Sallustius Lucullus facts for kids

Sallustius Lucullus was a Roman governor of Britain in the late 1st century AD. He took office after Gnaeus Julius Agricola, but we don't know if he was the very next governor. Lucullus is a bit of a mystery. The only clear fact we have about him comes from a writer named Suetonius. Suetonius reported that the Roman emperor Domitian had Lucullus put to death. This happened because Lucullus allowed a new type of spear to be named after him.

Everything else we think we know about Lucullus is a guess or an idea. For example, most Roman governors of Britain were consuls (high-ranking officials) before their appointment. So, it's likely Lucullus was a consul too. We don't know exactly when he was killed. Some historians think it was around 89 AD. They believe he might have been involved in a secret plan against Emperor Domitian. However, Domitian also had many important Romans killed in 93 AD, so that year is another possibility.

It's also possible that Lucullus was related to King Cunobeline, a British king who died around 40 AD. He might have been the grandson of Cunobeline and the son of Adminius. Both Cunobeline and Adminius belonged to the Catuvellauni tribe in Britain.

A Mysterious Roman Governor

We know very little about Sallustius Lucullus. The only certain detail is the story from Suetonius about his death. This story might hide the real reason why Lucullus was killed. Because so little is known, many different ideas and theories have come up about him.

Different Ideas About Lucullus

Historians have tried to figure out more about Sallustius Lucullus. Here are some of their ideas:

Was He a Known Official?

One idea came from a historian named Ronald Syme. He thought Lucullus might be the same person as Publius Sallustius Blaesus. Blaesus was a high-ranking official in Rome around 89 AD. Records show Blaesus was often in Rome during Domitian's rule. This makes it hard to see how he could have also been a governor in Britain. Being a governor required a lot of experience in different provinces.

Was He a British Prince?

Another idea was suggested by Dr. Miles Russell. He found an old record from Chichester that mentioned a Sallustius Lucullus. This record said he was a Roman official in Britain. Another old stone from Chichester mentioned a "Lucullus, son of Amminus." Russell believes this is the same Lucullus. He thinks Lucullus's father was a British prince named Amminus. Adminius was the son of King Cunobelinus and had fled to Rome around 40 AD.

Russell also believes that Fishbourne Roman Palace, a large Roman building near Chichester, was built for Sallustius Lucullus. Many people thought it was built for a local king named Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus. Russell's research suggests the palace was built later, after 92 AD. This would fit with Lucullus being its owner. However, other experts disagree with Russell's ideas. They think the old records he used might not be real. Also, Roman governors were usually former consuls, not lower-ranking officials.

Another Idea: The Scholar Governor

A third idea connects Lucullus to a man named Lucius Lucullus. This Lucius Lucullus was a governor in Hispania Baetica (part of modern-day Spain). He was also interested in sea life. This Lucius Lucullus lived around the time Pliny the Elder wrote his Natural History (around 77 AD). This man would have been important enough to become governor of Britain at the right time.

Some historians think Lucullus's death had nothing to do with a secret plan against Domitian. Instead, they suggest a different reason. A Roman soldier named Gaius Julius Karus received special awards for a war in Britain that we don't know much about. One theory is that Lucullus disagreed with Domitian's plans for the Roman border in Britain. Karus might have reported this disagreement to the emperor. Domitian might have seen this as treason and ordered Karus to remove Lucullus. Karus was then greatly rewarded. However, this is just a guess about what happened.

Roman Army in Britain

Archaeology, the study of old things, can tell us about the Roman army in Britain after Agricola left in 84 AD. Sallustius Lucullus, or the governor before him, might have tried to make Rome's control stronger in Scotland. They may have built forts there, like the Glen Forts.

Forts at Ardoch and Dalswinton in southern Scotland were rebuilt around the late 80s AD. Other military sites in the area also show improvements. This means the Romans had a strong presence in the lowlands of Scotland.

However, a large Roman fort called Inchtuthil was abandoned around this time. It's likely that the Roman Empire needed soldiers elsewhere. This meant Sallustius didn't have enough troops to hold the far north of Scotland. Still, some Roman watchtowers in northern Scotland were used until about 90 AD.

Overall, it seems that a shortage of soldiers forced Sallustius to pull back from northern Scotland. But he was still able to keep control of the southern parts of the country.