Gnaeus Octavius (died 162 BC) was a Roman politician and general 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 thro ...
in 165 BC and was the builder of the
Porticus Octavia.
Family background
Octavius belonged to the
plebeian
In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary.
Etymology
The precise origins of the gro ...
''
gens
In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...
''
Octavia, which had emerged in the middle of the 3rd century. Its first attested member was a Gaius Octavius Rufus, whose two sons founded the two branches of the gens, but the second one, to which later belonged
Octavian
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...
(the future first
Roman emperor Augustus), received much less honours during the Republic. The elder branch shows a progression in the
cursus honorum
The , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices'; ) was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The comprised a mixture of ...
: Octavius' grandfather Gnaeus Octavius was
aedile curule and his father
Gnaeus Octavius was praetor in 205. The latter notably fought at
Cannae
Cannae (now , ) is an ancient village of the region of south east Italy. It is a (civil parish) of the (municipality) of . Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is a Latin Catholic titular see (as of 2022).
Geography
The commune of Cannae i ...
in 216 and commanded the fleet from his praetorship to the end of the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...
in 202. He then participated in several diplomatic delegations in the
Greek East
Greek East and Latin West are terms used to distinguish between the two parts of the Greco-Roman world and of medieval Christendom, specifically the eastern regions where Greek was the ''lingua franca'' (Greece, Anatolia, the southern Balkans, t ...
: first with
Flamininus in
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
in 197, then to refound
Croton as a colony with
Aemilius Paullus in 194, and again with Flamininus as
legate in 192 at the beginning of the
Syrian War. It seems Octavius' father was chosen for his expert knowledge of Greek culture. He probably died c.190, aged about 55.
[Pietilä-Castrén, "Ancestry and Career", p. 82.]
Career
Curule aedile (172 BC)
Octavius was perhaps
quaestor
A quaestor ( , ; ; "investigator") was a public official in ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times.
In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officia ...
c.180. His first mention in ancient sources is placed in 172 as curule aedile, an important position for ambitious individuals as aediles were tasked with organising games and corn-supply, two popular activities.
The date of 170 is also possible, but modern scholars favour 172 due to Octavius' connection with the
Popilli Laenates, who won consulships in 173 and 172.
Ambassador in Greece (170–169 BC)
In autumn 170, Octavius followed the steps of his father and went to Greece under the consul
Aulus Hostilius Mancinus as legate together with
Gaius Popillius Laenas, former consul in 172 when he was praetor. Their mission was to secure the loyalty of the Greek states while the
Third Macedonian War
The Third Macedonian War (171–168 BC) was a war fought between the Roman Republic and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC, King Philip V of Macedon died and was succeeded by his ambitious son Perseus. He was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman fe ...
against
Perseus
In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
had broken out. Mancinus was wintering at
Larisa in
Thessaly
Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
, so Octavius and Laenas first went to nearby
Boeotia
Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...
, where they thanked the
Thebans
Thebes ( ; , ''Thíva'' ; , ''Thêbai'' .) is a city in Boeotia, Central Greece, and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the largest city in Boeotia and a major center for the area along with Livadeia and ...
for their loyalty.
[Burton, ''Third Macedonian War'', p. 143.] They next went to the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
and brought the news of the ''
senatus consultum
A (Latin: decree of the senate, plural: ) is a text emanating from the senate in Ancient Rome. It is used in the modern phrase '' senatus consultum ultimum''.
Translated into French as , the term was also used during the French Consulate, the ...
'' that prohibited requisitions from a Roman officials without approuval of the
senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
This decree was passed to protect the Greeks from the exactions that happened in the 170s. It was also a good way for the senate to better control Roman commanders. However, they also told in each city that they knew who were reluctant to support Rome, which created "anxiety" according to the historian
Polybius
Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...
, who was a direct witness of these events.
A federal council of the
Achaean League
The Achaean League () was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era confederation of polis, Greek city-states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea (ancient region), Achaea in the northwestern Pelopon ...
(the dominant state of the Peloponnese) was called at
Aegium
Aegium or Aigion (), or Aegeium or Aigeion (Αἴγειον), was a town and polis (city-state) of ancient Achaea, and one of the twelve Achaean cities. It was situated upon the coast west of the Selinountas (river), river Selinus, 30 stadion (unit ...
to receive Octavius and Popillius. Polybius describes a rumour that the Roman legates wanted to accuse
Archon
''Archon'' (, plural: , ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem , meaning "to be first, to rule", derived from the same ...
