Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa

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Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Asisium,[2] Roman Republic
Died12 BC (aged 50–51)
Campania, Roman Italy, Roman Empire
Resting placeMausoleum of Augustus
NationalityRoman
Occupation(s)Military commander, politician
Notable workPantheon (original)
OfficeConsul (37, 28–27 BC)
Spouses
Children
List
Familygens Vipsania
Military service
AllegianceAugustus
Years of service45–12 BC
Battles/wars

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa[a] (/əˈɡrɪpə/; c. 63 BC[1] – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus.[3] Agrippa is well known for his important military victories, notably the Battle of Actium in 31 BC against the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. He was also responsible for the construction of some of the most notable buildings of his era, including the original Pantheon.

Born to a

Aquitanians and fought the Germanic tribes. He was consul for 37 BC, well below the usual minimum age of 43, to oversee the preparations for warfare against Sextus Pompey
, who had cut off grain shipments to Rome.

Agrippa defeated Pompey in the battles of

curule aedile. Agrippa commanded the victorious Octavian's fleet at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Following the victory at Actium, Octavian became emperor and took the title of Princeps, while Agrippa remained as his close friend and lieutenant. Agrippa assisted Augustus in making Rome "a city of marble". Agrippa renovated aqueducts to provide Roman citizens from every social class access to the highest quality public services, and was responsible for the creation of many baths, porticoes, and gardens. He was also awarded powers almost as great as those of Augustus. He had veto power over the acts of the Senate and the power to present laws for approval by the People. He died in 12 BC at the age of 50–51. Augustus honored his memory with a magnificent funeral and spent over a month in mourning. His remains were placed in Augustus' own mausoleum
.

Agrippa was also known as a writer, especially on geography. Under his supervision, Julius Caesar's design of having a complete survey of the empire made was accomplished. From the materials at hand he constructed a circular chart, which was engraved on marble by Augustus and afterwards placed in the colonnade built by his sister Vipsania Polla. Agrippa was also husband to Julia the Elder (who had later married the second Emperor Tiberius), and was the maternal grandfather of Caligula and the maternal great-grandfather of the Emperor Nero.

Early life, family, and early career

Early life and family

Agrippa was born c. 63 BC,

Agrippa" derived from him having been born breech[6] so it is possible that she died in childbirth.[7] Pliny also stated that he suffered from lameness as a child.[8] He had an elder brother whose name was also Lucius Vipsanius, and a sister named Vipsania Polla. His family originated in the Italian countryside, and was of humble and plebeian origins. They had not been prominent in Roman public life.[9] According to some scholars, including Victor Gardthausen, R. E. A. Palmer, and David Ridgway, Agrippa's family was originally from Pisa in Etruria.[10][11]

Early career

Agrippa was the same age as Octavian (the future emperor Augustus), and the two were educated together and became close friends. Despite Agrippa's association with the family of Julius Caesar, his elder brother chose another side in the civil wars of the 40s BC, fighting under Cato against Caesar in Africa. When Cato's forces were defeated, Agrippa's brother was taken prisoner but freed after Octavian interceded on his behalf.[12]

It is not known whether Agrippa fought against his brother in Africa, but he probably served in Caesar's campaign of 46 to 45 BC against

Quintus Salvidienus Rufus, advised Octavius to march on Rome with the troops from Macedonia, but Octavius decided to sail to Italy with a small retinue. After his arrival, he learned that Caesar had adopted him as his legal heir.[15]
Octavius at this time took Caesar's name, but modern historians refer to him as "Octavian" during this period.

Rise to power

Friend to Octavian

After Octavian's return to Rome, he and his supporters realised they needed the support of legions. Agrippa helped Octavian to levy troops in

Quintus Pedius arranged for Caesar's assassins to be prosecuted in their absence, and Agrippa was entrusted with the case against Gaius Cassius Longinus.[17] It may have been in the same year that Agrippa began his political career, holding the position of tribune of the plebs, which granted him entry to the Senate.[18]

In 42 BC, Agrippa probably fought alongside Octavian and Antony in the

Sipontum from Antony helped bring an end to the conflict.[22] Agrippa was among the intermediaries through whom Antony and Octavian agreed once more upon peace. During the discussions Octavian learned that Salvidienus had offered to betray him to Antony, with the result that Salvidienus was prosecuted and either executed or committed suicide. Agrippa was now Octavian's leading general.[23]

