Sextus Roscius (often referred to as ''Sextus Roscius the Younger'' to differentiate him from his father) was a Roman citizen farmer from Ameria (modern day Amelia) during the latter days of 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 Ki ...

. In 80 BC, he was tried in Rome for

patricide Patricide is (i) the act of killing one's own father, or (ii) a person who kills their own father or stepfather. The word ''patricide'' derives from the Greek word ''pater'' (father) and the Latin suffix ''-cida'' (cutter or killer). Patricid ...

, and was successfully defended by the 27-year-old

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 ...

in the extant ''

Pro Roscio Amerino ''Pro Roscio Amerino'' is a defence speech given by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of Sextus Roscius, a Roman citizen from the municipality of Amelia accused of murdering his father. Delivered in 80 BC, it was Cicero's first major public case. ...

'', Cicero's first major litigation. The case involved some risk for Cicero, since he accused

Lucius Cornelius Chrysogonus Lucius Cornelius Chrysogonus (died after 80 BC) was a Greek freedman of Lucius Cornelius Sulla whom Sulla put in charge of the proscriptions of 82 BC. He purchased the property of the proscribed Sextus Roscius Amerinus, worth 250 talents, for 2,0 ...

, a freedman of Sulla, the former

dictator of Rome A Roman dictator was an extraordinary magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the other magistrates, cons ...

, of corruption and involvement in the crime.

Sheltered by Caecilia

Before the trial, Roscius was sheltered by Caecilia, probably

Caecilia Metella Balearica Caecilia Metella (fl. 1st century BC) was a Roman matron of the first century BC, who belonged to the powerful family of the Caecilii Metelli. She was possibly the mother of Clodius. Personal life Caecilia Metella was the daughter of Quintus Cae ...

Trial

Sextus Roscius was accused of patricide, killing his own father (also called Sextus Roscius), who was murdered in the streets of Rome after a dinner. Sextus Roscius, like Cicero a native of the Roman countryside, was from Ameria, a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

. When his father was murdered in Rome sometime in late 81 BC, the Roscii family estates were added to the proscription list by

, a powerful freedman of the dictator Sulla. It seems this was done illegally, since the official end-date for the proscriptions (1 June 81 BC) had already passed. At the public auction that followed, Chrysogonus himself bought the family estates, reportedly worth over 6 million '' sesterces'', for a meagre 2000 ''sesterces''. Soon after (at least according to Cicero), Chrysogonus conspired with two relatives of the deceased, Titus Roscius Capito and Titus Roscius Magnus, to accuse the younger Sextus Roscius of his father's murder. Erucius, the prosecutor, formed his case around the ''

cui bono ''Cui bono?'' (), in English "to whom is it a benefit?", is a Latin phrase about identifying crime suspects. It expresses the view that crimes are often committed to benefit their perpetrators, especially financially. Usage The phrase is a doub ...

'' principle: since Sextus Roscius stood to profit the most from murdering his father, he must be the most likely candidate, and must have hired someone else "to do the deed for him" (without naming other possible suspects). In his first major litigation, Cicero entirely turned the trial around: he claimed that the two Amerian relatives, Capito and Magnus, murdered Sextus' father and then partnered with Chrysogonus to acquire the estates illegally through the proscription list. However, the argument for the defense would likely be considered doubtful by today's standards. Cicero argued that those who chose to align themselves with Chrysogonus in the belief that they were supporting the nobility were wrong to do so, since his corruption was a stain on the Republic. "For the cause will be rendered more splendid by resisting every worthless man. The worthless favourers of Chrysogonus, who think that his cause and theirs are identical, are injured themselves by separating themselves from such splendor." Eventually, Sextus the younger was acquitted of the murder charges; it is likely that he did repossess his land.

In popular culture

* The trial of Sextus Roscius is depicted in

Steven Saylor Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and classics. Saylor's best-known work is his '' Roma Sub Rosa'' historical myster ...

's first ''

Roma Sub Rosa ''Roma Sub Rosa'' is a series of historical mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in ancient Rome and therefore populated by famous historic roman citizens. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose." If a matter was ''sub ros ...

'' mystery novel, ''

Roman Blood ''Roman Blood'' is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by Minotaur Books in 1991. It is the first book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery novels set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. The main charact ...

''. *

Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being '' The Thorn Birds'' and ''The Ladies of Missalonghi''. Life ...

's novel '' Fortune's Favorites'', part of her

Masters of Rome ''Masters of Rome'' is a series of historical novels by Australian author Colleen McCullough, set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Su ...

series, also dramatizes the trial. * The trial is dramatized in the BBC documentary series ''

Timewatch ''Timewatch'' is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29 September 1982 and is produced by the BBC. The ''Timewatch'' brandname is used as a ...

'' in the episode "Murder in Rome" featuring

Mark McGann Mark Anthony McGann (born 12 July 1961) is an English actor. Early life He attended the De La Salle Grammar School, Liverpool. Mark's father Joe was a Royal Naval Commando who died in 1984, and his mother Clare was a teacher. His three bro ...

as Sextus Roscius. * Big Finish Productions adapted the trial of Sextus Roscius in ''Cicero'' by David Llewellyn. Sextus Roscius is portrayed by

Simon Ludders Simon Ludders is an English film and television actor, writer and director. He is best known for starring as Renfield in ''Young Dracula'', a CBBC television series that initially aired in 2006 and finalised in 2014. He also played Trevor Smith ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roscius, Sextus 1st-century BC Romans Roscii Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown