Lucius Cornificius (consul 35 BC)

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Lucius Cornificius was a in the 2nd half of the 1st century BC. Living member of the Roman plebeian family of the Cornificier . He was a follower and general of Octavian (later Emperor Augustus ) and 35 BC. Chr. Consul .

Life

The father of Lucius Cornificius also carried the prenomen Lucius and is probably related to the accuser of the same name of Titus Annius Milo in 52 BC. Chr. Identical.

Lucius Cornificius was first born in 43 BC. Mentioned. After the young Octavian had marched with his legions against Rome in August of this year and had taken power in the capital like a coup d'état, he had the murderers of his great-uncle and adoptive father Gaius Iulius Caesar tried in their absence, with Cornificius - probably as a tribune - took over the role of accuser of Marcus Junius Brutus .

Cornificius later distinguished himself, possibly in the position of a legate , as Octavian's naval commander in his war against Sextus Pompey . Early 38 BC He led a fleet from Ravenna to Taranto and handed over the command there to Octavian. This led the fleet on to Rhegium , but was then attacked in the Strait of Messina by a Pompeian squadron that had sailed to Sicily after a sea battle near Cumae and was under the command of Demochares and Apollophanes . While Octavian behaved in a clumsy defensive manner, Cornificius, without having received express orders, attacked the enemy fleet and captured the flagship of the Demochares. All in all, Octavian suffered a severe setback, and only the arrival of the fleet of Gaius Calvisius Sabinus and Menodoros , which had also sailed from Cumae, prevented the complete destruction of his ships.

In August 36 BC In the second attempt, Octavian was able to translate three legions to Sicily and bring them ashore at Tauromenium . But he was soon attacked by Sextus Pompeius on land and sea, suffered another heavy defeat with his fleet and was only able to save himself to the Italian mainland coast with difficulty. Cornificius was meanwhile in command of Octavian's troops, who remained at Naxos in Sicily. He had lost touch with his superior and was surrounded by opposing armies. Nevertheless, he kept the overview and moved with his soldiers, who were constantly suffering from lack of water, hunger and enemy attacks, over the hot lava fields of Etna until after a few days he and his men reached Agrippa's troops, which had landed at Tyndaris , and were thus saved.

As a reward for his services, Cornificius was honored, among other things, by the fact that he was allowed to ride home on an elephant in Rome when he had dined outside . He also received 35 BC The consulate. As proconsul he then administered Africa and was able to 32 BC. To hold a Triumph ex Africa . Like other officers of Augustus, he later had to contribute from his casket to the beautification of Rome by building public buildings; so he restored the sanctuary of the goddess Diana , located on the Aventine and bearing his name .

literature

Remarks

  1. ^ Cassius Dio , index to the 49th book of Roman history .
  2. ↑ Plutarch , Brutus 27, 2.
  3. ^ Appian , Civil Wars 5, 80.
  4. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 5, 84–86.
  5. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 5, 109–115; Cassius Dio 49, 5, 1-7, 5; Velleius Paterculus 2, 79, 4; on this Jochen Bleicken : Augustus. A biography. Fest, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-8286-0027-1 , p. 223 f.
  6. ^ Cassius Dio 49, 7, 6.
  7. ↑ Cassius Dio 49, 18, 6; 49, 33, 1; among others
  8. ↑ Suetonius , August 29, 5; CIL 6, 4305
personal data
SURNAME Cornificius, Lucius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman consul 35 BC Chr.
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 1st century BC BC or 1st century