Ancient History & Civilisation

Appendix III

Two Decades of Bloodshed – Roman Senatorial Causalities in the First Civil War

As can be seen, the death toll from this series of wars was on a massive scale, both in terms of quantity and quality. Although there was no one battle to compare to a Cannae or an Arausio, as detailed above, there were a huge number of smaller-scale battles throughout the twenty years of conflict, across the whole Mediterranean world. Furthermore, its very nature as a civil war meant that Roman and Italian casualties were far higher than in a normal Roman-versus-non-Roman conflict.

The sources are divided on the death toll of the civil war in the 80s BC. Appian and Diodorus provide figures of around 100,000 killed in combat alone.¹ Orosius, supported by Eutropius, puts the death toll of the conflicts up until 82 BC at 150,000 dead, in combat alone. As Orosius points out, this figure ‘does not include innumerable peoples over all Italy who were slaughtered without any consideration’.² Velleius, meanwhile, states the death toll at 300,000 for both sides.³ If we add in the civilian deaths and the combat from the 70s BC, then it is clear that the First Roman Civil War would have had a death toll running into the hundreds of thousands.

For the Roman oligarchy, at no time since the Second Punic War had such high casualty figures been suffered. According to Orosius, ‘the census also shows that twenty-four men of consular rank, six of praetorian rank, sixty with the rank of aediles, and almost 200 senators were destroyed.’ As well as the usual losses in combat, however, this period saw a number of prominent Romans being either murdered in mutinies or murdered by their fellow nobles, whether after capture or in a more formal proscription, and even a handful of suicides.

The following lists are of the known members of the Roman oligarchy who died during this period, collected by type of death to show the true scale of the losses sustained.

