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A Note on Plutarch, Lucullus 35.3–8

Guidetti, Fabio; Lundgreen, Christoph

From the journal Hermes Hermes, Volume 152, February 2024, issue 1

Published by Franz Steiner Verlag

article, 10118 Words
Original language: Italian
Hermes 2024, pp 81-99
https://doi.org/10.25162/hermes-2024-0006

Abstract Related content References

Abstract

Plutarch’s account of Lucullus unsuccessfully begging his soldiers to follow him further, shortly before being forced to leave his command, is commonly read as the apex of his failure as a military leader. A close reading, however, reveals two hitherto overlooked aspects. Firstly, the story offers valuable information on late Republican military history, regarding the duration of military service before Augustus’ reform and the existence of clearly defined subgroups within the army. Secondly, the conflict between Lucullus and his soldiers allows us to get a glimpse of the political debate of the time, characterised by the competing claims to Sulla’s heritage, the shift of military loyalty towards specific individuals, and above all the question of who really represented the interests of the res publica.

Author information

Fabio Guidetti

Christoph Lundgreen

Keywords

critica delle fonti | guerre mitridatiche | esercito romano tardorepubblicano | cultura politica romana | gesti simbolici | Mariani e Sillani | source criticism | Mithridatic wars | late Republican army | Roman political culture | symbolic gestures | Marian and Sullan legacy

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