Governor of Transalpine Gaul

Bust of Agrippa, Pushkin Museum

In 39 or 38 BC, Octavian appointed Agrippa governor of

Germanic tribes, becoming the next Roman general to cross the Rhine after Julius Caesar.[24] He was summoned back to Rome by Octavian to assume the consulship for 37 BC. He was well below the usual minimum age of 43, but Octavian had suffered a humiliating naval defeat against Sextus Pompey and needed his friend to oversee the preparations for further warfare. Agrippa refused the offer of a triumph for his exploits in Gaul – on the grounds, says Dio, that he thought it improper to celebrate during a time of trouble for Octavian.[25]

Since Sextus Pompeius had command of the sea on the coasts of Italy, Agrippa's first care was to provide a safe harbour for Octavian's ships. He accomplished this by cutting through the strips of land which separated the

Caecilia Pomponia Attica, daughter of Cicero's friend Titus Pomponius Atticus.[29]

War with Sextus Pompeius

Further information: Bellum Siculum

In 36 BC, Octavian and Agrippa set sail against Sextus. The fleet was badly damaged by storms and had to withdraw; Agrippa was left in charge of the second attempt. Thanks to superior technology and training, Agrippa and his men won decisive victories at

Mylae and Naulochus, destroying all but seventeen of Sextus' ships and compelling most of his forces to surrender. Octavian, with his power increased, forced the triumvir Lepidus into retirement and entered Rome in triumph.[30] Agrippa received the unprecedented honour of a corona navalis decorated with the beaks of ships; as Dio remarks, this was "a decoration given to nobody before or since".[31]

Public service

Agrippa participated in smaller military campaigns in 35 and 34 BC, but by the autumn of 34 BC he had returned to Rome.[32] He rapidly set out on a campaign of public repairs and improvements, including renovation of the aqueduct known as the Aqua Marcia and an extension of its pipes to cover more of the city. He became the first Curator Aquarum of Rome in 33 BC.[33] Through his actions after being elected in 33 BC as one of the aediles (officials responsible for Rome's buildings and festivals), the streets were repaired and the sewers were cleaned out, and lavish public spectacles were held.[34] Agrippa signalled his tenure of office by effecting great improvements in the city of Rome, restoring and building aqueducts, enlarging and cleansing the Cloaca Maxima, constructing baths and porticos, and laying out gardens. He also gave a stimulus to the public exhibition of works of art. It was unusual for an ex-consul to hold the lower-ranking position of aedile,[35] but Agrippa's success bore out that break with tradition. As emperor, Augustus would later boast that "he had found the city of brick but left it of marble" in part because of the great services provided by Agrippa under his reign.

Battle of Actium

Agrippa was again called away to take command of the fleet when the war with Antony and Cleopatra broke out. He captured the strategically important city of

Patrae.[37] Dio relates that as Agrippa moved to join Octavian near Actium, he encountered Gaius Sosius, one of Antony's lieutenants, who was making a surprise attack on the squadron of Lucius Tarius, a supporter of Octavian. Agrippa's unexpected arrival turned the battle around.[38]

As the decisive battle approached, according to Dio, Octavian received intelligence that Antony and Cleopatra planned to break past his naval blockade and escape. At first he wished to allow the flagships past, arguing that he could overtake them with his lighter vessels and that the other opposing ships would surrender when they saw their leaders' cowardice. Agrippa objected, saying that Antony's ships, although larger, could outrun Octavian's if they hoisted sails, and that Octavian ought to fight now because Antony's fleet had just been struck by storms. Octavian followed his friend's advice.[39]

On 2 September 31 BC, the

Augustus
.

In commemoration of the Battle of Actium, Agrippa built and dedicated the building that served as the Roman Pantheon before its destruction in AD 80. Emperor Hadrian used Agrippa's design to build his own Pantheon, which survives in Rome. The inscription of the later building, which was built c. 125, preserves the text of the inscription from Agrippa's building during his third consulship. The years following his third consulship, Agrippa spent in Gaul, reforming the provincial administration and taxation system, along with building an effective road system and aqueducts.[citation needed]

Later life

Merida, Spain
; it was promoted by Agrippa, built between 16 and 15 BC.

