Roman General: Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo

Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, born in 130 BC, he was contemporary of Sulla and father of Pompey the Great.

In the Social War he was a successful commander against the allies in the north, and was elected consul for 89 BC. He was relieved of his command in 88, but his troops murdered his successor (with his connivance) and remained under his command.

As consul he had given Latin rights to the allies beyond the River Po; he had also given Roman citizenship to Spaniards serving under him. In this way he built up a powerful clientela for himself, and in the civil war between Marius and Sulla he was able to remain independent until he died (probably in 87 BC). He is an important figure in Roman history, since he established the power base which enabled his son to enter public life at the top, by-passing the normal step by step career.

Roman General: Aulus Gabinius

Aulus Gabinius, Roman general and provincial governor. As tribune in 67 BC he proposed the Lex Gabinia, which conferred on Pompey his extraordinary command against the Mediterranean pirates. As consul in 58 Gabinius supported Clodius in banishing Cicero. From 57 to 54 he was governor of Syria, and in 55 restored Ptolemy Auletes to the Egyptian throne. Impeached for misgovernment on retiring from office, Gabinius went into exile; but he returned to support Caesar in the civil war, and died on active service in Dalmatia (48 or 47 BC).

Roman General: Lucius Cornelius Balbus

Lucius Cornelius Balbus, (1st century AD), Roman soldier, native of Gades (Cadiz), in Spain. He served under Pompey in the war against Sertorius, for which he received Roman citizenship.

Prosecuted on a charge of illegal assumption of the citizenship, he was defended by Cicero and acquitted. He was chief engineer to Caesar in Gaul, looked after his affairs in Rome during the civil war, and was the first foreigner to become consul (40 BC).

Roman General: Publius Cornelius Dolabella

Publius Cornelius Dolabella (b. c. 80 BC), Roman general and husband of Cicero's, Tullia.

Soon after the outbreak of civil war he transferred his allegiance from Pompey to Caesar, with whom he fought at Pharsalus (48), and later in Africa and Spain. On Caesar's death Dolabella seized the consulship and sided with Brutus and his fellow conspirators.

However, he once again changed sides and accepted the province of Syria. Having plundered the cities of Greece and Asia on his way there, he murdered Trebonius, proconsul of Asia, who had denied him admission to Smyrna. Cassius was sent to take his place, and besieged him in Laodicea. To avoid capture Dolabella ordered one of his soldiers to kill him (43 BC).

Roman General: Marcus Licinius Crassus

Marcus Licinius Crassus (c. 115-53 BC) was a Roman financier, soldier, and statesman.

Obliged to take refuge from the Marian party in Spain (87 BC), he returned with Sulla, in whose army he held a command (83-82).

The Sullan proscriptions opened for Crassus the door to enormous wealth: he bought up confiscated estates, trafficked largely in high-quality slaves, and further enriched himself by usury. His financial power lent weight to his political and military ambitions. In 71, as praetor, he crushed the rebellion of Spartacus; in 70 he was consul with Pompey; and in 60 became a member of the triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey.

In 55 he was again consul with his former colleague, and received the province of Syria for a period of five years. Later in the same year he set out for the East, hoping to increase his fortune by plundering those wealthy regions by making war against the Parthians, Mesopotamia, and even the temple at Jerusalem, had already suffered from his insatiable greed when, in 53, his army was annihilated by the Parthians under Surenas near Carrhae.

Crassus was taken prisoner and put to death.