Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (died 88 BC) was

tribune of the people Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power of ...

in 104 BC. He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, and brother of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. The

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs ( la, Collegium Pontificum; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion. The college consisted of the '' pontifex maximus'' and the other '' ...

elected him in 103 (succeeding Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus).

Valerius Maximus Valerius Maximus () was a 1st-century Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes: ''Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri IX'' ("Nine books of memorable deeds and sayings", also known as ''De factis dictisque memorabilibus'' ...

, vi. 5. § 5 He brought forward a law (''lex Domitia de Sacerdotiis'') by which the priests of the superior colleges were to be elected by the people in the

Tribal Assembly The Tribal Assembly (''comitia populi tributa'') was an assembly consisting of all Roman citizens convened by tribes (''tribus''). In the Roman Republic, citizens did not elect legislative representatives. Instead, they voted themselves on legisl ...

(seventeen of the tribes voting) instead of by co-optation. The law was subsequently repealed by Sulla. Both during his tribunate and afterwards, he prosecuted several of his private enemies, such as Marcus Aemilius Scaurus (whom he blamed for not having been elected to the pontificate in the first place) and Marcus Junius Silanus. He was elected

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in 96 BC and censor in 92 BC with

Lucius Licinius Crassus Lucius Licinius Crassus (140–91 BC) was a Roman orator and statesman. He was considered the greatest orator of his day, most notably by his pupil Cicero. Crassus is also famous as one of the main characters in Cicero's work '' De Oratore'', a d ...

the

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...

, with whom he was frequently at variance. They took joint action, however, in suppressing the recently established Latin rhetorical schools, which they regarded as injurious to public morality; in the words of

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 esta ...

, these were seen as 'schools of impudence'. Their censorship was long celebrated for their disputes. Domitius was of a violent temper, and was moreover in favor of the ancient simplicity of living, while Crassus loved luxury and encouraged art. Among the many sayings recorded of both, we are told that Crassus observed, "that it was no wonder that a man had a beard of brass, who had a mouth of iron and a heart of lead." Suetonius, ''Nero,'' 2 Cicero wrote that Domitius was not to be reckoned among the orators, but that he spoke well enough and had sufficient talent to maintain his high rank.

, ''Brutus'' 44 Ahenobarbus apparently died in 88 BC, during the consulship of Sulla, and was succeeded as pontifex by Quintus Mucius Scaevola.

Children

He had two sons: Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Domitius Ahenobarbus, Gnaeus consul 658 AUC 2nd-century BC births 88 BC deaths 2nd-century BC clergy 1st-century BC clergy 2nd-century BC Romans 1st-century BC Roman consuls Gnaeus consul 658 AUC Pontifices maximi of the Roman Republic Roman censors Year of birth unknown