It has been exactly one month since I first laid eyes on a physical copy of my book about Publius Quinctilius Varus, which seemed an excellent reason to write a (fairly long!) 🧵 about why he is such a fascinating individual from the early #Roman Imperial period.
He was born in the mid-to-late 40s BC, in the dying years of the #Roman Republic. The Quinctili Varii family was an ancient one, but appears to have fallen on hard times long before Varus was born, with no relatives of any real political significance for centuries.
His father, Sextus Quinctilius Varus, had been an enemy of Julius Caesar in the civil war between him & Pompey - and may even have been involved in Caesar's assassination in 44 BC. Sextus committed suicide after the defeat of Brutus & Cassius' army at Philippi in 42 BC.
Varus entered the #Roman public career ladder in his 20s, as men of his rank were encouraged to do. He started off as a military tribune, probably in the Cantabrian Wars, where he likely served at the same time as Augustus himself was present in Spain, catching the emperor's eye.
In 22 BC, Augustus invited Varus to accompany him on a 3-year tour of the eastern provinces as a quaestor in charge of financial affairs. Varus was awarded public honours, including statues, in several major cities including Athens, Pergamon, & Tenos (📷 Neutral_Fellow, Reddit)
Soon after, Varus was appointed as the legate of the Legio XIX while it was stationed at Dangstetten (Germany), & likely commanded it in the Alpine Wars of 15 BC, giving him further combat experience under the broader command of the future emperor Tiberius (📷Matthias Hoffmann)
Varus’ career developed so well that in 13 BC he was appointed as one of the two consuls in Rome for the year alongside Tiberius. He was consul when Augustus returned to Rome after years in the provinces, & was part of the delegation welcoming him home, depicted on the Ara Pacis.
Varus had married well, taking as his wife Vipsania Marcella, daughter of Marcus Agrippa – Augustus’ long-term friend & (at the time) likely successor. When Agrippa died in 12 BC, Varus co-delivered his eulogy along with Tiberius, who had married another of Agrippa’s daughters.
In 8/7 BC, Varus served as proconsul in the province of Africa, a rich and fairly peaceful posting that was the precursor to greater things. He minted coins showing his portrait alongside Augustus & the new Imperial periods, Gaius & Lucius Caesar (📷 CNG)
In 7 BC Varus was appointed governor of Syria, where he served until at least 4 BC. During his time in Syria, he was faced with a Jewish uprising in neighbouring Judaea after the death of Herod, which he suppressed in an effective manner, showing mercy to many of the rebels.
After his time in Syria we don’t know a huge amount about what happened to him; his career may have gone into decline while Tiberius was in self-imposed exile from Rome. But he married again in this period though – to a woman named Claudia Pulchra, the great-niece of Augustus.
In AD 6, Varus received his last appointment, as commander of the Rhine legions in Germany – and possibly also as the first (& last) governor of Germania. His role was to keep the peace, win friends among the Germans, & develop Roman infrastructure east of the Rhine.
It would end disastrously with the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, in which 3 Roman legions were almost entirely wiped out. Varus ended up committing suicide on the field to escape capture; his men fought over his body to try keep it from enemy capture (📷 Osprey)
Augustus mourned the loss of the legions (& their eagles), but also his long-time friend. When Varus’ head was sent to him as tribute, he gave it a formal burial in the Quinctili Varii tomb, & Varus’ name was still included in the Res Gestae, Augustus’ monumental biography.
Essentially, Varus was a central figure in Augustus’ regime, experienced & effective in both civic administration & military campaigning. He was twice married to people close to Augustus, friends with Tiberius, & trusted with command in Germany, one of the most volatile regions.
He deserves to be better remembered than he is, which is why I wrote a book all about him for @penswordbooks – it can be bought directly from them, or anywhere else that you like to get your books from! pen-and-sword.co.uk/Publius-Quinct…
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