“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”
-Albert Einstein

Spinning out of control

The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

 While Silanus entered Rome in late 82 BC Calatinus prepared his invasion of Crete from Greece. The following spring he landed on the island, faced little resistance and occupied the centre of pirate activities.



Calatinus planed to continue his campaign in Anatolia in modern day Turkey, but the events in Rome forced him to act. He returned to the Greek mainland and started making business with two young but rich Romans, the Nero brothers. Both brothers were from the old Patrician Claudian gentes and looking for an opportunity to make new political allies. If Calatinus thought to find easy influenceable men with a lot of money he was wrong, because the Neros were strictly conservative and only made business with Calatinus because it suited their current situation.
 In Rome Silanus was trying to denounce Calatinus in front of the Senate. But he did not count on Calatinus wife Aurelia. She was acting behind the curtain against Silanus, maintaining important support for her husband among the Senators. The ancient historian Fabius, who hardly has anything to say about women, speaks in the highest tone about Aurelia even though he is suspicious about Calatinus in his work. For the moment the Senate did not act against Calatinus.

 But Calatinus returned in 80 BC and from there on things started to spin out of control. He landed with his troops in Brindisi, south Italy, but did not dare to go to Rome. If he marched against Rome with his troops he’d have seen as the tyrant Silanus was trying to make out of him and if he went without any troops he might have been completely defenceless against Silanus. So Calatinus decided to stay in Brindisi and act against his former protégé from there. Interestingly enough, when the Neros found out that Calatinus was acting against Silanus they broke up their connections with Calatinus. [This will be important later on].

Fabius - Ab Urbe Condita
(written at about 20 BC)

Book XX

 (5) From Brindisi Calatinus welcomed his clients on a daily basis. But to show his political intentions he still lived in his military camp. Some Senators came to show their support to Calatinus, some came trying to dissolve the situation by diplomatic talks. In Rome several rumours about Silanus started to make their rounds. Some people said that he was drunk heavily and neglecting his work for the Roman people, some said that he was taking part in strange foreign religious cults and some said he had a homosexual affair with his Greek slaves he brought from Corinth. And all those rumours came up so sudden that it was clear they were staged from Brindisi.
 (6) Silanus had enough of it. He convinced a prominent member of the Senate, Numerius Aemilius Papus to support him politically. Papus agreed and in Sextilis 675 AUC [August 79 BC] he and the Senate voted for Calatinus to become a hostes publici [enemy of the state]. Once again the political problems of Rome could only be solved by military means. Both sides prepared for war. […]