Lucius Licinius Crassus

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L. Licinius L. f. C. n. Crassus was born C. Laelio Q. Caepione cos.‡ (DCXIV a.u.c.).^[1]

 He was a member of an illustrious gens and family, and may have been the grandson of the consular C. Licinius C. f. P. n. Crassus; his father, however, appears not to have achieved any major magistracy, and L. Crassus built his public career not only on ancestry but also on oratory.

His first notable accomplishment as an orator was his prosecution of C. Papirius Carbo, apparently L. Metello L. Cotta cos.‡ (DCXXXV a.u.c.) just after Carbo's consulate. Carbo had been an associate of C. Sempronius Gracchus but distanced himself from Gracchus after the latter's death and even defended his killer in court.^[2]

 The charge on which Carbo was prosecuted is unknown; in the circumstances the prosecution was probably politically motivated, and in view of Carbo's changing allegiances it is difficult to say for certain whether it was driven by the supporters of Gracchus (in revenge for his desertion of their cause) or by the conservative aristocracy (as a continuation of the anti-Gracchan backlash).  In view of Crassus' later political allegiances, the latter may be more likely.  In any case, Carbo anticipated conviction and killed himself, and the prosecution evidently established Crassus as a rising star of the law-courts.[3]

 It is not known how far, if at all, the trial had progressed before Carbo gave up hope, and his despair may have been prompted as much by the power of his political enemies as by the rhetorical powers of his accuser; nonetheless, Crassus, only 21 years old, had defeated a consular who was also a very distinguished orator, and Cicero identifies this as the case which brought him to prominence.[4]

Cursus honorum^[5]

• Triumvir coloniae deducendae

M. Catone Q. Rege cos.‡ (DCXXXVI a.u.c.)

• Quaestor

by Q. Metello M. Silano cos.‡ (DCXLV a.u.c.)

• Tribunus plebis

L. Longino C. Mario cos.‡ (DCXLVII a.u.c.)

• Aedilis curulis

by C. Mario (VI) L. Flacco cos.‡ (DCLIV a.u.c.)

• Praetor

by Q. Metello T. Didio cos.‡ (DCLVI a.u.c.)

• Consul

L. Crasso Q. Scaevola cos.‡ (DCLIX a.u.c.)

• Proconsul

C. Caldo L. Ahenobarbo cos.‡ (DCLX a.u.c.) (perhaps Gallia Cisalpina)

• Censor

C. Pulchro M. Perperna cos.‡ (DCLXII a.u.c.)

• Perhaps decemvir agris dandis assignandis

L. Philippo Sex. Caesare cos.‡ (DCLXIII a.u.c.)

• Augur

from unknown date

to L. Philippo Sex. Caesare cos.‡ (DCLXIII a.u.c.)

References

1. ↑ Cicero, Brutus 161.
2. ↑ For details and sources see Carbo's biography.
3. ↑ Carbo's suicide: Cicero, Brutus, 103. Valerius Maximus, a less reliable source, says Carbo went into exile (3.7.6). On the trial's importance for Crassus' career, Cicero says, "Accusavit C. Carbonem eloquentissimum hominem admodum adulescens; summam ingeni non laudem modo sed etiam admirationem est consecutus." ("He prosecuted C. Carbo, an excellent speaker, when he was only a boy; thus he achieved not only the highest praise but also applause for his abilities.") (Brutus, 159).
4. ↑ Carbo's oratorical reputation: Cicero, "Hic optimus illis temporibus est patronus habitus" ("He was held the best advocate of those times") (Brutus, 106); Carbo is also listed among famous orators of the period by Velleius Paterculus, 2.9.1. For Cicero's comment on the case's role in Crassus' career, see the previous note.
5. ↑ For sources see Broughton, T.R.S., The Magistrates Of The Roman Republic (1951, American Philological Association)

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