, Polybius and his father
Lycortas
Lycortas of Megalopolis, Greece, Megalopolis ( ''Lykórtas''), son of Thearidas, was a politician of the Achaean League active in the first half of the 2nd century BC. He was the father of the historian Polybius. A political ally of Philopoemen, ...
of being against Rome at this occasion, but could not do so because they had no proof. The legates simply said a few cordial words before leaving. It seems that Octavius and Popillius had good reasons to suspect them as Lycortas advocated a neutral stance in the war against Perseus, in violation of the Achaean treaty with Rome, but Polybius' rumour is likely a reconstruction based on what happened to him after the war (he was taken prisoner to Rome).
Despite the harsh comment of Polybius on Octavius, he was apparently appreciated in the Peloponnesian cities of
Argos and
Elis as inscriptions honouring him have been found there.
[Pietilä-Castrén, "Ancestry and Career", p. 83.][Famerie, "Aspects diplomatiques", p. 51.]
Octavius and Popillius then attended the meeting of the
Aetolian League
The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League () was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in Central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellenistic era, in opposition to Macedon and the Ac ...
in
Thermum, where they demanded hostages. It was likely a strategy to find who would oppose them, but the meeting ended with an Aetolian being stoned by the anti-Romans.
[Hammond & F. W. Walbank, ''A History of Macedonia'', p. 523.] The legates left without hostages to
Acarnania
Acarnania () is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part ...
, where they used a similar tactics of antagonising parties. At the meeting of the
Acarnanian League
The Acarnanian League (, ''to koinon tōn Akarnanōn'') was the tribal confederation, and later a fully-fledged federation ('' koinon''), of the Acarnanians in Classical, Hellenistic, and early Roman-era Greece.
History
The League existed sinc ...
in
Thyrreum, some pro-Roman Acarnanians asked Roman to have garrisons in their cities—a request rejected by Diogenes, a leader of the anti-Romans.
Octavius and Popillius did not install garrisons and returned to the consul Mancinus in Larisa.
N. G. L. Hammond considers that Hostilius and his legates' tactics of threatening even the moderates "must have offset any goodwill which the senatorial decrees were designed to excite".
Octavius then stayed with the consul for the rest of the winter, while Popillius was sent with a thousand soldier in
Ambracia
Ambracia (; , occasionally , ''Ampracia'') was a city of ancient Greece on the site of modern Arta. It was founded by the Corinthians in 625 BC and was situated about from the Ambracian Gulf, on a bend of the navigable river Arachthos (or ...
. It is probably in Larisa that Octavius met Athenagoras, who became his personal physician and is named on an inscription from the island of
Kos. Octavius imitated a practice common among Hellenistic generals of having medics in their retinue.
In view of Octavius' rash behaviour in Greece, John Briscoe thinks that he belonged to a group of senators, whom he calls the "Fulvians", that dominated senatorial politics during most of the 170s. Hostilius and the Popillii Laenates were also members of this group. He characterises their activity in Greece as "arrogant and insensitive" and writes that they were responsible for the declaration of war against Perseus. Earlier,
H. H. Scullard thought that Octavius was in the Scipionic group, which counted the Cornelii Scipiones and Aemilius Paullus and opposed the Fulvians.
Upon his return to Rome in 169, Octavius was appointed
decemvir sacris faciundis, a priest in charge of the
Sibylline Books, for which knowledge of Greek culture and religion was essential.
Praetor of the fleet (168 BC)
In 168, Aemilius Paullus was elected consul and was given the command of the war; Octavius was elected praetor and received the command of the fleet. This praetorian command was more independent than the other praetorships from the consul, who only conducted operations on land. Octavius and Paullus left Italy on 29 or 29 May 168; they arrived to
Corcyra
Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
the same day, and to
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
five days later, in 2 or 3 June. While the consul Paullus continued from there to
Phila in
Pieria, Octavius departed to meet with his fleet at
Oreus, on the western tip of
Euboea
Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...
. The Roman fleet during the war counted about 40 ships, but could rely on the navies of
Pergamon
Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; ), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Aeolis. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north s ...
and
Rhodes
Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...
