Marcus Perperna Vento
Encyclopedia
Marcus Perpenna Vento or Perperna (died 72 BC) was a Roman
statesman and general. He betrayed Quintus Sertorius
, and was executed by Pompey the Great.
Perpenna belonged to the populares faction, led by Gaius Marius
and Lucius Cornelius Cinna
. After Lucius Cornelius Sulla
defeated the populares faction in Italy and became Dictator of Rome, Perpenna fled with a substantial sum of money and an army. He took refuge in Hispania
(the Iberian Peninsula
, comprising modern Spain
and Portugal
), where he was determined to wage war against Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
on his own, despite the fact that Sertorius was already present in the province and was more or less ruling it.
However, Perpenna's soldiers were dissatisfied with his leadership, and when they learned that Pompey was crossing the Pyrenees, they demanded that Perpenna take them to Sertorius, or they would abandon him to Pompey's mercies while they took themselves to Sertorius. Perpenna yielded to the demands of the legions, and handed them over to Sertorius. This was not done with good will, and Perpenna, conscious of his noble bloodline and wealth, viewed the entire affair as a humiliation.
Sertorius' string of victories soon began to inspire discontent in the Roman nobles and senators that made up the higher classes of his domain. These people grew jealous of Sertorius' power, and Perpenna, aspiring to take Sertorius' place, encouraged that jealousy for his own ends. They took to damaging Sertorius' measures for victory, or oppressing the local Iberian
tribes in his name. This stirred discontent and revolt in the tribes, which resulted in a cycle of oppression and revolt, with Sertorius none the wiser as to who was creating such mischief.
Perpenna then proceeded to invite Sertorius to a feast to celebrate a supposed victory. While under most circumstances, any festivities to which Sertorius was invited were conducted with great propriety, this particular feast was vulgar, designed to offend the skillful general. Disgusted, Sertorius changed his posture on the couch, intent on ignoring them all. At this, Perpenna gave the signal to his minions, and they murdered the unsuspecting Sertorius on the spot.
Upon learning of the death of Sertorius, the Iberian tribes sent ambassadors to Pompey and surrendered to him. Perpenna managed to retain control of the Roman renegades who had followed Sertorius, and engaged Pompey in battle. Crushed, he attempted to plead for his life, offering to give Pompey all of Sertorius' papers and letters, which would document contacts with the highest levels of Roman government and society. Pompey indicated he would accept the papers, and when they had all been gathered together, he burned them, averting the possibility of another civil war. He then executed Perpenna and all of the men who had murdered Sertorius.
(of Etruscan
origin), but Perperna is more frequent and the form used in the most reliable inscriptions, followed by the prosopographical scholarship (e.g. Broughton
).
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
statesman and general. He betrayed Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius was a Roman statesman and general, born in Nursia, in Sabine territory. His brilliance as a military commander was shown most clearly in his battles against Rome for control of Hispania...
, and was executed by Pompey the Great.
Perpenna belonged to the populares faction, led by Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
and Lucius Cornelius Cinna
Lucius Cornelius Cinna
Lucius Cornelius Cinna was a four-time consul of the Roman Republic, serving four consecutive terms from 87 to 84 BC, and a member of the ancient Roman Cinna family of the Cornelii gens....
. After Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
defeated the populares faction in Italy and became Dictator of Rome, Perpenna fled with a substantial sum of money and an army. He took refuge in Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
(the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, comprising modern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
), where he was determined to wage war against Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius was a pro-Sullan politician and general. He was named Pius because of his 99 BC petition to return his father from exile and was true to his cognomen for the constance and inflexibility with which he always fought for his father's rehabilitation and return to...
on his own, despite the fact that Sertorius was already present in the province and was more or less ruling it.
However, Perpenna's soldiers were dissatisfied with his leadership, and when they learned that Pompey was crossing the Pyrenees, they demanded that Perpenna take them to Sertorius, or they would abandon him to Pompey's mercies while they took themselves to Sertorius. Perpenna yielded to the demands of the legions, and handed them over to Sertorius. This was not done with good will, and Perpenna, conscious of his noble bloodline and wealth, viewed the entire affair as a humiliation.
Sertorius' string of victories soon began to inspire discontent in the Roman nobles and senators that made up the higher classes of his domain. These people grew jealous of Sertorius' power, and Perpenna, aspiring to take Sertorius' place, encouraged that jealousy for his own ends. They took to damaging Sertorius' measures for victory, or oppressing the local Iberian
Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This is a list of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian peninsula .-Non-Indo-European:*Aquitanians**Aquitani**Autrigones - some consider them Celtic .**Caristii - some consider them Celtic ....
tribes in his name. This stirred discontent and revolt in the tribes, which resulted in a cycle of oppression and revolt, with Sertorius none the wiser as to who was creating such mischief.
Perpenna then proceeded to invite Sertorius to a feast to celebrate a supposed victory. While under most circumstances, any festivities to which Sertorius was invited were conducted with great propriety, this particular feast was vulgar, designed to offend the skillful general. Disgusted, Sertorius changed his posture on the couch, intent on ignoring them all. At this, Perpenna gave the signal to his minions, and they murdered the unsuspecting Sertorius on the spot.
Upon learning of the death of Sertorius, the Iberian tribes sent ambassadors to Pompey and surrendered to him. Perpenna managed to retain control of the Roman renegades who had followed Sertorius, and engaged Pompey in battle. Crushed, he attempted to plead for his life, offering to give Pompey all of Sertorius' papers and letters, which would document contacts with the highest levels of Roman government and society. Pompey indicated he would accept the papers, and when they had all been gathered together, he burned them, averting the possibility of another civil war. He then executed Perpenna and all of the men who had murdered Sertorius.
Naming
The names Perperna and Perpenna are attested for this nomen gentileRoman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
(of Etruscan
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
origin), but Perperna is more frequent and the form used in the most reliable inscriptions, followed by the prosopographical scholarship (e.g. Broughton
Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton
Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton was a Canadian classical scholar and leading Latin prosopographer of the twentieth century. He is especially noted for his definitive three-volume work, Magistrates of the Roman Republic ....
).