Agrippa's friendship with Augustus seems to have been clouded by the jealousy of Augustus's nephew and son-in-law

Roman legions' standards.[43] On the death of Marcellus, which took place within a year of his exile, he was recalled to Rome by Augustus, who found he could not dispense with his services. If one places the events in the context of the crisis of 23 BC it seems unlikely that, when facing significant opposition and about to make a political climb down, the emperor Augustus would place a man in exile in charge of the largest body of Roman troops. What is far more likely is that Agrippa's 'exile' was actually the careful political positioning of a loyal lieutenant in command of a significant army in case the settlement plans of 23 BC failed and Augustus needed military support.[44]

After 23 BC, as part of what became known as Augustus's Second Constitutional Settlement, Agrippa's constitutional powers were greatly increased to provide the

tribunicia potestas, or powers of a tribune of the plebeians.[45] These great powers of state are not usually heaped upon a former exile. It is said that Maecenas advised Augustus to attach Agrippa still more closely to him by making him his son-in-law.[46] In 21 BC, he induced Agrippa to divorce Marcella and marry his daughter, Julia the Elder—the widow of Marcellus, equally celebrated for her beauty, abilities, and her shameless extravagance.[47] In 19 BC, Agrippa was employed in putting down a rising of the Cantabrians in Hispania (Cantabrian Wars).[42]

In 18 BC, Agrippa's powers were even further increased to almost match those of Augustus. That year his proconsular imperium was augmented to cover the

tribunicia potestas, or powers of a tribune of the plebeians. As was the case with Augustus, Agrippa's grant of tribunician powers was conferred without his having to hold the office.[48] These powers were considerable, giving him veto power over the acts of the Senate or other magistracies, including those of other tribunes, and the power to present laws for approval by the People. Just as important, a tribune's person was sacred, meaning that any person who harmfully touched them or impeded their actions, including political acts, could lawfully be killed.[49]
After the grant of these powers Agrippa was, on paper, almost as powerful as Augustus was; there was no doubt that Augustus was the man in charge.

Agrippa was appointed governor of the eastern provinces a second time in 17 BC, where his just and prudent administration won him the respect and good-will of the provincials, especially from the

Crimean Peninsula
).

Death

Agrippa's last public service was his beginning of the conquest of the upper

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Postumus, was named in his honor. Augustus honoured his memory by a magnificent funeral and spent over a month in mourning. Augustus oversaw the education of Agrippa's children. Agrippa had built a tomb for himself but Augustus had Agrippa's remains placed in the Mausoleum of Augustus.[51]

Legacy

Maison Carrée at Nîmes
, modern France, built in 19 BC; Agrippa was its patron.

Agrippa was not only Augustus' most skilled subordinate commander but also his closest companion, serving him faithfully for over three decades. Historian Glen Bowersock says of Agrippa:

Agrippa deserved the honours Augustus heaped upon him. It is conceivable that without Agrippa, Octavian would never have become emperor. Rome would remember Agrippa for his generosity in attending to aqueducts, sewers, and baths.[52]

Agrippa was also a writer, especially on the subject of geography.[42] Under his supervision, Julius Caesar's dream of having a complete survey of the Empire made was carried out. Agrippa constructed a circular chart, which was later engraved on marble by Augustus, and afterwards placed in the colonnade built by his sister Polla.[42] Amongst his writings, an autobiography, now lost, is referenced.[42]

Agrippa established a standard for the

Roman feet. The term Via Agrippa is used for any part of the network of roadways in Gaul
built by Agrippa. Some of these still exist as paths or even as highways.

The Roman tribe Agrippia was named in his honor.[54]

In popular culture

An Audience at Agrippa's, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Drama

Literature

Marriages and issue

Agrippa married three times:

Through his numerous children, Agrippa would become ancestor to many subsequent members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, whose position he helped to attain, as well as many other distinguished Romans.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ He discarded his nomen Vipsanius and was called simply Marcus Agrippa for most of his public career and in official inscriptions, possibly to mask his lowborn origin. Reinhold Marcus Agrippa pp. 6–8
  2. ^ However, it is uncertain whether they had also one or more sons who died young[58]

