The Death of M. Licinius Crassus: Between Mors Aurata and Euripides' Bacchae

Paweł Madejski

Abstract


The defeat at Carrhae is usually seen as a turning point of the Roman imperialism. But this is a view of the modern historiography. For the Latin historiography of the period the defeat was primarily a pretext to justify next military or quasi-military actions. This is why Latin-writing authors stressed a motif of revenge. It is especially manifest when descriptions of M. Licinius Crassus’ death are concerned. Although the earliest reports on the matter have not survived to our time, thanks to indirect or direct mentions it is possible to reconstruct the narrations about Crassus’ death. The Latin versions stressed Parthian brutality and deceit, while paying less attention to the triumvir himself – and it was a justifiable step – and Crassus’ lost. This is the main reason to describe him as a careless general. Too accurate depiction was not necessary and undesirable. Crassus died during a retreat, after his soldiers mutinied, cheated by the Parthians, having no time and opportunity to deliver any last words or perform any symbolic gesture. It was not a dignified death of a Roman politician, leader or a Roman. The Greek view was more different. Some of the authors of course shared the Roman view, but the other developed a story of a post-mortem fate of Crassus. This motive was known to the Latin readers as well and in the 4th century A.D. developed into a moralizing narration about punished greed. What is more surprising, within this trend Crassus had been brought to life: he suffered mors aurata alive! The late antique authors just reworked an element of the narration present already in the Livian version.

Keywords


Carrhae; M. Licinius Crassus; Parthians; Roman historiography; Greek historiography; death; decapitation

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/rh.2020.49.41-60
Date of publication: 2020-12-21 13:05:12
Date of submission: 2020-01-07 19:30:30


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