Quintus Marcius Crispus (fl. 1st century BC) was a Roman senator and military officer who served under

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

during the

civil wars A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

of the late republic.

Biography

A member of the Plebeian gens Marcia, Crispus had possibly been elected to the office of

Aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to ...

by 58 BC. He was then appointed as one of Lucius Calpurnius Piso’s '' legati'', serving in Macedonia from 57 BC to 56/55 BC. Sometime between 54 BC and 47 BC, Crispus was elected to the office of

Praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

, and, although he had no strong political ties to him, by 46 BC, he was serving under

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

as one of Caesar's legates. During this portion of the campaign, he was given the responsibility of attacking the town of Thabena, which he then garrisoned after taking it. In 45 BC, Crispus was made

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bithynia et Pontus Bithynia and Pontus ( la, Provincia Bithynia et Pontus, Ancient Greek ) was the name of a province of the Roman Empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). It was formed during the late Roman Republic by the amalgamation o ...

. In the following year, he took three legions to Syria, to provide aid to the Caesarean governor Lucius Staius Murcus who was fighting the pro-Pompeian former governor Quintus Caecilius Bassus. Together, they cornered Bassus at

Apamea Apamea or Apameia ( grc, Απάμεια) is the name of several Hellenistic cities in western Asia, after Apama, the Sogdian wife of Seleucus I Nicator, several of which are also former bishoprics and Catholic titular see. Places called Apamea in ...

, and were acclaimed '' Imperator'' by their troops by early 43 BC. In 43 BC, Crispus was replaced as governor of Bithynia, and his command over the three legions in Syria was stripped from him by

Gaius Cassius Longinus Gaius Cassius Longinus (c. 86 BC – 3 October 42 BC) was a Roman senator and general best known as a leading instigator of the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC. He was the brother-in-law of Brutus, another leader of the co ...

, the new governor of Syria. Following this, he refused to serve under Cassius (unlike Statius Murcus), and temporarily retired from political life. It has been conjectured that Crispus was the Quintus Marcius who was appointed suffect consul in 36 BC. If so, he replaced Marcus Cocceius Nerva as consul on 1 July 36 BC.Bodel, John
"Chronology and Succession 1: Fasti Capitolini FR. XXXIID, The Sicilian Fasti, and the Suffect Consuls of 36 BC"
''

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik The ''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' (commonly abbreviated ZPE; "Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy") is a peer-reviewed academic journal which contains articles that pertain to papyrology and epigraphy. It has been described as " ...

'', 96 (1993), pp. 259–266

References

Sources

* Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', Vol I (1951) * Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', Vol III (1986) * Ryan, Francis X., ''The Aedileship and Praetorship of Q. Marcius Crispus'' (1997) * Syme, Ronald, ''The Roman Revolution'' (1939) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marcius Crispus, Quintus 1st-century BC Romans Senators of the Roman Republic Roman governors of Bithynia and Pontus Crispus, Quintus Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

Biography

See also

References

Sources