tactics as these: he avoided the ambush by ordering the ships drawn up onto the beach and letters be sent to the nearby towns and cities asking for winter quarters and provisions - he made it seem that he was delaying his departure until the calmer spring weather. With the enemy's attention slackened at this discovery, Lucullus put out from his embeachment at the first favorable wind during the dead of night and sailed full canvas until dawn when he doused them and stuck close to the rocky reefs. In this way he snuck completely by the fools and landed safely at Rhodes. There the Rhodians furnished him with more ships and he convinced the Cosans and the Cnidans to join the Romans against Mithridates.

~Mithridates' Escape, Peace with Sulla, Settling of the Eastern Provinces

Meanwhile the war had been continuing: while Sulla had moved on from Athens and won great victories at Chaeronea and Orchomenos, it was here that Mithridates had found himself in dire straits. Gaius Flavius Fimbria, a violent followers of Gaius Marius, had been sent East by the Roman Senate (now controlled by the Marians) under the command of Lucius Valerius Flaccus to finish the king before Sulla did so. Fimbria had found Flaccus' leadership not to his liking and roused the soldiers to mutiny and they murdered their imperator; with the army now under Fimbria's command, he had managed to out-manoeuvre Mithridates and shut the king up in the city of Pitane. Legates were sent to Lucullus by Fimbria who beseeched him to reinforce his own army with the fleet of ships he had gathered. Fimbria further enticed him by reminding him of the glory which would be his if Mithridates in his flight fell into his hands. Lucullus did nothing, either thinking Fimbria a wretch who had murdered his commanding officer and must not be treated with, or he wished Mithridates to escape so that he could conquer him himself without Fimbria's help. Either way, Mithridates escaped without Lucullus' ships, and the king fled while mocking Fimbria and his forces. Satisfied that Mithridates had made good his escape and had robbed Fimbria of his triumph, Lucullus joined Sulla at the Chersonesus and they crossed into Asia together. There, Sulla treated with Mithridates and a peace was forged; the Pontic king retreated to the Black Sea (he was permitted to keep his kingdom) to plot more wickedness against the Romans. 

By 85 B.C, Sulla, having brought the First Mithridatic War to a close, now turned his attention to Fimbria, who not long later fell on his sword instead of facing the Dictator (Sulla, like Caesar, had that effect on people). Sulla was likewise displeased with the Eastern provinces for causing him such trouble, so he raised an indemnity of twenty-thousand talents upon them, and chose Lucullus to collect the money. Though a despicable and dangerous job (Roman money-collectors were often the first provincials murdered by the native populations), Lucullus handled the matter with much fairness, though he was unable to induce Mytilene (a famously fickle and contemptuous city) to cease their rebellion, a feat many an Eastern potentate was also unable to achieve without bloodying his sword. He defeated them in battle, shut them up within their walls and drew them out by pretending to retreat; when the Mytilenians left their walls to descend greedily upon the ruins of his camp, he unexpectedly sprung his trap and surrounded them. Done and done.



Lucullus' Movements 87-85 B.C.

~Sulla Victor - 84 - 83 B.C.

While Sulla planned his return to Rome and Lucullus was gathering Sulla's money, Cornelius Cinna, who had been running the Populist affairs in Rome got himself killed in 84 B.C.- he had been preparing for war with Sulla and the fear and anxiety of facing the general in battle had caused him to overplay his hand. Marching out with an army, he planned to meet Sulla as the latter made his way Eastward through Illyria, but Cinna pushed his soldiers too hard; they mutinied and murdered him. Thus was the end of that.
By 83 B.C., Sulla was ready - he left the East with five legions and a large fleet; Fimbria's two legions he left behind under the command of Lucius Licinius Murena in order to keep the peace should Mithridates stir again. The Dictator's fleet landed in southern Italy, at Brundisium and Tarentum. So far unopposed, Sulla took his sweet time to plan his next movements while his supporters, who had hidden their true loyalties during the Marian reign, now openly flocked to his banners; the Dictator's numbers were now in the fifty-thousands. 
The remnants of the Marians and the Cinnans, the severely weakened Popular party, were still in charge and so sent their puppet Consuls for 83 B.C., C. Norbanus and L. Cornelius Scipio Asiagenus, the direct lineal grandson of L. Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, the victor of the Battle of Magnesia and brother of the most famous Scipio Africanus. Sulla, ever the practical, thought it best to offer negotiations first, knowing that bloodshed was always something that he could later say he was driven to once diplomacy had failed or was rejected. True enough, Norbanus rejected the offer and battle was joined; Norbanus suffered a major defeat, losing some six thousand men to Sulla's seventy men. Badly beaten, the Consul limped with his remaining forces to Capua with Sulla in pursuit. Here, the co-Consul, Scipio Asiagenus ("Asian-Born"), stopped Sulla in his chase and offered terms. Sulla's bloodthirsty veterans and brutal reputation so frightened Asiagenus' men that they deserted and joined Sulla. It was afterwards that the Consul was found cowering in his tent and brought before the victorious Dictator, who let him return to Rome with terms for the Senate on the condition that he would no longer take up arms against Sulla. Once out of Sulla's hands, the conquered Consul broke his oath and declared himself against the Dictator, thus incurring Sulla's wrath. Norbanus joined battle again, lost, and escaped, marching back to Rome and declaring all who joined Sulla's ranks a hostis, an enemy of the Republic.

~The First Mithridatic War - 83 - 81 B.C.