Manius Aquillius was a Roman senator who served as

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 129 BC. He put an end to the war which had been carried on against Aristonicus, the son of

Eumenes II Eumenes II Soter (; grc-gre, Εὐμένης Σωτήρ; ruled 197–159 BC) was a ruler of Pergamon, and a son of Attalus I Soter and queen Apollonis and a member of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon. Biography The eldest son of king Attalus ...

, king of

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 ...

, and which had been almost terminated by his predecessor, Marcus Perperna. On his return 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 ...

, he was accused by Publius Lentulus of maladministration in his province,

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, but was acquitted by bribing the judges. He obtained a triumph on account of his successes in Asia, but not until 126 BC. A fragment of a speech made by

Gaius Gracchus Gaius Sempronius Gracchus ( – 121 BC) was a reformist Roman politician in the 2nd century BC. He is most famous for his tribunate for the years 123 and 122 BC, in which he proposed a wide set of laws, including laws to establish ...

- regarding the unseemly corruption in the Republic - exists in relation to charges made against Aquillius.Mommsen, Theodor, ''The History of Rome'', Vol. I (1903)
pg. 358
/ref> After the kingdom of Pergamum was inherited by the Republic, Aquillius put up one of the fiefdoms of Pergamum ( Phrygia) to the Kings of Bithynia and

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

. It was purchased by the king of Pontus. As to the law regarding who was to receive the kingdom (''Lex Aquillia'') the senators were divisible, Gracchus claimed, into three camps: Those who were in favor of it, those who were against it, and those who were silent. Gracchus observes that the first group was bribed by the king of Pontus, the second by the King of Bithynia, and the third were the most cunning for they accepted money from both Kings and made each party believe they were silent in their interest.

Notes

References

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...

''
"Aquillius (1)"

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, (1867) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aquillius, Manius 625 2nd-century BC Roman consuls Ancient Roman generals Manius 625 Roman triumphators