Lucius Domitius Agenobarb (consul 54 BC)

Lucius Domitius belonged to a plebeian family, which later, during the time of Augustus , was included in the patriciate ^[1] . According to a legend told by Suetonius , the first representative of this kind once met "twin youths of a divine form" who ordered him to inform the Romans of the victory won in the war. "And in proof of their divine power, they touched his cheeks, and the hair on them from black became red, copper-colored." This Domitius received the nickname Agenobarb ( Ahenobarbus , "red-bearded"), which became a cognom for his descendants ^[2] . The great-grandson of the ancestor was Gnei Domitius Agenobarb , the first of this family to reach the consulate (in 192 BC) ^[3] ; the son of the latter was the consul-suffect of 162 BC. e. , grandson - consul 122 BC e. , and the great-grandson - the consul of 96 BC. e. , father of two sons. The eldest of these two, Gnei , died young, and the youngest, Lucius, became the continuer of the clan ^[4] .

Domitiums were distinguished not only by their nobility, but also by the size of their fortune: Lucius was one of the richest people in Rome ^[5] .

The Early Years and Early Careers

Given the requirements of the Cornelian law and the date of passage of Lucius Domitius's higher magistracy , researchers attribute his birth to approximately 98 BC. e. ^[6] Thus, the adolescence and early youth of Agenobarb fell on the civil war between the Sullan and Marian "parties." His older relatives were on the side of the latter; in particular, brother Lucius fought to the end in Africa , but in 81 BC. e. was defeated by Gnei Pompey (later the Great ) and executed ^[7] . At the same time, Uncle Lucius, bearing the same name , became one of the last victims of the Marian terror: he was killed right in the Senate Curia on the orders of Praetor Lucius Yunius Brutus Damasippus , and his body was hooked into the Tiber ^[8] .

Lucius Domitius does not appear in the surviving sources in connection with these events. The first mention of it refers only to 73 BC. e., when he appeared in court as a representative of the Roman farmers in their litigation with the inhabitants of the Greek city of Orop . In 70 BC e. Agenobarb, “a worthy young man in every way” ^[9] , was a witness at the trial of the governor of Sicily, Guy Verres ^[10] . Acting as a prosecutor, Mark Tullius Cicero asked Lucius questions about Verres's relationship with hetero Helidona, and he gave evasive answers for a long time, because he "valued youthful shame"; in the end, he nevertheless gave valuable evidence for the prosecution ^[9] . Sources report without dating that Agenobarb opposes the legislative initiative of some Manilius. There are two versions on this subject: it is either about 66 BC. e. and the law of Gaius Manilius , which granted Gnome Pompey the Great extraordinary empires to fight the Mediterranean pirates (Lucius could then hold the position of a quaestor , with whom cursus honorum ^{[11] began} ), or about 58 BC. e. and the bill of Gnei Manilius (then Lucius was a praetor) ^[12] .

In connection with the events of subsequent years, researchers rank Lucius Domitius among the leaders of the Senate factio , an oligarchic group that united both political interests and personal ties. This grouping, which united the most conservative part of the Senate, was led by Agenobarb, the brother of his wife, Mark Portius Cato, and the husband of another Portia , daughter of Cato, Mark Kalpurny Bibul ^[13] . These three nobles, according to researcher Sergei Utchenko , dominated the Senate as early as 65 BC. e. ^[14] By that time, Agenobarb was a close friend of Cicero, who, by his own admission, made in the summer of 65, counted primarily on the help of Lucius when he sought the consulate ^[15] .

In 61 BC e. Lucius Domitius held the post of Curul Edil ^[16] and, as such, organized lengthy and luxurious games ^[17] . Gnei Pompey the Great, who recently returned from the East , decided to make one of his legates , Lucius Afrania , consul, and Agenobarb in factio opposed this. Together with Cato, he initiated the adoption of two Senate decrees directed, by all accounts, against Afranius and the consul of the current year, Mark Pupiy Pison Fruga Kalpurnian , who supported him: one allowed searches of officials, the other declared criminals in whose houses the “distributors” lived (people involved in bribery of voters in the interests of specific applicants) ^[18] . Nevertheless, Athranius received a consulate for 60 BC. e. ^[nineteen]

A year later, an alliance with Pompey was concluded by a politician with a scandalous reputation Guy Julius Caesar , the eternal rival of Bibulus (this was the First Triumvirate , to which Marc Licinius Crassus belonged). Caesar put forward his candidacy for consul, and Agenobarb and Crassus supported Bibulus in spite of him and invested huge amounts of money in the election campaign of the latter; as a result, Guy Julius and Mark Kalpurniy got this post. Throughout the year (59 BC), conservatives tried to stop Caesar from carrying out reforms, but invariably failed ^[20] .