Assassinated
91 BC	M. Livius Drusus	(Tr. 91)
	Assassinated during the night on the streets of Rome
Killed in Battle
90 BC	P. Rutilius Lupus	(Cos. 90)
	Killed at the Battle of the River Tolenus by a Marsic army
90 BC	Q. Servilius Caepio
	Killed in an unnamed battle by the Marsi
89 BC	T. Didius	(Cos. 98)
	Killed in an unknown battle against the Samnite allianace
89 BC	A. Gabinius
	Killed during a siege against the Lucanians
87 BC	C. Milonius
	Killed during the Battle of the Janiculum
82 BC	Ap. Claudius
	Killed when leading a cavalry charge against the Samnite army, whilst defending Rome
82 BC	C. Marcius (Censorinus)	(Pr. 82)
	Killed in the Battle of Colline Gate, fighting Sulla
81 BC	Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus
	Killed in battle in northern Africa, fighting Pompeius
81 BC	Paccianus
	Killed in battle with Sertorius at Tingis (Tangiers)
79 BC	M. Domitius Calvinus	(Pr. 80)
	Killed in the Battle of the River Anas whilst fighting Hirtuleius
79 BC	L. Thorius Balbus
	Killed whilst fighting Sertorius in a battle in Spain
76 BC	Laelius, D.
	Killed in the Battle of Lauro, whilst fighting Sertorius
75 BC	C. Herennius
	Killed in the Battle of Valentia, whilst fighting Pompeius
75 BC	L. Hirtuleius and Hirtuleius
	Killed in the Battle of Segontia, whilst fighting Pompeius and Metellus
75 BC	C. Memmius
	Killed in the Battle of Segontia whilst fighting Sertorius and Perperna
74 BC	P. Rutilius (Nudus)
	Killed in battle near Chalcedon whilst fighting Pompeius M. Marius
62 BC	L. Sergius Catilina	(Pr. 68)
	Killed in the Battle of Pistoria by forces commanded by the consul C. Antonius
62 BC	C. Manlius
	Also killed in the Battle of Pistoria by forces commanded by the consul C. Antonius
Murdered during Riots in Rome
89 BC	A. Sempronius Asellio	(Pr. 89)
	Murdered when attacked by a mob of creditors during daylight on the streets of Rome
88 BC	Pompeius Rufus
	Son of the consul of 88 BC, he was murdered by supporters of Sulpicius during the tumult
Murdered/Executed following Capture
90 BC	L. Postumius	(Pr. 90)
	Murdered by the Samnites following his capture at Nola
88 BC	M. Aquillius	(Cos. 101)
	Murdered by having gold poured down his throat following his capture by Mithridates
82 BC	C. Carrinas	(Pr. 82)
	Murdered at Sulla’s command following the Battle of Colline Gate
82 BC	L. Iunius Brutus Damasippus	(Pr. 82)
	Murdered at Sulla’s command following the Battle of Colline Gate
82 BC	Cn. Papirius Carbo	(Cos. 85, 84 and 82)
	Murdered on the command of Pompeius following his capture on the island of Cossyra
82 BC	Q. Antonius Balbus	(Pr. 82)
	Murdered by the Sullan commander L. Philippus after the capture of Sardinia
77 BC	M. Iunius Brutus
	Murdered on the orders of Pompeius following his capture at Mutina
77 BC	Cornelius Scipio
	Murdered on the orders of Pompeius following his capture at Alba
73 BC	M. Marius
	Murdered on the orders of Lucullus following his capture at the Battle of Tenedeos
72 BC	M. Perperna	(Pr. 82)
	Murdered on the orders of Pompeius following his capture at an unnamed battle in Spain
72/71 BC	M. Antonius; L. Fabius Hispaniensis; Manlius; Octavius Graecinus; C. Tarquitius Priscus
	All of the conspirators who murdered Sertorius (excepting Aufidius) were themselves murdered, either by Pompeius or by the Mauri
63 BC	P. Cornelius Lentulus Sura	(Pr. 63)
	Executed without trial on the orders of Cicero for his part in the attempted coup
63 BC	C. Cornelius Cethegus; L. Statilius; A. Gabinius Capito; M. Ceaparius
	All were executed without trial on the orders of Cicero for their part in the attempted coup of 63 BC
Murdered During a Mutiny
91 BC	Q. Servilius	(Pr. 91)
	Murdered in Asculum by the inhabitants
89 BC	L. Porcius Cato	(Cos. 90)
	Murdered during the Battle of Lake Fucinus, possibly by the younger C. Marius
89 BC	A. Postumius Albinus	(Cos.99)
	Murdered during the siege of Pomepii
88 BC	M. Gratidius
	The legate of Marius sent to take command of Sulla’s army; he was murdered when they mutinied against the change of command
88 BC	Q. Pompeius Rufus	(Cos. 88)
	Murdered when attempting to assume command of the army of Pompeius Strabo
86 BC	L. Valerius Flaccus	(Cos. 86)
	Murdered during a mutiny instigated by his deputy, C. Flavius Fimbria
84 BC	L. Cornelius Cinna	(Cos. 87–84)
	Murdered by elements of his army in Italy as they were waiting to cross to Illyria
82 BC	C. Fabius Hadrianus	(Pr. 85/84)
	Murdered during an uprising in Utica
