Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa | |
---|---|
Asisium,[2] Roman Republic | |
Died | 12 BC (aged 50–51) |
Resting place | Mausoleum of Augustus |
Nationality | Roman |
Occupation(s) | Military commander, politician |
Notable work | Pantheon (original) |
Office | Consul (37, 28–27 BC) |
Spouses |
|
Children | |
Family | gens Vipsania |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Augustus |
Years of service | 45–12 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
Agrippa defeated Pompey in the battles of
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,
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
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
In 42 BC, Agrippa probably fought alongside Octavian and Antony in the
Governor of Transalpine Gaul
In 39 or 38 BC, Octavian appointed Agrippa governor of
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
War with Sextus Pompeius
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
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
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
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
Agrippa's friendship with Augustus seems to have been clouded by the jealousy of Augustus's nephew and son-in-law
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
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
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
Death
Agrippa's last public service was his beginning of the conquest of the upper
Legacy
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
The Roman tribe Agrippia was named in his honor.[54]
In popular culture
Drama
- Agrippa is a character in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra.
- A fictional version of Agrippa in his later life played a prominent role in the 1976 BBC Television series I, Claudius. Agrippa was portrayed as a much older man though he would have been only 39 years old at the time of the first episode (24/23 BC). He was played by John Paul.
- Agrippa is the main character in Los cántabros, played by Naschy himself. It is a highly fictionalized version of the Cantabrian Wars in which Agrippa is depicted as the lover of the sister of Cantabrian leader Corocotta.
- Agrippa appears in several film versions of the life of Cleopatra. He is normally portrayed as an old man, rather than a young one. Among the actors to portray him are Carry on Cleo.
- Agrippa is also one of the principal characters in the British/Italian joint project Imperium: Augustus (2003) featuring flashbacks between Augustus and Julia about Agrippa, which shows him in his youth on serving in Caesar's army up until his victory at Actium and the defeat of Cleopatra. He is portrayed by Ken Duken.
- In the 2005 series Empire the young Agrippa (played by Christopher Egan) becomes Octavian's sidekick after saving him from an attempted poisoning.
- Octavia Minor, for which there is no historical evidence.
- In the TV series Domina (2021), Agrippa was played by Oliver Huntingdon and Ben Batt.
Literature
- Agrippa is mentioned by name in book VIII of Virgil's The Aeneid, where Aeneas sees an image of Agrippa leading ships in the Battle of Actium on the shield forged for him by Vulcan and given to him by his mother, Venus.[55]
- Agrippa is a main character in the early part of I, Claudius.
- He is a main character in the later two novels of Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.
- He is a featured character of prominence and importance in the historical fiction novel Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran.
- He also features prominently in John Edward Williams' historical novel Augustus.
- In the backstory of Gunpowder Empire, the first volume in Harry Turtledove's Crosstime Traffic alternate history series, Agrippa lived until AD 26, conquering all of Germania for the Empire and becoming the second Emperor when Augustus died in AD 14.
Marriages and issue
Agrippa married three times:
- Cecilia Pomponia Attica.[29] They married in 37 BC and divorced before 28 BC. By her he had two daughters:
- Vipsania Agrippina. She was the first wife of Tiberius.[56]
- Vipsania Attica. She married the orator Quintus Haterius.[57]
- Claudia Marcella Maior.[41] Daughter of Octavia Minor and niece of Augustus. They married in 28 BC and divorced in 21 BC. By her he had at least two daughters:[b]
- Vipsania Marcella. She married the general Publius Quinctilius Varus.[59]
- Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 6.[60]
- Julia the Elder.[47] Daughter of Augustus. They married in 21 BC. By her he had three sons and two daughters:[61]
- Gaius Caesar. He was adopted by Augustus as heir, but died prematurely.
- Julia the Younger. She married Lucius Aemilius Paullus, consul in 1.
- Lucius Caesar. He was adopted by Augustus as heir, but died prematurely.
- Vipsania Agrippina Maior. She married Germanicus Julius Caesar and was the mother of emperor Caligula and grandmother of Nero.
- Agrippa Postumus. Born after his father's death, he was killed soon after the death of Augustus. The motive and instigator of his killing are disputed.
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
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Reinhold, p. 9; Roddaz, p. 23.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ cf Pantheon inscription "M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT" [1].
- ^ Reinhold, Meyer (1965). Marcus Agrippa: A Biography (new ed.). L'Erma di Bretschneider. p. 10.
- ISBN 9780719554940.
- ISBN 9780691156514.
- .
- ISBN 978-0842523349.
