Lucius Licinius Varro Murena
Lucius Licinius Varro Murena (died 22 BC) was a Roman politician who was accused of conspiring against the
Biography
Hailing from
He held the position of
In 22 BC, Murena was back in
The situation was so serious, that Augustus himself appeared at the trial, even though he had not been called as a witness. Under oath, Augustus declared that he gave no such order.[14] Murena, disbelieving Augustus's testimony and resentful of his attempt to subvert the trial by using his auctoritas, rudely demanded to know why Augustus had turned up to a trial to which he had not been called; Augustus replied that he came in the public interest.[15] Although Primus was found guilty, some jurors voted to acquit, meaning that not everybody believed Augustus's testimony.[16]
Then, sometime prior to September 1, 22 BC, a certain Castricius provided Augustus with information about a conspiracy led by Fannius Caepio against the Princeps.[17] Murena was named among the conspirators. Learning about charges from his sister Terentia, who in turn had been notified by her husband Maecenas, Murena apparently fled.[18] A court was convened in his absence, with Tiberius acting as prosecutor. The jury found Murena, along with his fellow accused, guilty, but it was not a unanimous verdict.[19] Sentenced to death for treason, Murena was executed as soon as he was captured without ever being given the opportunity to give testimony in his defence.[20]
References
- ^ Syme, pg. 94
- ^ Woodman, pg. 271
- ^ Smith's Biography, Murena
- ^ Dio 54.3
- ^ Ando, pg. 140
- ^ Swan, pg. 240
- ^ Syme, pg. 330
- ^ Syme, pg. 397
- ^ Wells, pg. 53
- ^ Southern, pg. 108
- ^ Holland, pg. 300
- ^ Southern, pg. 108
- ^ Stern, Gaius, Women, children, and senators on the Ara Pacis Augustae: A study of Augustus’ vision of a new world order in 13 BC, pg. 23
- ^ Syme, pg. 333
- ^ Syme, pg. 333; Holland, pg. 300; Southern, pg, 108
- ^ Wells, pg. 53; Raaflaub, pg. 426
- ^ Swan, pg. 241; Syme, pg. 483
- ^ Holland, pg. 301
- ^ Wells, pg. 53; Holland, pg. 301
- ^ Davies, pg. 260; Holland, pg. 301
Sources
Ancient
- Dio CassiusRoman History (c. 130 AD)
- Strabo Geographica (c. 10 AD)
Modern
- Ando, Clifford, Imperial ideology and provincial loyalty in the Roman Empire, University of California Press, 2000
- Davies, Mark; Swain, Hilary; Davies, Mark Everson, Aspects of Roman history, 82 BC-AD 14: a source-based approach, Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010
- Holland, Richard, Augustus, Godfather of Europe, Sutton Publishing, 2005
- Raaflaub, Kurt A.; Toher, Mark, Between republic and empire: interpretations of Augustus and his principate, University of California Press, 1993
- Smith's Dictionary of Roman Biography and Mythology (1873)
- Southern, Pat, Augustus, Routledge, 1998
- Swan, Michael, The Consular Fasti of 23 B.C. and the Conspiracy of Varro Murena, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Volume 71, pgs. 235 – 247, Harvard University Press, 1967
- Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1939
- Wells, Colin Michael, The Roman Empire, Harvard University Press, 2004
- Woodman, A. J., Velleius Paterculus: The Caesarian and Augustan Narrative (2.41-93), Cambridge University Press, 2004