(1) Cōnfectō bellō Macedonicō manente Mithradāticō, quod recēdente Lūcullō rēx collēctīs auxiliīs reparāverat, bellum Crēticum ortum est.

(2) Ad id missus Q. Caecilius Metellus ingentibus proeliīs intrā triennium omnem prōvinciam cēpit appellātusque est Crēticus atque ex īnsulā triumphāvit.

(3) Quō tempore Libya quoque Rōmānō imperiō per testāmentum Appīonis, quī rēx eius fuerat, accessit, in quā inclutae urbēs erant Berenīcē, Ptolemāis, Cȳrēnē.

    The conquest of Crete (69 BCE)

    (1) Cōnfectō bellō Macedonicō: Ablative absolute with a perfect passive participle (AG 419). For the Macedonian War, see Brev. 6.10.

    manente Mithradāticō: supply bellō. Ablative absolute with present active participle (AG 419). For the Mithridatic War, see Brev. 6.6, 6.8 and 6.9.

    Lūcullō: Lucius Lucullus

    (2) Q. Caecilius Metellus: In 74 BCE the senate gave a special command against the pirates to M. Antonius, who was defeated in 71 BCE in a naval encounter. The Romans, occupied with Mithridates, ignored Crete until 68 BCE when the proconsul, Caecilius Metellus, with three legions, savagely subdued the island after two years of campaigning and reduced it to the status of a province. He was rewarded with the cognomen Creticus and a triumph in 62 BCE (Bird). The epitomator Florus explains,

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    To be honest, the Cretan War only occurred to fulfill our desire to conquer the noble island. They appeared to favor Mithridates, so it was fitting to punish them with warfare. Marcus Antonius was the first to invade the island.  He had enormous confidence and hope for victory, so much so that he carried more chains than weapons on his ships. But he paid the penalty for his lack of preparedness. For the enemy intercepted many ships, and hanged the bodies of captured Romans from their sails and rigging as they rowed back triumphantly towards their Cretan ports. Then Metellus destroyed the island with sword and flame. He forced its inhabitants to take cover in fortresses and the walled cities Cnossos, Eleutherna, and Cydorea, the "mother of all cities," as the Greeks call it. He was so savage to his prisoners of war that many ended their lives with poisons, and others surrendered themselves to Pompey, who was not even present. And when Pompey was managing matters in Asia, he sent Antonius to Crete as prefect, despite Antonius' not having authority to be there. This made Metellus treat the enemy even more harshly, and after defeating the Cydonian leaders Lasthenes and Panares, he returned to Rome in victory (Epit. 42.1–5; Trans. K. Masters).

    triumphāvit: for more information on triumphs, see triumphs

    (3) Libya: It was probably in 96 BCE that Ptolemy Apion of Cyrene died and left his country to the Romans, who annexed the royal lands but left the cities free. Disorders and pirate connections led to Roman intervention and it was established as a province in 74 BCE (Bird).

    inclutae urbēs: see Berenice, Ptolemāis, and Cȳrēnē

    Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates

    Macedonicus, a, um, adj.

    Macedonian

    Mithradāticus, a, um, adj. pertaining to Mithradātēs
    Lūcullus, ī, m.

    the name of a Roman family. (1) L. Licinius Lūcullus, consul 74 B.C.; (2) M. Licinius Lūcullus, brother of (1)

    reparō, āre, āvī, ātus to renew
    Crēticus, a, um, adj.

    pertaining to Crete; Crēticum bellum, war against Crete

    Q.

    abbreviation of the praenomen Quīntus

    Metellus, ī, m.

    (1) C. Caecilius Metellus, consul 113 B.C.; (2) L. Caecilius Metellus, consul 251 B.C.; (3) L. Caecilius Metellus, consul 123 B.C.; (4) (Q. Caecilius) Metellus Macedonicus, consul 143 B.C.; (5) Q. Caecilius Metellus (Numidicus), consul 109 B.C.; (6) Q. Caecilius Metellus Creticus, consul 69 B.C.; (7) L. (Caecilius) Metellus, carried on war against Mithradates; (8) M. (Caecilius) Metellus

    triennium, ī [trēs + annus], n.

    the space of three years, three years

    triumphō, āre, āvī, ātus to celebrate a triumph
    Libya, ae, f.

    the northern part of Africa, west of Egypt

    testāmentum, ī [testis, a witness], n. a will, testament
    Appiōn, ōnis, m.

    Appiōn Ptolemaeus, king of Cyrene, 117–96 B.C.

    inclutus, a, um, adj. famous
    Berenīcē, ēs, f. a city in Cyrenaica in Africa
    Ptolemāïs, is, f. a city in Libya
    Cȳrēnē, ēs, f.

    a Greek city on the coast of Africa, west of Egypt

     

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