In the final, desperate years of the Roman Republic, Lucius Pinarius Scarpus emerged as a figure of immense strategic importance. A nephew (or possibly a grand-nephew) of Julius Caesar, Scarpus was a man who held the keys to the grain and gold of Egypt, eventually earning the title of Imperator during the lead-up to the Battle of Actium.
The Caesar Connection
Scarpus’s rise was rooted in his bloodline. As a member of the gens Pinaria, he was closely related to Octavian. In Julius Caesar’s will, Scarpus was named as one of the minor heirs, receiving an eighth of the dictator’s estate.
While he initially supported the Triumvirate, his career truly accelerated when he was appointed by Mark Antony to command the vital provinces of Cyrenaica (modern-day Libya). By 31 BC, Scarpus sat at the head of four veteran legions, guarding the western approach to Egypt and Cleopatra’s kingdom.
The Proclamation as Imperator
It was during his governorship in North Africa that Scarpus was hailed as Imperator. While the specific campaign that triggered the salutation is not extensively documented in the surviving chronicles, it likely stemmed from his successful suppression of local desert tribes or the effective fortification of the Cyrenaican frontier.
However, the title of Imperator in Scarpus’s case is most famous for its appearance on his military coinage. As the commander of a massive garrison, Scarpus operated his own mint, producing silver denarii to pay his legions.
The Great Betrayal
Scarpus’s most significant historical act was not a military victory, but a political pivot. After the catastrophic defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, Antony fled toward North Africa, hoping to link up with Scarpus and his four fresh legions to launch a counter-offensive.
Scarpus, sensing the wind had shifted, made a cold-blooded calculation:
• He refused to meet with Antony.
• He executed Antony’s messengers.
• He defected to Octavian, handing over his legions and the province of Cyrenaica without a fight.
This betrayal effectively sealed Antony’s fate, stripping him of his last major land force and leaving him trapped in Alexandria with no hope of reinforcement.
The Coinage of Transition
The coins of Scarpus provide a unique “time-lapse” of his shifting loyalties.
1. The Antony Phase: His early coins bear the name of Mark Antony alongside his own.
2. The Octavian Phase: After his defection, he minted coins in the name of Octavian (soon to be Augustus). These coins often feature the Right Hand of Fellowship, a symbolic gesture intended to show the “harmony” between Scarpus and his new master.
Legacy and Survival
Unlike many who played both sides, Scarpus was rewarded for his timing. Octavian allowed him to remain in command of Cyrenaica for a time before he faded into a comfortable retirement.
Lucius Pinarius Scarpus remains a fascinating example of the “New Roman” of the Augustan Age—an aristocrat who realized that the era of the warring Imperators was over, and that survival meant pivoting from a general of the Republic to a servant of the first Emperor.