This biography of Publius Cornelius Cethegus explores the life and legacy of one of the most influential figures of the Roman Republic. From his humble beginnings as a commoner, Cethegus rose to become a powerful political leader, serving as consul
Publius Cornelius Cethegus was a politician of the Roman Republic. During the civil wars of the 80s BC, he was originally a partisan of Gaius Marius, but survived the purges of the political class by defecting to the eventual victor, Sulla, whose favor he endeavored to win by treacherously abetting in the massacre of several thousand prisoners of war. Although he was regarded as a moral reprobate with a dissolute lifestyle, Cethegus became in the 70s BC a leading figure in the Roman Senate as a master of intrigue and manipulation, to the extent that the most eminent men of the state vied for his favor. He played a key behind-the-scenes role in the allotment of important provincial governorships and military commands in the year 74 BC, and probably died not long afterwards.