Faustus Cornelius Sulla (quaestor 54 BC)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Faustus Cornelius Sulla (before 86 BC – 46 BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was the son of the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He started his career in the shadow of Pompey, whom he followed during the Civil War against Julius Caesar. He was killed soon after the battle of Thapsus in 46 BC.

Life

Family background

Faustus was the only surviving son of the

Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his fourth wife, Caecilia Metella, and thus was a member of one of the most ancient patrician families, the Cornelii. After his father's death in 78 BC, he and his twin sister, Fausta, were brought up by his guardian and father's friend, Lucullus
.

Faustus married

Temple of Jerusalem when it was stormed by Pompey in 63 BC.[1] After his return to Rome, he gave gladiatorial games to celebrate his father in 60.[2] At an unknown time before 57, Faustus Sulla became augur.[3] As owner of the central slopes of Mount Falernus, his name became synonymous with the most esteemed wine in ancient Rome, Faustian Falernian
.

Triumvir monetalis (56 BC)

Faustus' denarius with the head of Diana and the Bocchus monument. The reverse is also a reproduction of Sulla's signet ring.

Faustus became triumvir monetalis in 56 BC, together with Lucius Marcius Philippus and Gaius Considius Nonianius. He had an important activity as moneyer, producing four types of denarius, which celebrate with an elaborate imagery both his father Sulla and father-in-law Pompey.[4] Michael Crawford dated all the coins to 56 , but other dates have been suggested: H. A. Grueber favoured 62 for the two denarii about Sulla, while Michael Harlan proposed 55.[5] Both preferred 54 for those about Pompey, because they bore the letters SC, for senatus consulto, which makes Harlan think that they belong to Faustus' time as quaestor that year.[6]

Denarius with the head of Hercules and Diana walking the heavens.
  • Diana/Bocchus monument: This denarius features the head of
    Jugurthine war in 106. Jugurtha was betrayed by his father-in-law king Bocchus of Mauretania, who arrested him during fake peace talks and delivered him to Sulla. In 91 BC, Bocchus sent to Rome as a gift a monument with gilded statues that reproduced the scene of Jugurtha's capture, but upset Gaius Marius, who had been Sulla's commander and the official winner of the war. The scene on the coin is a reproduction of the statues, with Sulla shown enthroned, Bocchus at his feet and Jugurtha in chains, which also featured on Sulla's signet ring.[8] This group of statues was placed on the Capitol, where Marius had built his trophy for winning the later Cimbrian War. This conflict through monuments resulted in the destruction of both groups of statues during the civil war of the 80s BC, but Julius Caesar as aedile rebuilt Marius' monument in 65 BC.[9] Faustus' coin is therefore an attempt to restore his father's legacy in opposition to Caesar's restoration of Marius' memory.[10]
Denarius with Venus and the three trophies, which also featured Pompey's signet ring (itself inspired from Sulla's second ring).
  • Hercules/Diana: This second denarius with the head of Hercules wearing the Nemean Lion's skin. Michael Crawford suggests that it also refers to the capture of Jugurtha, which the family tradition of Sulla associated with the favour of Hercules. The god also featured in Sulla's pantheon, as before celebrating his triumph over Mithridates in 82, he gave 10% of his fortune to Hercules.[11][12] It was during the luxurious feat in honour of Hercules that Faustus' mother Caecilia Metella died.[13] Sulla moreover restored the temple of Hercules Custos in Rome.[14] The reverse shows Diana walking the heavens, another reference to her favour towards Faustus to get the augurate.[15]
  • Venus/three trophies: The remaining two denarii celebrate Pompey. Faustus signed his coins with a monogram that conceals his name, while the denarii commemorating his father bore his name "Faustus" and cognomen "Felix". The head of Venus is featured on the obverse, while the reverse shows three trophies. It is a copy of Pompey's signet ring, which is itself an imitation of Sulla's second signet ring made after the battle of Chaeronea, won in 86 BC against Archelaus during the First Mithridatic War. Sulla had erected two trophies on the battle site, which made a lasting impression the Greek world; they were still commented by Pausanias and Plutarch two centuries after the event.[16] The lituus and jug on either side of the trophies allude to Pompey's augurate, which he received before 59 BC.[17][18] The three trophies celebrates Pompey's victories over three continents (Africa, Europe and Asia), also celebrated during his triple triumph of 61 BC[19]
Denarius with Hercules and the four wreaths.
  • Hercules/four wreaths: Like Sulla, Pompey was devoted to both Venus and Hercules, featured on this denarius, as he dedicated a temple for each god on the same day (12 August).
    cura annonae).[22][23][24] Philip de Souza further suggests that the aplustre (an ornament of a ship stern) also refers to Pompey's campaign against the Cilician pirates in 67 BC.[25]

Later career

Faustus Sulla was quaestor in 54 BC. The senate commissioned him to rebuild the curia Hostilia in 52 which had been burned down after the riots which followed the murder of Clodius.[26] After that, the curia was known as the curia Cornelia.

His career as an advocate was cut short, however, by the

Africa subsequently. After the Battle of Thapsus, he tried to escape to Mauretania, but was caught and killed by Publius Sittius, a supporter of Caesar, in 46 BC.[27]

With Pompeia he had at least two children:[28][29] A son is attested named Faustus Cornelius Sulla the Younger. Faustus Cornelius Sulla Lucullus, suffect consul in AD 31, was his descendant.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Josephus, Jewish War, 1.149 and 1.154.
  2. ^ Cassius Dio 37.51.4.
  3. ^ Cassius Dio 39.17.2.
  4. ^ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, pp. 449–451.
  5. ^ Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum, vol. I, p. 448.
  6. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, pp. 100, 106.
  7. ^ Velleius, ii. 25.
  8. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, pp. 100, 101.
  9. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, p. 105.
  10. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, p. 106.
  11. ^ Plutarch, Sulla, 35.
  12. ^ Sumi, "Spectacles", p. 418.
  13. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, p. 103.
  14. ^ Santangelo, Sulla, p. 220.
  15. ^ a b Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 450.
  16. ^ Plutarch, Sulla, 19.
  17. ^ Broughton, Magistrates, vol. II, p. 191.
  18. ^ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 451.
  19. ^ Sumi, "Spectacles", p. 417 (note 25)
  20. ^ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 451.
  21. ^ a b c Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, p. 107.
  22. ^ Broughton, Magistrates, vol. II, pp. 203, 204.
  23. ^ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, pp. 450, 451.
  24. ^ Harlan, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, p. 107.
  25. ^ de Souza, Piracy, p. 174.
  26. ^ Cassius Dio 40.50.2.
  27. Sueton, Caesar 75.3; Aurelius Victor
    , de viris illustribus 78.9.
  28. ^ Ps.-Caesar: De bello Africo 95: Pompeiae cum Fausti liberis
  29. Brill's New Pauly
    .

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Faustus_Cornelius_Sulla_(quaestor_54_BC)&oldid=1218128115"