82 BC	C. (Coelius) Antipater
	Murdered during a mutiny organized by P. Albinovanus
82 BC	Flavius Fimbria
	Murdered during a mutiny organized by P. Albinovanus
81 BC	L. Iulius Salinator
	Murdered by one of his commanders in a mutiny whilst guarding the Pyrenees crossing into Spain
80 BC	C. Papirius Carbo	(Pr. 81)
	Murdered during a mutiny by the garrison of Volaterrae
73 BC	Q. Sertorius
	Murdered in Spain, in a conspiracy instigated by his deputy M. Perperna
Murdered during a Proscription⁴
88 BC	P. Sulpicius	(Tr. Pl. 88)
	Murdered after being declared an enemy of the state, following the capture of Rome by Pompeius and Sulla
87 BC	Cn. Octavius	(Cos. 87)
	Murdered by Censorinus following the capture of Rome by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	P. Licinius Crassus	(Cos. 97)
	Murdered by Fimbria following the capture of Rome by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	M. Antonius	(Cos. 99)
	Murdered at his villa following the capture of Rome by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	L. Iulius Caesar	(Cos. 90)
	Murdered in Rome following its capture by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	C. Iulius Caesar Strabo	(Aed. 90)
	Murdered in Rome following its capture by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	Q. Ancharius	(Pr. 88)
	Murdered by Marius’ bodyguard following the capture of Rome
87 BC	P. Licinius Crassus (junior)
	Murdered by Fimbria following the capture of Rome by Marius and Cinna
87 BC	Atilius Serranus; P. Lentulus; C. Nemetorius; M. Baebius
	All murdered during the slaughter that followed the capture of Rome by Marius and Cinna.
86 BC	Sex. Lucilius	(Tr.Pl. 87)
	Thrown from the Tarpeian Rock following his year of office on the orders of Marius
82 BC	Q. Mucius Scaevola	(Cos. 95)
	Murdered by Iunius Brutus, on the orders of the younger Marius
82 BC	L. Domitius Ahneobarbus	(Cos. 94)
	Murdered by Iunius Brutus, on the orders of the younger Marius
82 BC	P. Antistius	(Tr. 88)
	Murdered by Iunius Brutus, on the orders of the younger Marius
82 BC	Papirius Carbo
	Murdered by Iunius Brutus, on the orders of the younger Marius
82 BC	M. Marius Gratidianus	(Pr. 85)
	Murdered by Catilina following the Sullan capture of Rome
82 BC	P. Laetorius
	Murdered during the Sullan Proscriptions
82 BC	Venuleius
	Murdered during the Sullan Proscriptions
81 BC	Q. Lucretius Ofella
	Murdered on Sulla’s orders for standing for the consulship against his wishes
Natural Causes
Ironically, four of the main protagonists of the civil war died of natural causes, though none apart from Marius could claim to have died peacefully.
90 BC	Sex. Iulius Caesar	(Cos.91)
	Died of disease whilst besieging Asculum
87 BC	Cn. Pompeius Strabo	(Cos. 89)
	Died as disease struck his camp, followed by a lightning strike
86 BC	C. Marius	(Cos. 107, 104–100 and 86)
	Died in his bed of old age and the exertions of the previous year
78 BC	L. Cornelius Sulla	(Cos. 88 and 80, Dict. 82–79)
	Died in 78 BC of a wasting disease
77 BC	M. Aemilius Lepidus	(Cos. 78)
	Died in Sardinia of disease
Suicide
87 BC	L. Cornelius Merula	(Cos. 87)
	Committed suicide when prosecuted following the duumvirate’s capture of Rome
87 BC	Q. Lutatius Catulus	(Cos. 102)
	Committed suicide when prosecuted following the duumvirate’s capture of Rome
87 BC	P. Coelius
	Committed suicide following the fall of Placentia
87 BC	L. Petronius
	Committed suicide following the fall of Placentia
85 BC	C. Flavius Fimbria
	Committed suicide in Pergammum following the defection of his army to Sulla
82 BC	C. Marius	(Cos. 82)
	Committed suicide in Praeneste, as the city fell to Sullan forces
82 BC	M. Iunius Brutus	(Pr. 88)
	Committed suicide at Lilybaeum in Sicily following his capture by Pompeius’ forces
82/81 BC	C. Norbanus	(Cos. 83)
	Committed suicide in Rhodes when faced with being handed over to Sulla
Notable Survivors of the Civil War who were later Killed
53 BC	M. Licinius Crassus	(Cos. 70 and 55)
	Murdered whilst negotiating with the Parthians following his defeat at the Battle of Carrhae
48 BC	Cn. Pompeius Magnus	(Cos. 70, 55 and 52)
	Murdered by a Roman centurion in Egypt, following his defeat at the Battle of Pharsalus
44 BC	C. Iulius Caesar	(Cos. 59, 48, 46, 45, 44)
	Famously murdered in the Senate House by a conspiracy of senators
43 BC	M. Tullius Cicero	(Cos. 63)
	Murdered during a proscription ordered by M. Antonius

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