Publius Ventidius Bassus
Encyclopedia
Publius Ventidius Bassus, or in full, Publius Ventidius Publii filius Bassus, "Publius Ventidius, Publius's son, Bassus" was a Roman
general
and one of Julius Caesar
's protégés. He won impressive victories against the Parthians
which resulted in the deaths of key leaders - victories which redeemed the losses of Crassus
and paved the way for Antony's
incursions.
. He and his mother were captured during the Social War, and both were marched as prisoners in Pompey Strabo's triumph
through the streets of Rome
. He was forced to work as a muleteer and quickly saw the Roman Army
as his path to advancement. Ventidius attracted Caesar's notice during the Gallic Wars
, and while he does not receive mention in Caesar's commentaries, he did execute Caesar's orders with ability during Caesar's civil war
, and became one of Caesar's favorites.
Ventidius chose to stand pat during the early stages of Mark Antony
's struggle with Octavian, eventually throwing his lot in with Antony. After the formation of the Second Triumvirate
, Ventidius was appointed suffect consul. During Antony's absence in Egypt in 41 BC, Ventidius did nothing to support Antony's brother Lucius Antonius
or Antony's wife Fulvia
during their struggle with Octavian.
After Antony had come to an agreement with Octavian off of Cape Misenum (probably in August 39), he sent Ventidius with several legions
in response to a Parthia
n invasion launched in 40 BC. Ventidius' first major success came when he defeated Quintus Labienus
and Phranipates (the best of King Orodes'
military commanders). After hearing of the battle while in Athens
, Antony put on a public feast in the town, then proceeded to the Levant
to join him.
Despite this setback, the Parthians launched another invasion into Syria
led by Pacorus
, the son of King Orodes. Ventidius met Pacorus' huge army in the Battle of Cyrrhestica
where he inflicted an overwhelming defeat which resulted in the death of Pacorus. This victory was the culmination of Ventidius' campaigns, which confined the Parthians within Media (Medes)
and Mesopotamia
, and psychologically avenged the losses of Crassus
, particularly at Carrhae
. Ventidius could have pursued the Parthians even further, but did not want to incur Antony's jealousy, so he instead subdued those who had rebelled against Rome.
One such rebel was Antiochus of Commagene, whom he besieged in Samosata
. Antiochus tried to make peace with Ventidius, but Ventidius told him to approach Antony directly. Wanting some of the glory for himself, Antony would not allow a treaty and proceeded to take over the siege. Antony's siege proved to be less effective than Ventidius', and Antony made peace. Whereas the treaty Antiochus originally offered Ventidius contained an indemnity
of 1,000 talents, the final treaty with Antony had an indemnity of only 300 talents. After peace was concluded, Antony sent Ventidius back to Rome where he celebrated a triumph
, the first and only person to triumph over the Parthians.
, where he is shown leading the Roman forces against Parthia. He muses over whether to risk rousing his superior's jealousy by going further than he has; after which he disappears from the play.
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....
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and one of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's protégés. He won impressive victories against the Parthians
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
which resulted in the deaths of key leaders - victories which redeemed the losses of Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
and paved the way for Antony's
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
incursions.
History
Ventidius was from PicenumPicenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
. He and his mother were captured during the Social War, and both were marched as prisoners in Pompey Strabo's triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
through the streets of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He was forced to work as a muleteer and quickly saw the Roman Army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
as his path to advancement. Ventidius attracted Caesar's notice during the Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars
The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
, and while he does not receive mention in Caesar's commentaries, he did execute Caesar's orders with ability during Caesar's civil war
Caesar's civil war
The Great Roman Civil War , also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire...
, and became one of Caesar's favorites.
Ventidius chose to stand pat during the early stages of Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
's struggle with Octavian, eventually throwing his lot in with Antony. After the formation of the Second Triumvirate
Second Triumvirate
The Second Triumvirate is the name historians give to the official political alliance of Octavius , Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony, formed on 26 November 43 BC with the enactment of the Lex Titia, the adoption of which marked the end of the Roman Republic...
, Ventidius was appointed suffect consul. During Antony's absence in Egypt in 41 BC, Ventidius did nothing to support Antony's brother Lucius Antonius
Lucius Antonius (brother of Mark Antony)
Lucius Antonius was the younger brother and supporter of Mark Antony, a Roman politician.Lucius was son of Marcus Antonius Creticus, son of the rhetorician Marcus Antonius Orator executed by Gaius Marius' supporters in 86 BC, and Julia Antonia, a cousin of Julius Caesar...
or Antony's wife Fulvia
Fulvia
Fulvia Flacca Bambula , commonly referred to as simply Fulvia, was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Through her marriage to three of the most promising Roman men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio and Mark Antony, she gained...
during their struggle with Octavian.
After Antony had come to an agreement with Octavian off of Cape Misenum (probably in August 39), he sent Ventidius with several legions
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
in response to a Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n invasion launched in 40 BC. Ventidius' first major success came when he defeated Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus , the son of Titus Labienus, was a Roman republican general, later in the service of Parthia.After Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 BC, Labienus took the side of Brutus and Cassius, the latter whom he served in the capacity of an ambassador to the Parthians...
and Phranipates (the best of King Orodes'
Orodes II of Parthia
Orodes II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from 57 to 38 BC. Orodes was a son of Phraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his brother Mithridates...
military commanders). After hearing of the battle while in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Antony put on a public feast in the town, then proceeded to the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
to join him.
Despite this setback, the Parthians launched another invasion into Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
led by Pacorus
Pacorus I of Parthia
Pacorus I of Parthia was the son of king Orodes II and queen Laodice of the Parthian Empire. It is possible that he was co-ruler with his father for at least part of his father's reign...
, the son of King Orodes. Ventidius met Pacorus' huge army in the Battle of Cyrrhestica
Battle of Mount Gindarus
The Battle of Mount Gindarus or battle of Cyrrhestica in 38 BC was a decisive victory for the Roman general Publius Ventidius Bassus over the Parthian army of Pacorus the son of King Orodes on the Greater Syria district of Cyrrhestica.-Prelude:...
where he inflicted an overwhelming defeat which resulted in the death of Pacorus. This victory was the culmination of Ventidius' campaigns, which confined the Parthians within Media (Medes)
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, and psychologically avenged the losses of Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
, particularly at Carrhae
Battle of Carrhae
The Battle of Carrhae, fought in 53 BC near the town of Carrhae, was a major battle between the Parthian Empire and the Roman Republic. The Parthian Spahbod Surena decisively defeated a Roman invasion force led by Marcus Licinius Crassus...
. Ventidius could have pursued the Parthians even further, but did not want to incur Antony's jealousy, so he instead subdued those who had rebelled against Rome.
One such rebel was Antiochus of Commagene, whom he besieged in Samosata
Samosata
Samosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam....
. Antiochus tried to make peace with Ventidius, but Ventidius told him to approach Antony directly. Wanting some of the glory for himself, Antony would not allow a treaty and proceeded to take over the siege. Antony's siege proved to be less effective than Ventidius', and Antony made peace. Whereas the treaty Antiochus originally offered Ventidius contained an indemnity
Indemnity
An indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee...
of 1,000 talents, the final treaty with Antony had an indemnity of only 300 talents. After peace was concluded, Antony sent Ventidius back to Rome where he celebrated a triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
, the first and only person to triumph over the Parthians.
In Shakespeare
Ventidius appears briefly in Shakespeare's play Antony and CleopatraAntony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
, where he is shown leading the Roman forces against Parthia. He muses over whether to risk rousing his superior's jealousy by going further than he has; after which he disappears from the play.