The Year of the Iron Fist: Calvinus and the Triumph of 39 BC
While the names Octavian and Mark Antony dominate the narrative of the late Roman Republic, the year 39 BC belonged, in many ways, to Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus. A seasoned aristocrat and a reliable pillar for the Second Triumvirate, Calvinus’s actions in the Iberian Peninsula during this year solidified Roman control over a rebellious province and earned him the prestigious title of Imperator.
The Spanish Crisis
By 40 BC, the Roman province of Hispania was in turmoil. The Cerretani, a fierce Iberian people living in the eastern Pyrenees, rose in open revolt against Roman taxation and administrative overreach. This wasn’t just a local skirmish; it threatened the stability of the Western Mediterranean at a time when the Triumvirs were busy carving up the world among themselves. Calvinus was dispatched as Proconsul to Hispania with a clear mandate: restore order.
The Campaign and the “Decimation”
Calvinus’s campaign in 39 BC is remembered as much for his brutal discipline as for his tactical brilliance. Early in the campaign, one of his units reportedly retreated in the face of the enemy—a disgrace in the eyes of a Roman commander.
To restore the “Old Ways” (Mos Maiorum), Calvinus invoked the ancient and terrifying punishment of decimation. The unit was divided into groups of ten, and one man from each group was chosen by lot to be executed by his comrades. This restored a grim, unbreakable discipline to his legions. With a hardened army, Calvinus cornered the Cerretani, utilizing a series of high-altitude maneuvers and sieges to break the rebellion through a combination of logistical starvation and direct assault.
Proclamation as Imperator
Following his decisive victory over the Cerretani, his troops hailed him as Imperator. In the context of the Roman Republic, this was not the title of a permanent ruler, but a supreme military honor bestowed upon a victorious general by his soldiers on the battlefield.
This victory cemented his reputation as one of the most capable commanders of the era. His success was not merely a military feat against the Cerretani tribe; it was a political statement of his loyalty and effectiveness as an ally of Octavian.
Legacy and the Roman Triumph
Calvinus eventually returned to Rome as a hero. His success in 39 BC allowed him to celebrate a Triumph in 36 BC, where he rode through the streets of Rome displaying the spoils of his Spanish campaign.
He used the vast wealth and gold gathered during his time in Hispania to fund the reconstruction of the Regia—the historic office of the Pontifex Maximus. By rebuilding this sacred site and decorating it with statues from his campaign, he ensured that his name and the glory of 39 BC would be literally etched into the stone of the Roman Forum.
Calvinus’s tenure serves as a bridge between the chaos of the civil wars and the organized power of the early Roman Empire. He proved that even as the Republic was shifting, the Roman military machine remained an unstoppable force when guided by strict discipline and aristocratic ambition.