Already in the fall (presumably at the beginning of October ^[21] ) the so-called “ Vettius affair ” took place: a certain Lucius Vettius announced in the popular assembly the existence of a conspiracy whose purpose was to kill Pompey. Among the conspirators, he named a number of representatives of aristocratic youth ( Guy Scribonius Kourion , Marcus Junius Brutus , Lucius Emilius Lepidus Paul , Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinter ) and prominent politicians - Agenobarb, Lucius Licinius Lucullus , Marc Kalpurnia Bibula. The house of Lucius Domitius, according to Vettius, was chosen as the site for the attack on Pompey ^[22] . But no one believed these testimonies, Vettius soon died in prison, and the matter had no real consequences. There were suggestions that in reality it was Caesar's provocation, directed, among other things, against Lucius Domitius ^{[23] [24]} .

Higher Masters

As a result of the election of magistrates for 58 BC. e. Lucius Domitius received praetorship ^[25] . It is known that Cicero, also an enemy of the triumphs, was therefore “full of hope and even more enthusiasm.” In November 59, he wrote to Brother Quintus : “Praetors are very friendly to me and very brave citizens — Domitius, Nigidius , Memmius and Lentulus . Others are also honest, but these are special ” ^[26] . Agenobarb and Memmius immediately after taking office began the struggle to repeal all the laws adopted by Caesar the previous year. They announced the illegality of the ex-consul’s actions and demanded the cancellation of Lex Vatinia , according to which Gaius Julius received Cisalpine Gaul and Illyric for five years. “Having spent three days in fruitless wrangling” ^[27] , Caesar left for his provinces, and the Senate refused to do anything at the praetor’s request ^{[28] [29]} .

Then, in the spring of 58 BC. e., Cicero had to go into exile due to the actions of the tribune Publius Claudius . Cicero hoped that Lucius Domitius would seek his return ^[30] , but he did not dare to do so. In 56 BC e., after the time laid down by the Cornelian law, Agenobarb nominated himself as consul. The main point of his election program was the deprivation of all powers by Caesar, and this threat forced the triumvirates to rally. Pompey and Crassus also became job seekers; Caesar sent his soldiers to Rome to vote ^[31] . A fierce struggle unfolded, the participants of which (first of all, Pompey and Agenobarb) did not stop before breaking the law ^{[32] [33]} .

On the day designated for voting, both of them came to the meeting from night time. Between their supporters, a feud began, which turned into a landfill. Someone hit the torchbearer Domitius with a sword, and then everyone fled. Domitius himself with difficulty escaped home, and Pompey's bloodied clothes brought others home. Both of them were exposed to such danger.

- Appian of Alexandria. Roman History, XIV, 17. ^[34]

After this clash, Agenobarb was under siege at home until Pompey and Crassus were declared consuls (February 56 BC). In the next election, he again put forward his candidacy and finally received a consulate along with yet another optimate - Patrician Appius Claudius Pulchrome ^[35] . His brother-in-law Caton became a praetor, and this meant a sharp increase in the conservative part of the Senate ^[36] .

As consul, Lucius Domitius continued to demand that Caesar be deprived of his provinces, but without any success. His hostile attitude towards the triumviers manifested itself in connection with other events. So, Agenobarb contributed to the condemnation of the Pompeian Aulus Gabinius , who was forced to go into exile ^[32] ; when Julia , the daughter of Caesar and the wife of Pompey, died, Lucius tried to prevent her burial on the Field of Mars , but achieved nothing ^[37] . In the same year, he was involved in a large-scale political scandal that erupted around the next election. His candidacy for consuls for 53 BC. e. nominated by the old ally of Agenobarb, Guy Memmius, and patricians Mark Emilius Skavr and Mark Valery Messala Ruf , plebeian Gnei Domitius Calvin became other candidates. Memmius and Calvin entered into a written agreement with Lucius Domitius and Pulchrome, according to which they received support and pledged to pay 40 million sisters to each if they could not provide them with the provinces of their choice after their election ^[38] . This deal was the subject of many days of discussion in the Senate ^[39] . Memmy at the request of Pompey read the agreement in the Senate, and it covered the consuls, but this scandal for Agenobarb had no other consequences ^[40] .

