Quintus Lucretius Ofella

Quintus Lucretius Ofella († 81 BC in Rome) was a Roman officer under Sulla who was executed by him.

Ofella was a knight . During the civil war he was first a Marian , but later went over to Sulla's side. After conquering the Praeneste held by Marius on Sulla's second march on Rome, he applied for the consulate . Sulla forbade him to run because of the reforms he had passed. So was allowed to

“... no longer become a praetor before he was quaestor, and hold the consulate before he had appointed praetor. [Sulla] also forbade taking the same office again before a period of ten years had expired. "

- Appian : The Civil Wars, 100, 466

Ofella nevertheless came to the marketplace to face the election. Sulla then sent a centurion around him and had the man killed. Sulla himself sat on a podium and watched the murder from above (Plutarch, Sulla 33).

Sulla is said to have justified his order to murder with the words:

“You know, men, and hear it from me: I had Lucretius executed because he refused to obey me! Fleas bit a farmer while plowing. Twice he let his plow rest and tried to shake it out of his shirt. When they bit him again, however, he burned his shirt so as not to be repeatedly disturbed in his work. And I warn those who have lost twice that a third time fire is not necessary. "

- Appian : The Civil Wars, 101, 472

swell

• Appian : Civil Wars . German translation: Roman history, part 2: The civil wars . Published by Otto Veh / Wolfgang Will . Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-7772-8915-9 ( English translation ).
• Plutarch : Sulla . German translation: Great Greeks and Romans . Translated by Konrat Ziegler . Volume 3, dtv, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-423-02070-9 ( English translation ).

literature

• Hans-Georg Gundel : Lucretius II, 10 . In: The Little Pauly . Vol. 3, 1969, Col. 758.