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Marcus Licinius Crassus | HearLore
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was born in 115 BC into the gens Licinia, an old and respected plebeian family in Rome. He was the second of three sons born to Publius Licinius Crassus, a consul in 97 BC and censor in 89 BC. His father and younger brother were either slain or took their own lives during the winter of 87, 86 BC while being hunted by supporters of Gaius Marius following the Bellum Octavianum. This tragedy forced young Marcus to flee to Hispania, where he would spend years building his own power base away from the political purges sweeping Rome.
The family line did not descend from the wealthy Crassi Divites branch, despite later assumptions due to his enormous fortune. Plutarch notes that his great wealth was acquired rather than inherited, and that he was raised in modest circumstances. His grandfather, also named Marcus Licinius Crassus, held the office of praetor around 126 BC and earned the Greek nickname Agelastus for rarely smiling. The elder Crassus reportedly smiled only once in his entire life according to contemporary satirist Gaius Lucilius.
Crassus married Tertulla after she had been widowed by his own brother, creating an unusual domestic arrangement within Roman society. Despite his family's noble status as plebeians with consular ancestors, they avoided claiming fictionalized divine genealogies common among other Roman nobility. Instead, they displayed ancestral images in their atrium without elaborate mythological claims about legendary forebears.
Rise Through Civil War
After fleeing to Hispania in 87 BC, Crassus recruited 2,500 men from his father's clients settled in the area. He used this understrength legion to extort money from local cities to fund his campaigns, even facing accusations of sacking Malaca. Following the death of Lucius Cornelius Cinna in 84 BC, Crassus sailed to Greece and joined Sulla, standing in a position of special honor with the dictator.
During the decisive Battle of the Colline Gate, Crassus commanded the right flank of Sulla's army. After nearly a day of fighting that went poorly for Sulla, Crassus sent word that he had comprehensively crushed the enemy before him. Sulla ordered him to advance on the enemy center, using the news to stiffen the resolve of his own troops. By the following morning, the battle was over and the Sullan army emerged victorious, making Sulla master of Rome.
Sulla's victory and Crassus' contribution placed him in a key political position. The dictator proved as loyal to allies as he was cruel toward enemies, and Crassus had been a very loyal ally throughout the conflict. This military success would later enable him to rebuild his family's confiscated fortunes through property speculation during the proscriptions that followed.
When was Marcus Licinius Crassus born and what family did he belong to?
Marcus Licinius Crassus was born in 115 BC into the gens Licinia, an old and respected plebeian family in Rome. He was the second of three sons born to Publius Licinius Crassus, a consul in 97 BC and censor in 89 BC.
How did Marcus Licinius Crassus acquire his enormous fortune according to Pliny and Plutarch?
Marcus Licinius Crassus amassed an enormous fortune by buying property confiscated during the Marian-Cinnan proscriptions at auction prices far below value. Pliny estimated his wealth at approximately 200 million sesterces, while Plutarch recorded it growing from less than 300 talents to 7,100 talents.
What method did Marcus Licinius Crassus use to create the first Roman fire brigade?
Marcus Licinius Crassus created the first Roman fire brigade consisting of 500 men who rushed to burning buildings upon alarm. Upon arrival, his firefighters did nothing while Crassus offered to buy the burning building from the distressed owner at a miserable price before extinguishing the fire if the sale was accepted.
When did Marcus Licinius Crassus die and what battle caused his death?
Marcus Licinius Crassus died in 53 BC at the Battle of Carrhae in modern Turkey where his legions faced defeat by numerically inferior Parthian forces. He died when junior officer Octavius grabbed the bridle of the horse he mounted to ride to negotiations with Parthian general Surena, instigating a fight that left all Romans dead including Crassus.
Who were the three members of the First Triumvirate formed in 60 BC involving Marcus Licinius Crassus?
The coalition included Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar, who became consul in 59 BC. The alliance was restabilized at the Luca Conference in 56 BC, after which Crassus and Pompey again served jointly as consuls.
Crassus amassed an enormous fortune by buying property confiscated during the Marian-Cinnan proscriptions at auction prices far below value. Pliny estimated his wealth at approximately 200 million sesterces, while Plutarch recorded it growing from less than 300 talents to 7,100 talents. This represented 229 tonnes of silver worth about US$167.4 million at August 2023 silver prices, most acquired through fire and war according to ancient sources.
