A man of dubious action


The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

After Silanus stepped down from his position as dictator in 75 BC he remained in the senate as a powerful member. In 74 BC he was elected as censor, following Metellus the Censor in his political legacy. Until his death in 70 BC the Roman Republic remained rather calm and stable. Three notable events took place during that time:
 In 76 BC Getae war bands raided Roman territory in the Macedonian province which led the young Aulus Claudius Nero to retaliate successfully between 75 and 73 BC with his private army. This was much discussed in the Senate since it didn’t except a private man to deal with an official problem.
In 75 BC another problem arose in Gallia where the uneasy relationship between the Arverni and the Massalians resulted in open war once again. The Romans sent an elder proconsul under the name of Sextus Iunius Brutus who campaigned against the Arverni without any major success until his natural death in Massalia in 72 BC. The Arverni problem remained unsolved.
 From 72 BC to 70 BC a plaegue spreaded in Greece which devastated certain towns. The outcome seemed to be rather mild, since the Greek towns recovered quickly.
 Silanus started to withdraw from Roman politics around 73 BC and spent more and more time celebrating privately in his villa outside of Rome. There were rumours about homosexual orgies with Roman and Greek actors, but that was never proven.
 When Silanus did not wake up after a celebration in his villa in 70 BC some wondered if he was poisoned of if he simply died of alcohol intoxication.
Silanus has been always looked upon with ambivalence. Was he a ruthless mass murder? A serious reformer? An exhausted politician? A hedonistic snob? Most historians agree he was a bit of everything.

Helenos – The life of Julius Caesar

(written about 100 AD)

When Calatinus marched against Silanus in 675 ab urbe Condita [79BC] Caesar was serving under the former as a military tribune. Caesar fought in the battle of Aeclanum, survived and fled to Greece like most the rest. Being only at the age of 20 his name was put on the Silanian proscription list like all of Calatinus men.
For the time being he lived in Athens and travelled through the Greek world where he got in touch with the Hellenistic world. When Silanus stepped down as dictator and things calmed down in Rome, Caesars friends and family asked him to return but he refused. He married the twelve year old daughter of Calatinus Matidia who was with Calatinus son Servius Atilius Calatinus. This was understood as a political marriage since Caesar was trying to claim the leadership under the Populares.
When Silanus died in 684 AUC [70 BC] Caesar prepared to return to Rome again. After being ten years away from the city he was delighted to be home again, but he was also puzzled because hardly anyone recognised him, nor did the Optimates care that he was married to the daughter of Calatinus.