, which was enough to keep Perseus' fleet in its harbours. Perseus was even forced to disperse some of his forces (perhaps up to 10,000 men) in several coastal cities to protect them from Roman raids.

As Paullus could not break the front on the
Elpeus river, he devised a ruse by ordering his
military tribune
A military tribune () was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribunes as a stepping stone to the Senate. The should not be confused with the ...
Scipio Nasica to move south and feign an embarkment at
Heracleum, where the fleet was stationed. The goal was to make Perseus believe that Scipio Nasica was about to land behind his lines, whereas he actually marched around
Mt Olympus during the night in order to flank the Macedonian army. Therefore Octavius sailed north in that feigned operation, which successfully compelled Perseus to retreat to
Pydna. The
decisive battle of the war was fought there on 22 June; it resulted in a crushing Roman victory. Perseus retreated to
Pella
Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...
, then
Amphipolis
Amphipolis (; ) was an important ancient Greek polis (city), and later a Roman city, whose large remains can still be seen. It gave its name to the modern municipality of Amphipoli, in the Serres regional unit of northern Greece.
Amphipol ...
, and finally the island of
Samothrace
Samothrace (also known as Samothraki; , ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long, in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census). Its main industries ...
. Meanwhile, Octavius sacked the city of
Meliboea on the coast of
Magnesia. This city was famous for its refined fabrics, which Octavius looted as they were later listed in the triumphal booty of Paullus (the first time luxury textile was mentioned in a triumph). He then sailed to Samothrace in order to capture Perseus, who was protected by the sanctity of the
Samothrace temples. Octavius therefore offered an amnesty to the followers of Perseus, who surrendered immediately, and left Perseus alone with his elder son. The king had no choice but to in turn surrender to Octavius, who therefore did not violate the temples with his army.
[Palagia, "The Victory of Samothrace", p. 161.] Octavius brought Perseus to the legate Quintus Aelius Tubero in Amphipolis, who turned him to Paullus. Octavius finally wintered with the fleet in
Demetrias in Thessaly.
At this occasion, he was likely honoured with an inscription by the small city of
Echinous on the
Malian Gulf.
Olga Palagia has suggested that Octavius commissioned the
Victory of Samothrace, a famous statue now in the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
in Paris, in order to commemorate his capture of Perseus in the island, therefore imitating Paullus who built a
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
in
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
.
However, there is no academic consensus on the statue, and many other dates are possible.
Most of the Roman officers in Macedonia were prorogued in their command in 167, including Paullus and Octavius, in order to implement the settlement of Perseus' former kingdom. Paullus conveyed an assembly with representatives from all the Macedonian cities in Amphipolis, where he announced the new organisation that would rule them. He addressed the assembly in Latin, but Octavius translated his words into Greek as he spoke. Paullus gathered the massive booty he took from Perseus in Amphipolis and boarded it in Octavius' ships, as well as some merchant cargoes. Octavius then left Macedonia to Italy; he possibly had to sail around the Peloponnese as the ships were too heavy to pass through the
Isthmus of Corinth
The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The wide Isthmus was known in the a ...
.
Triumph (167 BC)
Once in Rome, the senate granted a triumph to the three commanders of the war: Paullus, Octavius, and
Lucius Anicius Gallus, another praetor who had fought in
Illyria
In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians.
The Ancient Gree ...
. Paullus' triumph was contested because his men found that their share of the booty was too small, but Livy adds that there was no opposition against the triumphs of Octavius and Gallus.
[Pietilä-Castrén, "New Men and Greek War Booty", p. 137.] Paullus offered 100
denarii to every foot soldier, 200 to centurions, and 300 to
knights
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
. Gallus gave 45, 90, and 150 to the same respective ranks. Octavius gave "75 denarii to each of the seamen, 150 denarii to the pilots of the ships and 300 denarii to the captains".
Octavius' gifts were larger than Gallus' because he had less soldiers as commander of the navy, and also perhaps because he had a good relationship with Paullus, who shared more of his booty with him. Octavius' triumph was nevertheless much less ostentatious than that of Paullus, who paraded over three days (3–5 September 167) 500 carts of looted artworks as well as Perseus and his family. Octavius celebrated his on 6 September, but had no prisoner nor any spoil to show off.
John Briscoe notes that Octavius did not do much to receive a triumph apart from capturing Perseus, but "in the prevailing euphoria, the senate was not going to refuse a triumph to one of the three commanders responsible for securing total victory". It was the last time in Roman history that a naval praetor celebrated a triumph.
