Gaius Considius Longus

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Gaius Considius Longus († 46 BC ) was a politician from the plebeian family of the Considier and a general of the late Roman Republic . As a supporter of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , he exercised military command during the Roman civil war in Africa and was murdered while fleeing after Gaius Julius Caesar's victory near Thapsus .

Life

The first known office of the cursus honorum of Gaius Considius Longus, whose father also used the prenomen Gaius , is the praetur , which he gave in an unspecified year before 54 BC. Exercised. He then served as a propaetor from around 53 to 50 BC. BC governor of the province of Africa . Since he wanted to become consul , he left before the end of his term in office at the end of 50 BC. His province, whose administration he entrusted to his legate Quintus Ligarius , and went to Rome for the purpose of his intended candidacy for consulate . But this application failed.

As early as 49 BC When the civil war between Caesar and Pompey began, Considius Longus sided with the latter. With other Pompeians he went back to Africa, where, like Publius Attius Varus, according to an inscription from Curubis (today's Qurba in Tunisia ) , he acted as legatus pro praetore and militarily first Pompey and after his death in 48 BC. Subordinate to the new Pompeian commander-in-chief in Africa, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio . With a force the strength of a legion, he secured the possession of the coastal city of Hadrumetum (today Sousse ) and worked in June 49 BC. (According to the Julian calendar ) participated in the victorious war of the Caesarian Gaius Scribonius Curio, who had landed in Africa . Together with Attius he had Curubis fortified and increased it up to 47 BC. The troop strength in Hadrumetum was two legions and 700 cavalrymen.

After Caesar in October 47 BC Chr. (Julian) landed in Africa, his general Lucius Munatius Plancus tried to negotiate with Considius Longus and had a letter delivered to him for this purpose by a prisoner. However, he was executed on the orders of Considius Longus and the letter was forwarded to Metellus Scipio unread. When Considius Longus learned that Acylla had promised to surrender to Caesar, he marched against this city, but it had already received a Caesarian garrison before his arrival. So he withdrew, but then began to siege after receiving reinforcement troops. After receiving false news, he withdrew again, handed over a contingent of his army to Metellus Scipio and went back to Hadrumetum. Later he commanded a strong occupation force and gladiators in the city of Thysdra (today's El Djem ). When it was reported that Caesar had decisively defeated his opponents in the battle of Thapsus (7 February 46 BC Julian = 6 April 46 BC pre-Julian) and Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus was advancing against Thysdra, Considius Longus fled with them all his money to escape to Numidia to his ally Juba I , but was murdered during the escape by the few Gaetulers who accompanied him , as they were after the property he had dragged with him. His son Gaius Considius Paetus was captured by Caesar, but Caesar pardoned him.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Cicero , Pro Q. Ligario 2 with Scholia Gronoviana p. 414 ed. Orelli.
  2. ↑ CIL 8, 24099
  3. ^ Caesar, De bello civili 2, 23, 4.
  4. ↑ De bello Africo 3, 1 and 33, 1 ( handed down in the Corpus Caesarianum , but not from Caesar).
  5. ^ De bello Africo 4, 1-4.
  6. ↑ De bello Africo 33 and 43.
  7. ↑ De bello Africo 76, 1.
  8. ↑ De bello Africo 86, 3 and 93, 1f.
  9. ↑ De bello Africo 89, 2.
personal data
SURNAME Considius Longus, Gaius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman general and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 46 BC Chr.