Quintus Pompeius was the name of various Romans from the

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

Pompeia, who were of

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

status. They lived during the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

and

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

Consul of 141 BC

Quintus Pompeius A. f. (flourished 2nd century BC) was the son of an Aulus Pompeius. Little is known of his early life and political career. The Roman Senator and Historian

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

states that Pompeius first came to notice for his distinctive oratory. He was consul in 141 BC, during which, he was sent to

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

as the successor of

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus (c. 188 BC – 116 BC/115 BC) was a statesman and general of the Roman Republic during the second century BC. He was praetor in 148 BC, consul in 143 BC, the Proconsul of Hispania Citerior in 142 BC an ...

in command of the

Numantine War The Numantine WarThe term Numantine War can refer to the whole conflict lasting from 154 to 133 or to just the latter part, from 143 to 133. Thus, the two conflicts are sometimes called the Numantine Wars (plural) and subdivided into the First an ...

. Although he defeated Tanginus, after several defeats he and his troops were kept encamped before the walls of the town during the winter. With many soldiers dying from the weather and illness, Pompeius feared that the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

would summon him to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to answer to them for his conduct of the war. So Pompeius decided to make peace with the Numantines. Pompeius publicly demanded that the Numantines surrender; however, privately, he only demanded the return of the hostages and payment of thirty talents. The Numantines, at first, were wary of this arrangement; however, they eventually agreed to Pompeius' terms. In 139 BC, Marcus Popillius Laenas arrived in

to assume command from Pompeius, and discovered Pompeius’ misconduct. Laenas then lodged a complaint against Pompeius in the Roman Senate. Pompeius continued with his lie during his hearing, but the senate voided his treaty with the Numantines and the war was renewed. Pompeius escaped punishment and was fortunate enough to obtain an acquittal when he was accused of extortion from the province he was governing in. Pompeius was still popular among the Roman

Plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizenship, Roman citizens who were not Patrician (ancient Rome), patricians, as determined by the capite censi, census, or in other words "commoners". Both ...

and was among the first plebeians, along with Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, to be elected as

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

. Pompeius’ wife was an unnamed Roman woman. His son was called Quintus Pompeius, an opponent of politician

Tiberius Gracchus Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ( 163 – 133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian law, agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. He had also serve ...

, and a daughter, Pompeia, who married a certain Gaius Sicinius.

Opponent of Tiberius Gracchus

Quintus Pompeius (flourished 2nd century BC), was the son to the above. In 133 BC, he was an opponent to politician

. Pompeius stated that he lived near Gracchus and knew a certain wealthy Greek, Eudemus from

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

, who gave Gracchus a purple robe and royal treasures including a

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...

. Eudemus also promised Gracchus more treasures, when his

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

ship had expired. Pompeius was elected tribune of the plebs in 132 BC and opposed Gracchus’ land reforms. Pompeius married an unnamed Roman woman and had two sons: Quintus Pompeius Rufus, consul of 88 BC and tribune

Aulus Pompeius Aulus Pompeius was the name of two Romans from the gens Pompeius, who were of plebs status. They lived during the Roman Republic. Brother to Quintus Pompeius Rufus, Consul 88 BC Aulus Pompeius (flourished 2nd century BC) was the son Quintus Pom ...

. Note: This Quintus Pompeius above, consul in 141 and censor in 131, may have been the opponent of Gracchus.Plutarch. '' ives ofTiberius and Gaius Gracchus,'' c. 14. In: Waterfield, Robin. ''Plutarch, Roman Lives,'' pp. 94, 452-3 (note to p. 94)

Consul of 88 BC

Quintus Pompeius Rufus (flourished 2nd and 1st century BC, died 88 BC), was the son to the above and eldest brother to tribune

. He appears to be the first in his family to bear the

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

Rufus. However, the origins of him gaining this cognomen are unknown - although it may simply be that he was red-haired.

states that Pompeius was among the orators he had heard in his youth. Pompeius was a supporter of the Dictator

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla ha ...

. In 100 BC Pompeius was tribune of the

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizenship, Roman citizens who were not Patrician (ancient Rome), patricians, as determined by the capite censi, census, or in other words "commoners". Both ...

