Publius Quinctilius Varus

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For other uses, see Varus.

Publius Quinctilius Varus
Varus receiving Germanic leaders
Born46 BC
DiedAD 9
Occupation(s)Roman general, politician

Publius Quinctilius Varus (

killed himself
.

Background and early career

Although he was a

Decemvirs" (i.e. 453 BC).[1] His father, Sextus Quinctilius Varus, was a senator who had served as a quaestor in 49 BC.[1] This Sextus aligned with the Senatorial Party in the civil war against Julius Caesar.[2] Although Sextus survived the defeat, it is unknown whether he was involved in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Sextus killed himself after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC.[3] The mother of Varus is unknown; Syme notes that "no relatives on either side of the family can be discovered or surmised."[1]

Varus had three sisters, all named Quinctilia. They were probably all younger based on when they started having children, so it seems likely he was born at least four years before his father's suicide. The fact that they had advantageous marriages indicates someone was involved in their upbringing. One sister married Publius Cornelius Dolabella, consul of 35 BC; another married Sextus Appuleius, consul of 29 BC; and the third married Lucius Nonius Asprenas, son of the consul of 36 BC.[4]

Despite his father's political allegiances, Varus became a supporter of Julius Caesar's heir, Octavian. Varus accompanied Augustus on a three-year tour of the eastern provinces between 22 BC and 19 BC, winning public acknowledgement while he was there.[5] Around 15 BC, Varus spent a year or more serving as the legate of the 19th Legion while it was stationed at Dangstetten, as evidenced by a luggage-tag bearing his name and position excavated from the site.[6] When Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa died in early 12 BC, Varus delivered the funeral eulogy alongside the future emperor Tiberius.[7][8] With his political career thus boosted, he was elected consul in 13 BC as the colleague of Tiberius.[9]

Marriages and children

Varus married

Sextus Nonius Quinctilianus, who might have ended up adopted by his sister's husband after Varus and Vipsania died. That would explain why a son of Lucius Nonius Asprenas was named Quinctilianus, which implied adoption.[14]

Vipsania disappears from history. It is unknown whether she died or was divorced. Varus then married Claudia Pulchra.[15] She was a daughter of Claudia Marcella Minor and the Roman consul of 12 BC, Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus.[16] Her maternal grandmother was Octavia the Younger, sister of Augustus. Hence she was a grand-niece of Augustus.[17] His marriage to Pulchra shows that Varus still enjoyed political favor. Pulchra bore Varus a son, also called Publius Quinctilius Varus.[15] Through their son, they may have had further descendants.

Political career

As Lugdunum I (RIC 230), countermarked "VAR" (Varus)

In 8–7 BC, Varus governed the province of

better source needed
] Thus, the archaeological record seems to verify mass popular protest against Rome because of Varus' cruelty.

Following the massacre in Judaea, Varus returned to

Great Illyrian Revolt. Augustus made Publius Quinctilius Varus the first "officially appointed" governor of the newly created Roman province of Germania
in 7 AD.

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and death

Main article: Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

In September 9 AD Varus was preparing to leave his summer headquarters in Vetera (today Xanten) and march three legions – the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth – with him to Moguntiacum (modern-day Mainz), when news arrived from the Germanic prince Arminius (a Roman citizen and leader of an auxiliary cavalry unit) of a growing revolt in the Rhine area to the West. Ignoring a warning from Segestes not to trust Arminius, Varus marched his forces behind the latter's lead.

Battle of Teutoburg Forest

Not only was Varus' trust in Arminius a terrible misjudgement, but Varus compounded it by placing his legions in a position where their fighting strengths would be minimized and those of the Germanic tribesmen maximized – because he expected no ambush and very little trouble in intimidating the rebels. Arminius and the Cherusci tribe along with other allies, had skillfully laid an ambush, and in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in September at Kalkriese (East of modern Osnabrück), the Romans marched right into it.

The heavily forested, swampy terrain made the infantry manoeuvres of the legions impossible to execute and allowed the Germans to

Marbod of the Marcomanni
, the other most important Germanic leader, whom Arminius wanted to coax into an alliance, but Marbod declined the offer and sent the head on to Rome for burial.

