The Third Man: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and the Collapse of the Triumvirate In the shadow of the titanic struggle between Mark Antony and Octavian, history often forgets the third member of the Second Triumvirate: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Though frequently dismissed…
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…
In the long history of the Roman Republic, many generals were hailed as Imperator, but only one bore the bizarre and paradoxical title of Imperator Parthicus: Quintus Labienus. A man without a country, Labienus led a foreign superpower against his…
The Rise of the “Mule-Driver”: Ventidius and the Parthian Campaign In the annals of Roman history, few stories are as cinematic or as improbable as that of Publius Ventidius Bassus. A man who began his life as a prisoner of…
The Triumph and the Temple In December 43 BC, Plancus returned to Rome to celebrate a Triumph for his Gallic and Raetian victories. This was a moment of peak prestige, though it was shadowed by the dark politics of the…
In the high-stakes naval theater of the Roman Civil Wars, few figures commanded as much respect—and fear—as Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. A man of stubborn conviction and aristocratic pedigree, Ahenobarbus achieved his greatest military distinction in 42 BC, the year he…
While history often highlights the names of Brutus and Cassius during the collapse of the Roman Republic, the career of Lucius Staius Murcus offers a fascinating look at the shifting loyalties and military pragmatism of the era. Between 45 and…
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.…
In the meteoric rise of the young Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus), few figures were as instrumental—or as tragic—as Quintus Salvidienus Rufus. Though his name is often overshadowed by the later fame of Marcus Agrippa, Salvidienus was Octavian’s original “right-hand…
While the giants of the era—Octavian, Antony, and Brutus—fought for the soul of the Republic in Greece, a lonely and heroic struggle was unfolding in North Africa. Quintus Cornificius, the governor of Old Africa (Africa Vetus), stood as the last…