Building program
Using the spoils from war, Octavius built a house on the
Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill (; Classical Latin: ''Palatium''; Neo-Latin: ''Collis/Mons Palatinus''; ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the ...
, increasing his status in Rome. It was at this time that Octavius also built the extravagant
Porticus Octavia, which was restored by
Augustus
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
but was destroyed in the
Great Fire of Rome
The Great Fire of Rome () began on 19 July 64 AD. The fire started in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, Circus Maximus. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before the damage could be assessed, the fire reignit ...
, before the death of
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
.
Consul (165 BC)
Octavius was elected consul in 165, alongside the patrician
Titus Manlius Torquatus, therefore becoming a ''
homo novus'', the first member of his family to reach the consulship.
Very little is known on Octavius' consulship, because
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...
's
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
ends in 166, just before the account of his consulship. He is nevertheless mentioned in two Greek inscriptions. The first one reproduces a ''senatus consultum'' that followed a convocation of the senate by the consul Octavius, which deals with the royal lands that Perseus once held in Magnesia. The stone was found in Demetrias, the city where Octavius wintered in 168–167 and with which he had kept a good relationship. The stone is too damaged to detail further the content of the decree. Octavius as is also mentioned in a similar inscription reproducing the ''senatus consultum de privilegiis Delphorum'', granting privileges to
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
after a meeting of the senate called by Octavius.
Ambassador in Syria (162 BC)
In 162 BC, Octavius was sent as an ambassador to Syria with two colleagues, Spurius Lucretius and Lucius Aurelius. This was done with the pretext of enforcing the terms of the
Peace of Apamea, although it may also have been as an excuse to weaken the
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...
in general. There, Octavius ordered the hamstringing of the Syrian
war elephants
A war elephant is an elephant that is trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific mil ...
as well as the burning of the Seleucid fleet to enforce the treaty. The regent,
Lysias
Lysias (; ; c. 445 – c. 380 BC) was a Logographer (legal), logographer (speech writer) in ancient Greece. He was one of the ten Attic orators included in the "Alexandrian Canon" compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrac ...
(on behalf of the young king
Antiochus V Eupator), allowed this as he had little appetite for a war with Rome, but this act was deeply unpopular. Someone named Leptines of
Laodicea assassinated Octavius at the
gymnasium to avenge the slight to Seleucid honor and the death of the elephants.
The only source for this is the historian
Polybius
Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...
, who writes a stunning conclusion to the story. According to Polybius, Leptines was proud of his act and openly bragged of it, confident in the gods' approval. Another demagogue named Isocrates suggested killing the other Roman envoys, too. When Polybius's friend
Demetrius I took control of the Seleucid Empire from Lysias, Leptines approached Demetrius of his own free will and asked to be sent to Rome to persuade the Senate of the justness of his actions. Demetrius sent Leptines, Isocrates, and a present of a crown valued at 10,000 gold pieces to Rome. The Senate blandly responded to Demetrius, gave Leptines a hearing, and set him free.
Various historians have attempted to explain what happened here, although most think that Polybius is leaving something out or slanting the story in some way, as the Senate "in a fit of insanity, publicly released the avowed murderer of their chief legate, rewarding Leptines' open defiance of Rome's will"
seems unbelievable without some additional reason. Chris Seeman suggests that perhaps the Senate sought to save face as Octavius had been part of a delegation that still ultimately supported Antiochus V's rule rather than Demetrius's, and disavowing Octavius as a representative would allow Rome to recognize Demetrius's rule more easily without seemingly changing their mind on a dime.
Descendants
Octavius had at least three children. The eldest was
Gnaeus Octavius, elected consul in 128, but nothing is known of his consulship. Another son named
Marcus was
tribune of the plebs
Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune () 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 important check on the pow ...
in 133; he is mostly known for having opposed his colleague the famous reformer
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (; 163 – 133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. He had also served in the ...
. A third son named Lucius is only known through the filiation of his son, a senator at the end of the 2nd century.
[Pietilä-Castrén, "Ancestry and Career", pp. 90–92.]
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
Ancient sources
*
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
, ''
De officiis
''De Officiis'' (''On Duties'', ''On Obligations'', or ''On Moral Responsibilities'') is a 44 BC treatise by Marcus Tullius Cicero divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds his conception of the best way to live, behave, and observe mor ...