Some captured Romans were caged and burned alive; others were enslaved or ransomed. Tacitus and Florus report that the victorious Germanic tribes tortured and sacrificed captive officers to their gods on altars that could still be seen years later.[25] The Romans did later recover the lost legions' eagles, one each in 15 AD, 16 AD and 42 AD.[26]

Aftermath

Due to the shame and the ill luck thought to be created by the Roman defeat, the XVII, XVIII and XIX legions never again appeared in the Roman Army's order of battle. The loss at the Teutoburg Forest was keenly felt by Augustus in his remaining years. According to the biographer Suetonius, upon hearing the news, Augustus tore his clothes, refused to cut his hair for months and, for years afterwards, was heard, upon occasion, to moan, "Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!" (Quintili Vare, legiones redde!).[27] Roman historians referred to the battle as the clades Variana ("Varian disaster").[28]

Gibbon describes Augustus' reaction to the defeat as one of the few times the normally stoic ruler lost his composure. Varus' political legacy in Rome was destroyed and the government blamed him for the defeat.[29] His son's (the younger Varus) chances for a political career were ruined. Tiberius himself fell under severe criticism for recommending Varus as the governor of Germania. Tiberius, according to Gaius Stern, was forced to sacrifice his friend and former brother-in-law to save his career.[30] Furthermore, Varus himself had been one of the figures on the Ara Pacis, but the figure is lost today.

Stern has proposed that common citizens vandalized the Ara Pacis by damaging Varus in anger over their lost loved ones, leaving the regime, which had blamed Varus, uncertain as to whether or not to fix the damage.

Pomponius Secundus, raided Germany and by chance rescued a few POWs from Varus' army.[31] Claudius welcomed them home after their long captivity, their stories arousing much pity.[citation needed
]

Cultural depictions

  • I, Claudius (1934) by Robert Graves, a novelization of the reigns of the first four emperors. Varus does not actually appear in the novel, but his defeat by the Germans is an important event.
  • The Iron Hand of Mars (1994) by Lindsey Davis; fourth book of the mystery series set during the reign of Vespasian, a portion of the novel occurs in the Teutoburger Wald.
  • Give Me Back My Legions! (2009) by Harry Turtledove, which details the events leading up to the battle, including a great deal of background information on Varus himself.
  • Undying Mercenaries (2014) by B. V. Larson, a series set in 2099, in which the main character fights with the Earth Mercenary Legion Varus. Much of the legion's culture and structure sources from Roman history and general Varus's life.
  • Schlammschlacht (2015) by Heilung, track four on their first album Ofnir. The poem describes the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest from the Cherusci point of view.
  • Varus is played by Gaetano Aronica in the Netflix series Barbarians.

References

  1. ^ a b c Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986), p. 313
  2. ^ Caesar Commentarii de Bello Civili 1.23, 2.28.1
  3. ^ Velleius Paterculus, 2.71.2.
  4. ^ Syme, Augustan Aristocracy, pp. 315-318
  5. ISBN 9781399088329
    .
  6. ISBN 9781399088329
    .
  7. ^ Syme, Augustan Aristocracy, p. 146
  8. ISBN 978-0750940160
    .
  9. ^ Alison E. Cooley, The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy (Cambridge: University Press, 2012), p. 457
  10. Caecilia Attica
    , Reinhold, Marcus Agrippa (1933); Gaius Stern, Women, Children, and Senators on the Ara Pacis Augustae (Berk. diss. 2006). If the former (pace Syme, Severy, Abdale), she was both daughter of Agrippa and a great-niece to Augustus.
  11. ^ John, Walther. "Zu den Familienhältnissen des P. Quinctilius Varus", Hermes 86.2 (1958), pp. 251–255.
  12. ^ Joseph. AJ 17.288.
  13. S2CID 163465685
    .
  14. ^ Levick, p. 36
  15. ^ a b Tacitus, Annales, iv. 66.1.
  16. ^ Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p. 205
  17. ^ Abdale, Four days in September: The Battle of Teutoburg, p. 65
  18. ^ Ronald Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy (1986), 320.
  19. ^ 66 A.D. – The Last Revolt (DVD). History Channel.
  20. ^ Josephus, Ant. 17.299
  21. ^ "Varus, Quintilius". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  22. ^ Velleius Paterculus, 2.118ff
  23. ^ Bordewich, Fergus M. (September 2006). "The Ambush That Changed History". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  24. ^ Velleius Paterculus, 2.119.3; Florus 2.30.38; Dio 56.21
  25. ^ Tacitus, Annales, i. 61; Florus 2.30.37-39.
  26. ^ Tacitus, Annales, i. 60.4, ii. 25.2; Dio 60.8.7.
  27. ^ Suetonius, Vita Divi Augusti 23 Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine; Dio 55.23, see also Vell. Pat. 2.117-124; Suet. Div. Aug.49; Dio 55.18-24.
  28. ^ Seager, Tiberius, p.173
  29. ^ Suet. Tib.18.1; see also the Vell. Pat. 2.117. Both historians preserve "the official version"
  30. ^ a b Gaius Stern, "Varus’ Legacy After Teutoburger Wald: Roman POWs, Tiberius, and the Ara Pacis," CAMWS 2009, Minneapolis, MN.
  31. ^ Tacitus, Annales, xii. 27.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Varus.
Political offices
Preceded by
Roman consul
13 BC
with Tiberius Claudius Nero
 Succeeded by
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius
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