Lucius Calpurnius Bestia was a Roman senator,

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

in 121 BC, and

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 throug ...

in 111. Having been appointed to the command of the operations against

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (Libyco-Berber ''Yugurten'' or '' Yugarten'', c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Jugurtha and his two adoptive brothers, Hiempsal and Adh ...

, he at first carried on the campaign energetically, but soon, having been heavily bribed, concluded a disgraceful peace. On his return to Rome he was brought to trial for his conduct and condemned, in spite of the efforts of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus who, though formerly his legate and alleged to be equally guilty himself, was one of the judges - apparently Scaurus defended him extremely eloquently during the proceedings, but then turned round and voted to condemn him. He may be the same man as, or the father of, the Bestia who encouraged the Italians in their revolt, and went into exile (90) to avoid punishment under the law of

Quintus Varius Severus Quintus Varius Severus (from 125 to 120 BC; died after 90 BC) was a politician in the late Roman Republic. He was also called Hybrida (of mixed race) because his mother was Spanish.Harry Thurston Peck ''Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities'', ...

, whereby those who had secretly or openly aided the Italian allies against Rome were to be brought to trial. Both

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 ...

and

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan o ...

express a high opinion of Bestia's abilities, but his love of money corrupted him. He is mentioned in a

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

inscription as one of a board of three, perhaps an agricultural commission.See Sallust, ''Jugurtha''; Cicero, ''Brutus'', xxxiv. 128; for the general history,

A. H. J. Greenidge Abel Hendy Jones Greenidge (22 December 1865 – 11 March 1906) was a writer on ancient history and law. Early life and education Greenidge was born on 22 December 1865 at Belle Farm Estate, Barbados, the second son of the Rev. Nathaniel Hea ...

, ''History of Rome'', vol. i. (1904), pp. 346 foll.

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References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calpurnius Bestia, Lucius 2nd-century BC Roman consuls 2nd-century BC Roman generals 2nd-century BC Roman praetors 1st-century BC Romans Bestia, Lucius Ancient Roman exiles Tribunes of the plebs