References

  1. ^ a b c Reinhold, Meyer (1933). Marcus Agrippa: A Biography. New York: The W.F. Humphrey Press. p. 1. Based on primary sources regarding his death, scholars have agreed upon the year of Agrippa's birth to have occurred during the consulship of M. Tullius Cicero, in 63 BC, the same year Octavian was born.
  2. ^ a b Reinhold, p. 9; Roddaz, p. 23.
  3. ^ Plate, William (1867). "Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 77–80.
  4. ^ Dio 54.28.3 places Agrippa's death in late March 12 BC, while Pliny the Elder 7.46 states that he died "in his fifty-first year". Depending on whether Pliny meant that Agrippa was aged 50 or 51 at his death, this gives a date of birth between March 64 and March 62. A calendar from Cyprus or Syria includes a month named after Agrippa beginning on November 1, which may reflect the month of his birth. See Reinhold, pp. 2–4; Roddaz, pp. 23–26.
  5. ^ cf Pantheon inscription "M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT" [1].
  6. ^ Reinhold, Meyer (1965). Marcus Agrippa: A Biography (new ed.). L'Erma di Bretschneider. p. 10.
  7. ISBN 9780719554940
    .
  8. ISBN 9780691156514
    .
  9. Velleius Paterculus 2.96, 127
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0842523349
    .
  11. ISBN 9789170811890
    .
  12. ^ Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus 7.
  13. ^ Reinhold, pp. 13–14.
  14. Life of Augustus 94.12
    .
  15. ^ Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus 16–17; Velleius Paterculus 2.59.5.
  16. ^ Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus 31. It has been speculated that Agrippa was among the negotiators who won over Antony's Macedonian legions to Octavian, but there is no direct evidence for this; see Reinhold, p. 16.
  17. ^ Velleius Paterculus 2.69.5; Plutarch, Life of Brutus 27.4.
  18. urban praetor
    in 40 BC. Roddaz (p. 41) favours the 43 BC date.
  19. ^ Pliny the Elder 7.148 cites him as an authority for Octavian's illness on the occasion.
  20. ^ Reinhold, pp. 17–20.
  21. ^ Dio 48.20; Reinhold, p. 22.
  22. ^ Dio 48.28; Reinhold, p. 23.
  23. ^ Reinhold, pp. 23–24.
  24. ^ Dio, 48.49
  25. ^ Dio 48.49; Reinhold, pp. 25–29. Agrippa's youth is noted by Lendering, "From Philippi to Actium Archived 2014-07-10 at the Wayback Machine".
  26. ^ Reinhold, pp. 29–32.
  27. ^ Suetonius, Life of Augustus 16.1.
  28. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 2.106, 118–119; Reinhold, pp. 33–35.
  29. ^ a b Reinhold, pp. 35–37.
  30. ^ Reinhold, pp. 37–42.
  31. ^ Dio 49.14.3.
  32. ^ Reinhold, pp. 45–47.
  33. OCLC 15063621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  34. ^ Dio 49.42–43.
  35. ^ Lendering, "From Philippi to Actium Archived 2014-07-10 at the Wayback Machine".
  36. ^ Orosius, History Against the Pagans 6.19.6–7; Dio 50.11.1–12.3; Reinhold, pp. 53–54.
  37. ^ Dio 50.13.5.
  38. ^ Dio 50.14.1–2; cf. Velleius Paterculus 2.84.2 ("Agrippa ... before the final conflict had twice defeated the fleet of the enemy"). Dio is wrong to say that Sosius was killed, since he in fact fought at and survived the Battle of Actium (Reinhold, p. 54 n. 14; Roddaz, p. 163 n. 140).
  39. ^ Dio 50.31.1–3.
  40. ^ Reinhold, pp. 57–58; Roddaz, pp. 178–181.
  41. ^ a b c Attilio Degrassi, I fasti consolari dell'Impero Romano dal 30 avanti Cristo al 613 dopo Cristo (Rome, 1952), p. 3
  42. ^ a b c d e f g Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 425–426.
  43. ^ David Magie, "The Mission of Agrippa to the Orient in 23 BC", Classical Philology, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr., 1908), pp. 145–152
  44. ^ Syme (1939), 342.
  45. ^ Syme (1939), 337–338.
  46. ^ Cassius Dio 54.6
  47. ^ a b Suetonius, The Life of Augustus 63; Dio, 6.5; Reinhold, Marcus Agrippa. A biography, pp. 67–68, 86–87.
  48. ^ Dio, Roman History 54.12.4.
  49. ^ Everett (2006), 217.
  50. ^ Dio, 28
  51. ^ Cassius Dio 54.28.5
  52. ^ "Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa | Roman leader | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 14 July 2023.
  53. ^ Soren (1999), p. 184.
  54. ISBN 9780567111869
    .
  55. ^ Virgil, The Aeneid, trans. Robert Fitzgerald, Vintage Classics, p. 252.
  56. ^ Ronald Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy (1987), 314.
  57. ISBN 9780198147312
    .
  58. ^ Ronald Syme, Augustan Aristocracy, Clarendon Press, 1989, pp.144-145, ISBN 978-0-19-814731-2
  59. ISBN 9780393352030
    .
  60. ISBN 9780198147312
    .
  61. ^ Suetonius, Augustus, 64.

Sources

Further reading

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Political offices
Preceded byas suffecti
Titus Statilius Taurus
 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Roman consul
28–27 BC
With: Augustus
 Succeeded by
T. Statilius Taurus
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