''.
*
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...
, ''
Ab Urbe Condita
''Ab urbe condita'' (; 'from the founding of Rome, founding of the City'), or (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is ...
.''
*
Polybius
Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...
, ''
The Histories''.
Modern sources
* Nathan Badoud,
La Victoire de Samothrace, défaite de Philippe V, ''
Revue archéologique'', 2018/2 (n° 66), pp. 279–306.
* Lawrence J. Bliquez,
Gnaeus Octavius and the Echinaioi, ''
Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens'', Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1975), pp. 431–434.
*
T. Corey Brennan, ''The Praetorship in the Roman Republic'', Oxford University Press, 2000,
* John Briscoe,
Q. Marcius Philippus and Nova Sapientia, ''The Journal of Roman Studies'', 1964, Vol. 54, Parts 1 and 2 (1964), pp. 66–77.
* ——,
Eastern Policy and Senatorial Politics 168-146 B.C., ''Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', Bd. 18, H. 1 (Jan., 1969), pp. 49–70.
*
T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association, 1951–1952.
* Pierre Charneux,
Rome et la confédération achéene (automne 170), ''Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique'', 81, 1957, pp. 181–202.
* Etienne Famerie,
Aspects diplomatiques de la politique romaine dans l'orient grec (IIe s. av. J.-C.), ''Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Annuaire, résumés des conférences et travaux'', 144
e année, 2011-2012, pp. 46–52.
* Luise Hallof, Klaus Hallof,
Christian Habicht,
Aus der Arbeit der «Inscriptiones Graecae» II. Ehrendekrete aus dem Asklepieion von Kos, ''Chiron'', Issue 28, 1998, pp. 101–142.
*
N. G. L. Hammond & F. W. Walbank, ''A History of Macedonia, volume III, 336-167 B. C.'', Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1988.
*
Olga Palagia, "The Victory of Samothrace and the Aftermath of the Battle of Pydna", in Olga Palagia & Bonna D. Wescoat (editors), ''Samothracian connections, Essays in honor of James R. McCredie'', Oxford and Oakville, Oxbow Books, 2010, pp. 154–164.
*
August Pauly
August Friedrich von Pauly (; ; 9 May 1796, in Benningen am Neckar – 2 May 1845, in Stuttgart) was a German educator and classical philologist.
From 1813 to 1818 he studied at the University of Tübingen, then furthered his education at Heide ...
,
Georg Wissowa
Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau.
Education and career
Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Bresl ...
,
Elimar Klebs,
Friedrich Münzer
Friedrich Münzer (22 April 1868 – 20 October 1942) was a German classical scholar noted for the development of prosopography, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome connected to political struggles. He d ...
, Franz Miltner, ''et alii'', ''
Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft
The Pauly encyclopedias or the Pauly-Wissowa family of encyclopedias, are a set of related encyclopedias on Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman classical studies, topics and scholarship. The first of these, or (1839–1852), was begun by compiler A ...
'' (abbreviated ''RE''), J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 1894–1980.
* Leena Pietilä-Castrén,
New Men and Greek War Booty in the 2nd Century BC, ''Arctos, Acta Philologica Fennica'', XVI, 1982, pp. 121–144.
* ——,
The ancestry and career of Cn. Octavius, COS 165 BC, ''Arctos, Acta Philologica Fennica'', vol. XVIII, 1984, pp. 75–92.
*
Jörg Rüpke
Jörg Rüpke (born 27 December 1962 in Herford, West Germany) is a German scholar of comparative religion and classical philology, recipient of the Gay-Lussac Humboldt Prize in 2008, and of the Advanced Grant of the European Research Council in ...
, Anne Glock, David Richardson (translator), ''Fasti Sacerdotum: A Prosopography of Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Religious Officials in the City of Rome, 300 BC to AD 499'', Oxford University Press, 2008.
* Robert K. Sherk, ''Roman Document from the Greek East,'' Senatus Consulta ''and'' Epistulae ''to the Age of Augustus'', Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1969.
* ——, ''Translated Documents of Greece and Rome vol. 4, Rome and the Greek East to the Death of Augustus'', Cambridge University Press, 1984.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Octavius, Gnaeus
Ancient Roman generals
2nd-century BC Roman consuls
Octavii Rufi
162 BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
2nd-century BC diplomats