Sallust facts for kids

A manuscript from around 1490, showing Sallust's work De Bello Jugurthino.

Gaius Sallustius Crispus, often called Sallust, was an important Roman historian and politician. He lived from 86 BC to about 35 BC. Sallust came from a regular Roman family, not a noble one. He was probably born in Amiternum, a town in the Sabine region of Italy.

Sallust became a supporter of Julius Caesar around 50 BC. He is one of the earliest Roman historians whose Latin writings still exist today. His most famous works include Conspiracy of Catiline, The Jugurthine War, and parts of his Histories. As a writer, Sallust was inspired by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides. During his time as a governor in Africa, he became very wealthy.

Sallust's Early Life and Career

Sallust was likely born in Amiternum, a town in Central Italy. Some historians, however, think he was born in Rome. His birth year is usually given as 86 BC.

We don't know much about Sallust's parents or family. His family, the Sallustii, were a respected family from the Sabine region. They were part of the equestrian order, a group of wealthy Romans below the senators. They had full Roman citizenship. During a war called the Social War, Sallust's parents may have moved to Rome. This was because their hometown, Amiternum, was in danger. Because of this, Sallust might have grown up in Rome. He received a very good education.

Starting His Political Journey

Sallust began his public life and may have been elected as a quaestor in 55 BC. A quaestor was a Roman official who managed public money. However, it's not completely clear if he held this position.

The first definite information about his career is when he served as a plebeian tribune in 52 BC. A tribune was a representative of the common people. This was the year when Publius Clodius Pulcher was killed by followers of Titus Annius Milo. During his time as tribune, Sallust supported the legal case against Milo. He also helped organize large public protests. These protests put pressure on Cicero, a famous Roman speaker. As a result, Milo had to leave Rome and go into exile. In this same year, Sallust and other tribunes supported a law. This law allowed Caesar to run for a second consulship even if he wasn't in Rome.

Sallust's political loyalties were not always clear at first. But after he was removed from the Senate in 50 BC, he joined Caesar. He was removed by Appius Claudius Pulcher, a Roman censor. The reason given was his behavior, but it was probably because he opposed Milo during his time as tribune.

Sallust During Caesar's Civil War

During the civil war (49 to 45 BC), Sallust supported Caesar. However, his role was not very big. Caesar's own writings about the war don't mention Sallust.

In 49 BC, Sallust was sent to Illyricum, a Roman province. He likely commanded a legion there. This military campaign was not successful. In 48 BC, Caesar probably made him a quaestor. This automatically gave him back his seat in the Senate.

In late 47 BC, some soldiers rebelled near Rome. They wanted to be released from service and paid. Sallust, who was set to become a praetor, was sent with other senators. Their job was to convince the soldiers to stop. But the rebels killed two senators, and Sallust barely escaped.

In 46 BC, Sallust served as a praetor. A praetor was a high-ranking judge or magistrate. He went with Caesar on his campaign in Africa. This campaign ended with Caesar defeating his enemies at the Battle of Thapsus. Sallust did not fight directly in battles. Instead, he managed several ships and organized supplies through the Kerkennah Islands.

As a reward for his help, Sallust was made governor of Africa Nova. This was a new Roman province in Africa. He served as governor from 46–45 BC or in early 44 BC. It's not clear why Caesar chose him. Sallust was not a skilled general. However, he was good at organizing supplies and transportation. These skills might have led to Caesar's choice.

As governor, Sallust managed to gain a lot of wealth. When he returned to Rome in late 45 or early 44 BC, he faced accusations of misusing his power. However, Caesar's strong influence helped him avoid being found guilty. After returning, he bought land in Rome and began building the famous Gardens of Sallust. These beautiful gardens were on the Quirinal Hill and were later owned by Roman emperors.

Life After Politics

Because of the accusations and no chance for further political roles, Sallust decided to focus on writing history. He saw his historical writings as a way to continue his public service. He wanted to record important events for future generations. His political experiences shaped his historical works. He often showed a strong dislike for the Roman elite. His writings have few heroes.

He also continued to develop his gardens. He spent much of his wealth on them. Some stories say Sallust later married Terentia, who was Cicero's ex-wife. However, many modern historians believe this is just a legend.