He purchased burnt and collapsed buildings along with adjacent properties because distressed owners sold them at trifling prices. When he accumulated over 500 slaves who were architects and builders, he began systematically acquiring damaged real estate across Rome. He rebuilt these structures using slave labor and often leased them back to original owners or new tenants for profit.
Crassus created the first Roman fire brigade consisting of 500 men who rushed to burning buildings upon alarm. Upon arrival, his firefighters did nothing while Crassus offered to buy the burning building from the distressed owner at a miserable price. If the owner agreed to sell, his men extinguished the fire; if refused, they simply let the structure burn to the ground. Through this manipulative scheme, he acquired the largest part of Rome before rebuilding and leasing the properties.
Crushing The Slave Revolt
Elected praetor in 73 BC, Crassus offered to equip, train, and lead new troops at his own expense after several legions had been defeated by Spartacus' forces. Sent into battle against the slave revolt by the Senate, he initially struggled to anticipate Spartacus' moves and inspire his army's morale. When a segment of his army fled from battle abandoning their weapons, Crassus revived the ancient practice of decimation by executing one out of every ten men selected by drawing lots.
Plutarch reported that many things horrible and dreadful occurred during this punishment, witnessed by the rest of Crassus' army. According to Appian, the troops' fighting spirit improved dramatically thereafter since Crassus demonstrated he was more dangerous to them than the enemy. He then tried to pen up the slave armies by building a ditch and rampart across the Bruttium peninsula from sea to sea.
Despite this remarkable feat, Spartacus and part of his army escaped during a heavy snowstorm by making a bridge of dirt and tree branches over the ditch. In the final battle at the Silarius river, Crassus gained decisive victory and captured six thousand slaves alive. During the fighting, Spartacus attempted to personally kill Crassus but succeeded only in killing two centurions guarding him. The six thousand captured slaves were crucified along the Via Appia with bodies left rotting as an object lesson to potential rebels.
The First Triumvirate
In 65 BC, Crassus was elected censor alongside Quintus Lutatius Catulus Capitolinus, son of a consul. During that decade, he served as Julius Caesar's patron in all but name, financing Caesar's successful election to become pontifex maximus after Sulla had deprived him of the office. Crassus also supported Caesar's efforts to win command of military campaigns.
Caesar's mediation between Crassus and Pompey led to the creation of the First Triumvirate in 60 BC, consisting of these three men who dominated Roman politics until Crassus' death. The coalition included Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar, who became consul in 59 BC. While Caesar and Crassus remained lifelong allies, Crassus and Pompey disliked each other and Pompey grew increasingly envious of Caesar's spectacular successes in the Gallic Wars.
The alliance was restabilized at the Luca Conference in 56 BC, after which Crassus and Pompey again served jointly as consuls. In their consulship they differed on almost every measure, rendering it politically barren through contentiousness. Despite this friction, Crassus displayed his wealth by realizing public sacrifices to Hercules, entertaining the populace at 10,000 tables and distributing grain sufficient for three months per family.
Disaster At Carrhae
Crassus received Syria as his province, which promised inexhaustible wealth but instead became the launchpad for a disastrous campaign against Parthia. He attacked not only for riches but because he desired to match military victories achieved by Pompey and Caesar. King Artavasdes II of Armenia offered nearly 40,000 troops including 10,000 cataphracts and 30,000 infantrymen if Crassus invaded through Armenia, providing safer routes and troop maintenance.
Crassus refused the Armenian proposal and chose the more direct route crossing the Euphrates as he had done successfully the previous year. The Osroene chieftain Ariamnes, who had previously assisted Pompey, led Crassus into the desert far from water while falsely claiming Parthians were weak and unorganized. In 53 BC at the Battle of Carrhae in modern Turkey, his legions faced defeat by numerically inferior Parthian forces.
Parthian horse archers devastated Roman heavy infantry with hit-and-run tactics, feigning retreats while shooting their rear. Despite severe casualties, Romans retreated to Carrhae leaving many wounded behind to be slaughtered. When near mutiny, Crassus agreed to parley with Parthian general Surena after his son Publius died in battle. Upon mounting a horse to ride to negotiations, junior officer Octavius grabbed the bridle instigating a fight that left all Romans dead including Crassus.