Lucius Girtuley

Lucius Girtulei belonged to an aristocratic plebeian family. In the sources he is mentioned in a number of cases together with his brother Quint , who was supposedly younger than him; accordingly, the father of the brothers was to bear the name Lucius ^[1] . There is a hypothesis that the Girtulei were fellow countrymen of Quintus Sertorius , that is, they came from the land of sabins ^[2] .

Mentioned in the treatise of Mark Tullius Cicero " Brutus, or On the famous speakers " Guy Girtuley or Girtili ^[3] , who lived in the era of Sulla , could be a relative of Lucius and Quintus ^[4] .

About the beginning of Lucius’s career, nothing is known. His brother in 89 BC e. was a member of the military council of Gnei Pompey Strabo , who acted against the rebellious Italics in Pitsen . Lucius could be a colleague of Quintus, and in 87 BC. e., during the battles for Rome as part of the struggle between the Marians and the Senate "party", he and his brother could go over to the side of the Marian Sertorius ^[5] .

The name Lucius is found exclusively in Latin sources; Plutarch calls him only by job ^[6] . In 79 BC e. both Girtulei were in Spain , where Sertorius continued the struggle against the Senate "party". Lucius, who then held the position of quaestor ^[7] , defeated the governor of Far Spain, Mark Domitius Calvin ^[8] , who died in battle ^{[9] [10]} . Presumably ^[11] after this, Girtuley defeated the legate of Thorium Balba on the Ana River, who also died in a battle ^[12] . Frontin reports a siege by Girtuley of the city of Consabur in Near Spain , whose defenders suffered from hunger but did not give up ^[13] ; some scholars date this siege to 79 BC. e., some speak of a period between 79 and 75 years ^[14] .

In 78 BC e. the governor of Narbonne Gaul, Lucius Manilius , led the three legions and a half-thousand cavalry detachment invaded Spain. Girtuley opposed him with even greater strength and routed completely under Illerd, so that Manilius fled to his province with a handful of people ^{[15] [10] [16]} .

In 75 BC e. Lucius, along with his brother, commanded the Sertorian forces in the south, in Far Spain, while Sertorius was in the north-east, in Near Spain. The task of the Grtuleyev was to protect the allied communities from the enemy commander Quintus Cecilius Metellus Pius , but not to start a major battle, since the enemy was clearly stronger ^[17] . But they violated the order, were defeated and died. Sources report this in different ways. Oroziy writes about the battle of Italik , in which 20 thousand Sertorians died; Girtuley (unclear, Lucius or Quintus) fled to Lusitania after the battle ^[18] . Flor says that both Girtulei died under Segontia ^[12] , the epitator of Libya - that Metell “defeated and killed the sertoriev of the questor Girtuley and his army” ^{[19] [6]} . In historiography, it is widely believed that these are two different battles. F. Münzer believed that Lucius fled to Lusitania after Italica, then again joined Sertorius and died under Segontia ^[10] ; according to A. Korolenkov , Lucius died under Italik ^[20] .

Ancient authors recognize Lucius Girtulei as the most capable and successful of the commanders of Sertorius ^[21]

Sources

1. Lucius Anney Flor . Epitomes // Small Roman Historians. - M .: Ladomir, 1996 .-- S. 99-190. - ISBN 5-86218-125-3 .
2. Titus Livy . The history of Rome from the foundation of the city. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 3 .-- 768 p. - ISBN 5-02-008959-1 .
3. Pavel Oroziy . The story against the Gentiles. - SPb. : Publisher Oleg Abyshko, 2004. - 544 p. - ISBN 5-7435-0214-5 .
4. Mark Tullius Cicero . Brutus // Three treatises on oratory. - M .: Ladomir, 1994 .-- S. 253-328. - ISBN 5-86218-097-8 .
5. Sextus Julius Frontin . Military tricks (neopr.) . XLegio website. Date of treatment January 5, 2019.

Literature

1. Gurin I. Sertorian War (82–71). - Samara: Samara University, 2001 .-- 320 p. - ISBN 5-86465-208-3 .
2. Korolenkov A. Quintus Sertorius. Political biography. - SPb. : Aletheia, 2003 .-- 310 p. - ISBN 5-89329-589-7 .
3. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1952. - Vol. II. - P. 558.
4. Münzer F. Hirtuleius 2 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1913. - Bd. Viii. - Kol. 1962.
5. Münzer F. Hirtuleius 3 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1913. - Bd. Viii. - Kol. 1962-1963.
6. Münzer F. Hirtuleius 4 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1913. - Bd. Viii. - Kol. 1963.