Publius Rutilius Rufus

Publius Rutilius Rufus (* around 158 BC; † 78 BC in Smyrna ) was a Roman politician and historian of the late republic .

Rufus, perhaps the son of the tribunes of the people (169 BC) Publius Rutilius, was from 134 to 132 BC. BC Military tribune in Spain under Scipio Aemilianus . About 118 BC He was praetor , 113 BC. Ambassador to Crete, from 109 to 107 BC. Chr. Legat under Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in Jugurthine War , where he operated militarily successful.

Rufus joined Quintus Mucius Scaevola and Servius Sulpicius Galba as a speaker and lawyer . He married the daughter of Gaius Livius Drusus , who lived in 147 BC. Held the consulate. Despite these good connections to the Roman nobility, Cicero reported difficulties in applying for the consulate . He received this in 105 BC. And organized the defensive measures after the defeat against the Cimbri and Teutons at Arausio . He was one of the most important allies of Gaius Marius in his time as consul (104-100 BC).

Probably 94 BC He was a legate in the province of Asia and came into conflict with the knightly tax tenants over the strict treatment of the province . 92 BC He was charged with alleged abuse of office and convicted by a knighted court. He went into exile in Smyrna , a town in the province that he allegedly looted, and stayed there voluntarily even after his full rehabilitation. Shortly before his death, Cicero visited him, to whom we owe much of our knowledge about Rufus. Cicero referred to this meeting when, in his work on the state De re publica, Rufus named Rufus as the person who reported to him about the memorable conversation, the reproduction of which he presented the content of his Staatsschrift. Publius Rutilius Rufus died in Smyrna in 78 BC. Chr.

Rutilius was formed stoically (among other things with Panaitios ). He wrote a strongly autobiographical work of history.

literature

• Francesca Alesse: Rutilius Rufus (Publius). In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Volume 5, Part 2 (= V b), CNRS Éditions, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-271-07399-0 , pp. 1818-1819
• Werner Suerbaum : P. Rutilius Rufus. In: Werner Suerbaum (Ed.): The archaic literature. From the beginnings to Sulla's death (= Handbook of the Latin Literature of Antiquity. Volume 1). CH Beck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-48134-5 , pp. 443-447
• Friedrich Münzer : Rutilius 34 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IA, 1, Stuttgart 1914, Sp. 1269-1280.

Remarks

1. ↑ Wolfgang Kunkel: Roman Jurists - Origin and Social Position , 2nd edition, Cologne 1967, p. 15.
2. ↑ Cicero, de oratore 2,280; Brutus 113.
3. ↑ Cicero, de re publica 1.13.