Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinter (questor)

Publius Cornelius belonged to an ancient patrician family. His father and grandfather wore the same name , and nothing more is known about grandfather ^{[1] [2]} . Publius father held a consular post in 57 BC. e. and earned the nickname Spinter because of the resemblance to the theater actor who bore this name ^{[3] [4]} . The nickname was inherited by his son ^[5] .

There is speculation that the brother of Spinter Sr. was Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Cruz , consul 49 years BC. e. The latter held, among other things, the position of a people's tribune , that is, he was a plebeian . Accordingly, there is a possibility that both Spinter belonged to the plebs ^[1] .

The first mention of Publius Cornelia dates from the consular year of his father - 57 BC. e. Then Spinter Jr. put on a male toga ( lat. Toga virilis ) and became a member of the priestly college of the Augurs . At that time, Favst Cornelius Sulla was among the augurs; since only one representative of each particular kind was allowed to be a college member, Publius was previously adopted by one of the Manliev Torquats ^[6] , but did not change his name ^[7] . It is known that the festival, which the augurs arranged in honor of their new colleague, was attended by Mark Tullius Cicero ^[8] . At the beginning of 56 BC. e. Publius was still in Rome: sources report that he mourned in protest against the proposal of the tribune of Guy Porcia Cato to deprive his father of viceroyalty in Cilicia ^{[9] [10]} . Not later than the end of March, Spinter went to his father and was in Cilicia at least until the fall of 54 BC. e. ^[5]

Nothing is known about the participation of Publius in the civil war between Gnei Pompey the Great and Guy Julius Caesar . His father belonged to the Pompeian "party", and Spinter Jr. himself in March 47 BC. e. was in Alexandria of Egypt ^[11] . Apparently, he also joined Pompey, after his defeat, fled to Egypt, and then, no later than 45 BC. BC., received from Caesar forgiveness and returned to Rome. For a while, Spinter was not involved in politics, and his contemporaries remembered him only once during this period - when he divorced his wife. But everything changed in March 44 BC. e., when a group of senators killed Caesar ^[5] .

Publius Cornelius did not participate in the murder. When the conspirators ran through the streets, shouting that they had "killed the king and the tyrant," Spinter joined them, taking a sword from one of his acquaintances; starting from this day, he impersonated a conspirator to become famous ^{[12] [13]} . In April 44 BC e. Publius went to the province of Asia as a quaestor under the proconsul Gae Trebonii (one of Caesar's killers) ^[14] and was soon drawn into a civil war. He described these events in two letters (to Mark Tullius Cicero and the authorities of the Republic), the text of which is preserved ^[5] as part of Cicero’s letters “to relatives” ( ad familiares ) ^[15] .

Caesarian Publius Cornelius Dolabella ordered the assassination of Trebonius (in January 43 BC); then Spinter fled to Mark Junius Brutus , who had by that time established control over Macedonia . Dolabella soon left for Syria . Spinter at the head of the fleet went to his province, but on the way he learned that the Dolabella ships were off the coast of Lycia , and decided to attack them. The Rhodes refused to help him. Nevertheless, Publius Cornelius attacked the enemy, scattered him and pursued to the borders of the province, and Dolabella attracted cavalry to his side. After that, he re-established control of Asia as a propretor ^[16] . Another Caesarean, Guy Cassius Longinus , who fought with Dolabella for Syria, Spinter sent the money collected in Asia and the troops recruited there. Soon Dolabella was killed, Cassius and Brutus joined forces in Asia. Publius wanted to retain his vicegerency: in letters he declared that he showed “zeal and valor” and that only thanks to his help Cassius had won in Syria. However, the Senate did not confirm his proprietary authority. Spinter became subordinate to the proconsul Cassius (possibly as a legate ^[17] ). He commanded the troops besieging Rhodes ^[18] and the city of Mira in Lycia ^[19] , and after that disappeared from sources ^[5] .

According to a common hypothesis, Publius died in the fall of 42 BC. e. under Philippi , where the Republicans suffered a final defeat from Mark Anthony and Octavian ^{[5] [17]} . Plutarch writes that people who joined the conspirators after the assassination of Caesar (by name he names only two, Lentulus Spinter and Gaius Octavius), “paid dearly for their boast: they were executed by Anthony and young Caesar . So they did not enjoy the glory because of which they died, because no one believed them, and even those who subjected them to punishment punished them not for a perfect misconduct, but for an evil intention ” ^[20] .

Publius Cornelius was married to Cecilia Metella - a representative of a noble family , whose origin in detail is unknown. She could be the daughter of Quintus Cecilius Metell Celer and the famous Claudia ^[21] . In 45 BC e. the marriage was dissolved due to Cecilia's infidelity (in particular, she cheated on her husband with his future adversary Publius Cornelius Dolabella). Later, this matron married a second time, to the son of the tragic Aesop ^[22] .

Sources

1. Appian of Alexandria . Roman history. - M .: Ladomir, 2002 .-- 880 p. - ISBN 5-86218-174-1 .
2. Valery Maxim . Memorable deeds and sayings. - SPb. , 1772. - T. 2. - 520 s.
3. Dion Cassius . Roman history (neopr.) . Circulation date May 13, 2019.
4. Pliny the Elder . Natural history (neopr.) . Circulation date May 13, 2019.
5. Plutarch . Comparative biographies. - M .: Nauka, 1994. - T. 2. - ISBN 5-02-011570-3 , 5-02-011568-1.
6. Mark Tullius Cicero . Letters from Mark Tullius Cicero to Attica, relatives, brother Quintus, M. Brutus. - SPb. : Nauka, 2010 .-- V. 3 .-- 832 p. - ISBN 978-5-02-025247-9 , 978-5-02-025244-8.
7. Mark Tullius Cicero. Speech. - M .: Nauka, 1993 .-- ISBN 5-02-011169-4 .

Literature

1. Shackleton B. Names of Adopted in the Late Roman Republic (Neopr.) . Circulation date May 13, 2019.
2. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1952. - Vol. II. - P. 558.
3. Münzer F. Caecilius 137 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1897. - Bd. III, 1. - Kol. 1235-1236.
4. Münzer F. Cornelius 238 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1900. - Bd. VII. - Kol. 1392-1398.
5. Münzer F. Cornelius 239 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1900. - Bd. VII. - Kol. 1398-1399.

• Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinter (questor) (Russian) . - biography on the site ancientrome.ru .
• Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinter (questor) (eng.) . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.