Mark Popillius Lenat (Consul 173 BC)

The first mentions of the plebeian genus Popiliev appear in sources in the 360s BC. Oe., immediately after the adoption of the laws of Licinius-Sextius, thanks to which the plebeians gained access to the consulate ^[1] . Cognomen lenat ( Laenas ), typical for Popillia, is sometimes found in representatives of other genera; according to Cicero , this generic nickname comes from the word laena , denoting the flaming mantle, but F. Müntzer suggested that it is rather a nomen of non-Latin (possibly Etruscan ) origin, which in Rome became a cognogen ^[2] .

According to the Capitoline Fasta , the father and grandfather of Marc Popillius wore the domain of Publius ^[3] . About Publii Jr., it is only known that he was a legate in 210 BC. er ^[4] Mark's brothers were Publius (triumvir for the breeding of colonies in 180 BC) and Guy , consul of 172 and 158 BC. er ^[five]

The first mention of Mark Popillia in the sources refers to 180 BC. Oe. when he was one of the triumphs engaged in the organization of a Latin colony on the land allocated by the city of Pisa (along with his brother Publius and pretori Quint Fabius Boutéon ) ^{[6] [7]} . In 176 BC. er Lenat received a pretura ^[8] and refused to rule Sardinia on the grounds that Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ^{[9] [10]} had already begun to pacify the province. In 174 BC er Marc Popillius was part of the embassy in Greece, whose goal was to end the civil war within the Aetolian Union ^[11] .

Upon his return from the Balkans, Marc Popillius was elected consul for 173 BC. er ^[12] Together with his colleague, Patricius Lucius Postumius Albin , he held the Flower Games , which from this moment became annual. The province for both consuls was appointed Liguria , but only Lenat led military operations: Albin was occupied by land delimitation in Campania . Lenat defeated the tribe of statelats, and when it capitulated, he treated him very severely: he sold all those who had surrendered to slavery (10 thousand people), and destroyed their city. Senators, who learned about these events from the letter of the consul, read out by the praetor Aul Atilieu Serran , “this reprisal seemed awful” ^[13] ; they ordered Mark Popilly to release the ligurs and return all their property, but he did not obey this order. He voluntarily came to Rome, imposed a fine on Serran, and demanded that the Senate approve his orders and appoint a thanksgiving. Having been refused, Lenat returned to the province, where, because of his cruelty, new uprisings began ^[10] .

Because of these events, the next year, despite the threat of war with Macedonia , the Senate again appointed Liguria as a province for both consuls, but the magistrates (one of the consuls was Guy Mark Popilli's brother) refused to go there. Mark, with the authority of the proconsul, continued the war and in one of the battles interrupted 6 thousand of them, after which the uprising only intensified. Finally, the senators passed a law investigating the events in Liguria and punishing the culprit and said that if the proconsul did not arrive in Rome, he would be convicted in absentia. Only after this, Mark Popillius surrendered command. The Ligurians received freedom and lands behind the Pad , and Lenat appeared before the court. “Out of respect for the absent consul and yielding to the pleas of the Popilliev family,” the praetor postponed the regular meeting until the end of his term of office, which actually meant the end of the case ^{[14] [15]} .

During the Third Macedonian War , which began soon , Marc Popillius was a legate in the army of Quintus Marcia Philip (169 BC) ^[16] . It is known that with a detachment of a thousand warriors he wintered in the city of Ambrakia in Aetolia ^[17] . His career was crowned with censorship of 159 BC. e., a colleague for which became the patrician Publius Cornelius Scipio Nazik Korkul ^[18] . The censors ordered the destruction of the statues, “which, out of ambition, some of them put on the Forum ” without the approval of the Senate and the people's assembly ^{[19] [15]} . Aulus Gellius tells the characteristic story of Nasik and Lenate. Conducting a census of the riders , the censors saw an extremely skinny and scruffy horse, on which the portly owner sat, and asked the latter: “Why does it happen that you are more well-groomed than a horse?” He replied: “Because I take care of myself, and on the horse is Stacius, a worthless slave. " Nazika and Lenat considered such a response “not respectful enough” and transferred the rider to the lowest category of Roman citizens, the Erarians ^[20] .

The son of Mark Popillia of the same name was consul in 139 BC. er

Sources

1. Sextus Aurelius Victor . About famous people // Roman historians of the IV century. - M .: Rosspan, 1997. - p. 179-224. - ISBN 5-86004-072-5 .
2. Avl Gelliy . Attic nights. Books 1 - 10. - SPb. : Publishing Center "Humanitarian Academy", 2007. - 480 p. - ISBN 978-5-93762-027-9 .
3. Capitoline Fasts (Unsolved) . The site "History of Ancient Rome." The date of appeal is January 19, 2017.
4. Titus Livius . History of Rome from the founding of the city. - M .: Science, 1994. - T. 3. - 576 p. - ISBN 5-02-008995-8 .

Literature

1. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1951. - Vol. I. - P. 600.
2. Münzer F. Popillius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1953. - Bd. XXII, 1. - Kol. 50-52.
3. Münzer F. Popillius 20 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1953. - Bd. XXII, 1. - Kol. 59-60.
4. Münzer F. Popillius 24 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1953. - Bd. XXII, 1. - Kol. 61-62.
5. Münzer F. Popillius 25 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1953. - Bd. XXII, 1. - Kol. 62.