In the following years, the factio of Cato came closer to Pompey. The reconciliation of the latter with Lucius Domitius occurred no later than the beginning of 52 BC. e.: it was then that Agenobarb headed the commission that judged Titus Annius Milon on the basis of the law on violence adopted by Pompey. Milon, found guilty of the murder of Claudius, was forced to retire into exile ^{[41] [42]} . It is known that in 51 BC. e. Lucius spread rumors throughout Rome about the defeat of Caesar in Gaul ^[43] ; at the beginning of 50 BC e. he voted in the Senate for a thanksgiving service on the occasion of the victories of Cicero in Cilicia , but he did so only in the hope that the people's stands Guy Scribonius Kourion would veto the decision ^[44] . Agenobarb’s motives are unknown in this story (he was on good terms with Cicero); perhaps he simply envied Mark Tullius, since he himself did not have any military merit ^[45] .

In 50 BC e. Lucius Domitius supported his fellow consul Pulhr in his conflict with Mark Celius Rufus . The latter, who became his enemy, made every effort to ensure that the place in the priestly collegium of the Augurs , vacated with the death of Quintus Hortensius Gortal , was given not to Agenobarb, who pretended to be him, but to Caesar's supporter Mark Anthony ^[45] . “Your eyes would never hurt if you saw Domitius’s face when they rejected him,” wrote Mark Celius to Cicero in this connection. “Therefore, Domitius is my worst enemy.” ^[46]

Civil War and Doom

In January, 49 BC e. there was an open gap between Caesar on the one hand and Pompey and the Senate on the other. The Senate appointed Lucius Domitius the governor of all Gaul and sent him to this province in order to deprive Caesar of power. Agenobarb began to recruit troops in Central Italy, in the lands of Mars and Pelignans , but at this time Caesar invaded Italy from the north. The Pompeian units in Pitsena and Umbria without a fight retreated to the city of Corfinius , to Lucius, who thus gathered 30 cohorts , that is, about 15 thousand legionnaires, under his command by February 9 or 10. Agenobarb was not going to retreat: he began to prepare Corfinius for the siege, promised his soldiers to give them four land ugers from their possessions after victory to increase their stamina, and turned to Pompey for reinforcements ^{[47] [48] [49]} .

But Pompey had already come to terms with the temporary loss of Italy; besides, he apparently understood that the soldiers were unreliable. Already on February 11 or 12 he ordered Lucius Domitius to withdraw his troops south to join him, and on February 15 and 17 he repeated the order; but by this time Corfinius was already surrounded by 52 cohorts of Caesarians. Agenobarb at a military council told his officers that Pompey would come to the rescue soon, and meanwhile he began preparations for an escape from the besieged city. Realizing what was happening, the soldiers gathered for a gathering, summoned the commander, arrested him and opened the gates to Caesar (February 24) ^{[50] [51] [52]} .

Plutarch portrayed these events in a comic manner ^[53] . According to him, Lucius Domitius, seeing that everything was lost, demanded poison from his doctor-slave and drank it. “But soon, having heard that Caesar was surprisingly merciful to the prisoners, he began to mourn himself and condemn his too hasty decision. However, the doctor reassured him, assuring that he had given him sleeping pills instead of poison. Domitius, perked up, hastened to Caesar ” ^[54] . This story tells, without specifying where and when it happened, and Suetonius ^[55] . The defeat of Lucius Domitius significantly worsened the position of the Pompeian party: Caesar surrendered 15 thousand soldiers who from that moment fought on his side; Among the prisoners were 50 senators and many representatives of the municipal aristocracy. Caesar released all the noble captives, including Agenobarb, for the first time thus applying his policy of mercy ^[53] .

Having received freedom from Caesar, Lucius Domitius remained his implacable enemy. However, he decided not to go to Pompey, who could see in him the culprit of a great defeat. He went to Etruria , in the vicinity of the city of Koz , where his possessions were concentrated. There, Agenobarb procured seven ships, put his slaves, freedmen and columns on them, and headed to Massilia ^[56] . This city first declared its neutrality, and after the arrival of Lucius took the side of the Pompeans; Agenobarb led his defense. Шедший мимо Массилии в Испанию Цезарь оставил для осады города три легиона во главе с Гаем Требонием ^[57] . Ещё один его легат, Децим Юний Брут Альбин , построил флот и разбил осаждённых на море (приблизительно в июне 49 года до н. э.). Позже в Массилию прорвалась отправленная Помпеем эскадра под командованием Луция Насидия , и состоялось ещё одно сражение, но и в нём победили цезарианцы. Гай Требоний построил плотину, чтобы полностью окружить город; огромная подвижная башня была пододвинута его солдатами к крепостной стене, а потом под её прикрытием цезарианцы сделали подкоп. Когда стена начала обрушиваться, массилийцы предложили сдачу, но только после возвращения Цезаря из Испании. Требоний согласился, а в ту же ночь защитники города сделали вылазку и сожгли башню ^[58] .