; was

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 vario ...

in 91 BC and served his consulship with Sulla in 88 BC. When the civil war broke out between Sulla and

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...

, Pompeius was deprived of his consulship and fled to

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...

, where Pompeius met up with Sulla and his army. Sulla took the place in the war against Mithridates and left Pompeius in charge of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. While

Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (c. 135 – 87 BC) was a Roman general and politician, who served as consul in 89 BC. He is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo, to distinguish him from his son, the famous Pompey the Great, or from Strabo the ge ...

was commanding the war against the

Marsi The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. ...

tribe, the Optimates gave his army to Pompeius Rufus, the new consul. This caused Pompeius Rufus to be murdered by Strabo's soldiers. Pompeius had married an unnamed Roman woman and they had a son a younger Quintus Pompeius Rufus, who married Sulla's first daughter

Cornelia Sulla Cornelia Sulla or Cornelia Silla was the eldest daughter of the Roman statesman and general Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his first wife Julia. Biography Early life It is believed that she was Sulla's daughter by his first wife Julia. She likely h ...

Son-in-law of dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla

Quintus Pompeius Rufus (flourished 2nd and 1st century BC, died 88 BC), was the son to the above. This Pompeius married

, the first daughter of dictator

. Cornelia and Pompeius had two children a son Quintus Pompeius Rufus and a daughter Pompeia, who married the future dictator Gaius

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, and ...

as his second wife. This Pompeius was murdered in the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

in 88 BC, by the supporters of politician

Son of tribune Aulus Pompeius

Quintus Pompeius Bithynicus (108 BC-48 BC), was the son of the tribune

. He is the first member of the family to bear the

Bithynicus. However, the origins of him gaining this cognomen are unknown. Pompeius was a friend to Cicero, with whom he studied. Cicero considered this Pompeius as a great learner, who was an average orator. When the civil war broke out between

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

and

, Pompeius supported Pompey. After the battle at

Pharsalia ''De Bello Civili'' (; ''On the Civil War''), more commonly referred to as the ''Pharsalia'', is a Roman epic poem written by the poet Lucan, detailing the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Gre ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, he fled with Pompey, along with Pompey's remaining supporters in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. On their arrival to Egypt, they were killed on the orders of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

of Egypt

Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator ( grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ, ''Ptolemaĩos''; c. 62 BC – 13 January 47 BC) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 51 to 47 BC, and one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC) ...

. Pompeius married an unnamed woman and they had a son

Bithynicus.

Grandson of dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla

Quintus Pompeius Rufus (flourished 1st century BC) was the son of Quintus Pompeius Rufus, who was murdered in 88 BC, and

. His maternal grandparents were the dictator

and his first wife Ilia (or Julia). His paternal grandfather was the consul of 88 BC, Quintus Pompeius Rufus, while his paternal grandmother is unknown. In 54 BC, he was accused by

Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus (c. 104/3 – 26 BC), was a Roman senator who was elected consul for 53 BC. Family Messalla was the son of Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger and Hortensia (sister of the consul of 69 BC). He had a sister, Valeria Mess ...

of bribing voters to gain the consulship. He was

of the plebs in 52 BC and was a supporter of triumvir

Marcus Caelius Rufus Marcus Caelius Rufus (28 May 82 BC – after 48 BC) was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum (Teramo), on the central east coast of Italy. He is best known ...

accused Pompeius of violating laws of the

which he had taken an active role in passing. He was condemned and was exiled to

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. Also Caelius accused Pompeius of forcing his mother to give him the property that belonged to his father. The last instance in which the sources mention Pompeius is that in 51 BC the enemies of Pompeius spread false rumours that Pompeius murdered

on his way to

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

Praetor of 63 BC

Quintus Pompeius Rufus (flourished 1st century BC) was a

in 63 BC. It is unknown how this Pompeius was related to the above named. In 62 BC, he went to

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

, in fear of the supporters of politician

Catiline Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the R ...

. Pompeius was the governor of the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n Province in 61 BC, where he obtained the title of

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 ...

and

states he governed with integrity. In 56 BC, he bore witness to

, who was in Africa at that time.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pompeius, Quintus Ancient Roman prosopographical lists Pompeii (Romans)