Sallust's Famous Writings

Sallust wrote two complete books that we still have today. These are The Conspiracy of Catiline and The Jugurthine War. We also have fragments, or small parts, of his larger work called Histories. This work covered Roman history from 78 BC to 67 BC.

His shorter books were among the first of their kind in Rome.

The Conspiracy of Catiline

This book was probably written around 42 BC. Some historians think it might have been written earlier. It tells the story of Lucius Sergius Catilina's attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic in 63 BC.

Sallust describes Catiline as an enemy of law, order, and good behavior. He doesn't fully explain Catiline's reasons or goals. Sallust wanted to show the political and moral decline of Rome. He believed this decline started after the defeat of Carthage. He thought it sped up after Sulla's time as dictator. This decline, he felt, spread from the rich nobles to all of Roman politics.

Even though he criticized Catiline's bad character, Sallust also mentioned that Catiline had many good qualities. For example, Sallust shows Catiline as very brave in his final battle. The book strongly condemns the conspirators. Sallust likely used Cicero's writings for details about the plot. However, his story focused on Caesar and Cato the Younger. He presented them as examples of virtus (excellence). He included long speeches where they debated the punishment for the conspirators.

The Jugurthine War

Sallust's Jugurthine War is a book about the war against Jugurtha in Numidia. This war happened from 112 to 106 BC. Sallust wrote it around 41–40 BC. In this work, he again highlighted the moral decline of Rome.

The book is important because it introduces Gaius Marius and Sulla to the Roman political scene. It also shows the beginning of their rivalry. Sallust had been governor of Africa Nova. This experience should have given him a good understanding of the war's geography and people. However, this isn't very clear in the book. Sallust's main goal in The Jugurthine War, like with The Catiline Conspiracy, was to use history to show his views. He wanted to explain the slow destruction of Roman morality and politics.

Other Writings by Sallust

His last major work was Histories. It covered events from 78 BC. Only a few parts of this work still exist. From these parts, it seems Sallust again focused on moral decline after Sulla. He was not very kind to Pompey in his writings. Historians regret that most of this work is lost. It would have given us much information about an exciting period. This period included the war against Sertorius, the campaigns of Lucullus against Mithradates VI of Pontus, and Pompey's victories in the East.

Two letters, called Duae epistolae de republica ordinanda, are sometimes said to be by Sallust. These letters offer political advice to Caesar. There is also an attack on Cicero, called Invectiva. However, modern experts believe these works were written by someone else.

Sallust's Writing Style and Ideas

The main idea in Sallust's works was decline. He often described Roman politics in a simple way. His ideas about history were influenced by Thucydides. He felt a deep sadness that decline was "dreadful and unavoidable." He believed this was caused by political and moral corruption. This corruption, he thought, came from Rome's huge power. He traced the civil war back to the wealth that came from conquests. He also believed it was due to the lack of serious foreign threats. These threats used to make Romans strong and virtuous.

Sallust also presented a very positive and romantic picture of the Roman Republic before 146 BC. He described this time as having "unbelievable virtue." He made the distant past seem perfect.

Sallust's writing style was well-known in Rome. It was different from his friends like Caesar and Cicero. His style was short and used unusual words and phrases. Because of this, his writings were very different from the everyday Latin spoken at the time.

He used old-fashioned words. Some experts believe Sallust chose his style and words to be different from Cicero. Cicero was a rival and a trendsetter in Latin literature. More recent experts agree. They describe Sallust's style as "anti-Ciceronian." He avoided Cicero's smooth, flowing sentences. Instead, he used short and sudden descriptions. The Conspiracy of Catiline shows many features of the style he developed later.

Sallust avoided common words used in public speeches by Roman politicians. For example, he didn't use words like honestas (honesty) or humanitas (humanity). In some cases, he used rare forms of well-known words. For example, lubido instead of libido (desire). He also used less common verb endings. Some words Sallust used are not found in other writings before him. They might have been new words he created or old words he brought back. Sallust also often used antithesis (contrasting ideas) and alliteration (repeating sounds).

This unique style itself was a call for "a return to values." It was meant to remind people of the strict life of the ideal ancient Roman. His old-fashioned words and abrupt writing were a contrast to Cicero's "fancy" style. This showed how he felt about the current decline compared to ancient virtues.

Images for kids

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  Gardens of Sallust