Тем не менее Массилия не могла долго держаться. Требоний начал восстанавливать постройки; в городе начались голод и болезни, к тому же пришли известия, что Цезарь одержал в Испании полную победу. Поэтому переговоры о сдаче возобновились, а Луций Домиций за несколько дней до капитуляции взошёл на борт корабля и, воспользовавшись бурной погодой, уплыл из гавани (конец лета 49 года до н. э.) ^{[59] [60]} .

В следующий раз Агенобарб упоминается в источниках в связи с событиями следующего года (48 до н. э.). Тогда он был в Фессалии , в окружении Помпея. При этом с другими видными помпеянцами Луций явно не ладил ^[61] : вождя «партии» он называл «при каждом удобном случае Агамемноном и царем царей», чем, по словам Плутарха, «возбудил к нему сильную зависть» ^[62] ; с Квинтом Цецилием Метеллом Сципионом и Публием Корнелием Лентулом Спинтером он ежедневно спорил о том, кому из троих достанется после победы должность верховного понтифика , причём спорщики «доходили до тягчайших словесных оскорблений» ^[63] (отсюда исследователи делают вывод, что Луций состоял в коллегии понтификов ^[61] ). Источники сообщают о столкновении Агенобарба с Цицероном: «Домиций хотел назначить в начальники какого-то человека, мало способного к войне, и в свое оправдание говорил, что у того прекрасный характер и редкое благоразумие. „Что же ты не прибережешь его в опекуны для своих детей?“» — ответил на это Цицерон ^[64] . Луций Домиций, в свою очередь, обвинял Марка Туллия в трусости ^[65] .

Когда на военном совете заходила речь о том, как поступать после победы в войне с людьми, сохранившими нейтралитет, Луций Домиций оказывался наиболее радикален ^[61] . Он заявлял, что, по его мнению, «следует по окончании войны дать сенаторам… по три судебных таблички для произнесения приговора об отдельных лицах, которые остались в Риме, или хоть и находились в пределах областей, занятых Помпеем, но не оказывали ему военных услуг. Одна табличка должна была давать полное оправдание, другая — присуждение к смерти, третья — налагать денежный штраф» ^[63] . По словам Светония, Агенобарб «из всех советников Гнея Помпея… один предложил считать врагами всех, кто держался середины и ни к какой стороне не примыкал» ^[55] .

В решающей битве при Фарсале 9 августа 48 года до н. e. Луций Домиций командовал одним из флангов армии Помпея: согласно Лукану , правым ^[66] , согласно другим источникам — левым ^{[67] [68]} . Он обратился в бегство вместе с прочими помпеянцами, когда исход сражения определился. Агенобарб бежал на гору, «лишился сил» и был убит всадниками Цезаря ^[69] .

Хорошо знавший Агенобарба Цицерон в одном из своих писем называет его глупым человеком ^[70] . В трактате « Брут », написанном уже после смерти Луция, он пишет, что тот «не знал никакой науки, но говорил на хорошей латыни и с большой свободой» ^[71] . Цезарь не раз упоминает Агенобарба в своих «Записках» и не прибегает к каким-либо оценочным суждениям, но изложенные им факты характеризуют Луция однозначно негативно ^[72] . Марк Целий Руф своеобразно характеризует отношение Агенобарба к своим друзьям: «Он даже никого из своих друзей не ненавидит так, как меня» ^[46] .

Живший позже Светоний характеризует Луция Домиция как человека «слабого духом, но грозного нрава» ^[73] .

Луций Домиций был женат на Порции, дочери Марка Порция Катона Салониана и Ливии . По отцу она была правнучкой Марка Порция Катона Цензора , по матери происходила от Ливиев Друзов. Её дядей был Марк Ливий Друз , народный трибун 91 года до н. э., родным братом — Марк Порций Катон Младший, а старшей единоутробной сестрой — Сервилия , мать Марка Юния Брута ^[74] .

Сыном Луция Домиция и Порции был Гней Домиций Агенобарб , консул 32 года до н. э., правнуком которого по мужской линии был император Нерон ^[75] . Порция пережила мужа на три года ^[72] .

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• Lucius Domitius Agenobarb (consul 54 years BC) (English) . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
• Lucius Domitius Agenobarb (consul 54 years BC) (рус.) . - biography on the site ancientrome.ru .