- ISBN 9789170811890.
- ^ Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus 7.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 13–14.
- Life of Augustus 94.12.
- ^ Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus 16–17; Velleius Paterculus 2.59.5.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Velleius Paterculus 2.69.5; Plutarch, Life of Brutus 27.4.
- urban praetorin 40 BC. Roddaz (p. 41) favours the 43 BC date.
- ^ Pliny the Elder 7.148 cites him as an authority for Octavian's illness on the occasion.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 17–20.
- ^ Dio 48.20; Reinhold, p. 22.
- ^ Dio 48.28; Reinhold, p. 23.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 23–24.
- ^ Dio, 48.49
- ^ 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".
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 29–32.
- ^ Suetonius, Life of Augustus 16.1.
- ^ Appian, Civil Wars 2.106, 118–119; Reinhold, pp. 33–35.
- ^ a b Reinhold, pp. 35–37.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 37–42.
- ^ Dio 49.14.3.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 45–47.
- )
- ^ Dio 49.42–43.
- ^ Lendering, "From Philippi to Actium Archived 2014-07-10 at the Wayback Machine".
- ^ Orosius, History Against the Pagans 6.19.6–7; Dio 50.11.1–12.3; Reinhold, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Dio 50.13.5.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Dio 50.31.1–3.
- ^ Reinhold, pp. 57–58; Roddaz, pp. 178–181.
- ^ a b c Attilio Degrassi, I fasti consolari dell'Impero Romano dal 30 avanti Cristo al 613 dopo Cristo (Rome, 1952), p. 3
- ^ a b c d e f g Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 425–426.
- ^ David Magie, "The Mission of Agrippa to the Orient in 23 BC", Classical Philology, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr., 1908), pp. 145–152
- ^ Syme (1939), 342.
- ^ Syme (1939), 337–338.
- ^ Cassius Dio 54.6
- ^ a b Suetonius, The Life of Augustus 63; Dio, 6.5; Reinhold, Marcus Agrippa. A biography, pp. 67–68, 86–87.
- ^ Dio, Roman History 54.12.4.
- ^ Everett (2006), 217.
- ^ Dio, 28
- ^ Cassius Dio 54.28.5
- ^ "Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa | Roman leader | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 14 July 2023.
- ^ Soren (1999), p. 184.
- ISBN 9780567111869.
- ^ Virgil, The Aeneid, trans. Robert Fitzgerald, Vintage Classics, p. 252.
- ^ Ronald Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy (1987), 314.
- ISBN 9780198147312.
- ^ Ronald Syme, Augustan Aristocracy, Clarendon Press, 1989, pp.144-145, ISBN 978-0-19-814731-2
- ISBN 9780393352030.
- ISBN 9780198147312.
- ^ Suetonius, Augustus, 64.
Sources
- Badian, E. (1981). "Notes on the Laudatio of Agrippa". Classical Journal. 76: 97–109.
- Buchan, J. (1937). Augustus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- Evans, H.B. (1982). "Agrippa's Water Plan". American Journal of Archaeology. 86 (3): 401–411. S2CID 193123951.
- Firth, J.B. (1903). Augustus Caesar and the Organization of the Empire of Rome. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- Gray, E.W. (1970). "The Imperium of M. Agrippa: A Note on P. Colon. Inv. No. 4701". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik. 6: 227–238.
- Lendering, Jona. "Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa". Livius. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- McKechnie, P. (October 1981). "Cassius Dio's Speech of Agrippa: A Realistic Alternative to Imperial Government?". Greece and Rome. 28 (2): 150–155. S2CID 154924374.
- Reinhold, Meyer (1933). Marcus Agrippa: A Biography. Geneva: W. F. Humphrey Press.
- Roddaz, Jean-Michel (1984). Marcus Agrippa (in French). Rome: École Française de Rome.
- Shipley, Frederick W. (1933). Agrippa's Building Activities in Rome. St. Louis: Washington University.
- Soren, D.; et al. (1999), "A Roman villa and a late Roman infant cemetery : excavation at Poggio Gramignano, Lugnano in Teverina", Bibliotheca Archaeologica, Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider.
Further reading
- Goldsworthy, Adrian (2014), Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor, London, UK: ISBN 9780297864257
- Powell, Lindsay (2015), Marcus Agrippa: Right-hand man of Caesar Augustus, Barnsley, UK: ISBN 9781848846173
- Geoffrey Mottershead, The Constructions of Marcus Agrippa in the West, University of Melbourne, 2005
- Augustus' Funeral Oration for Agrippa
- Marcus Agrippa, article in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith