Rome's Worst General?

And the Mystery of the Cursed Gold

Mar 22, 2024

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

What makes a reputation?

This week at Classical Wisdom, we’ve been talking about how some historical and mythological figures from the ancient world have been unfairly maligned.

But what about someone who really does deserve their bad reputation?

Read on to discover the man who may have been Rome’s worst ever general, whose snobbery and impatience led to one of the worst ever defeats for the Roman Republic…

Plus, you can find out how exactly some ‘cursed gold’ was involved in it all!

On an altogether lighter note, however, make sure to check out this weekend’s Plato Academy Centre event, “Philosophy and Children”, which takes place online tomorrow, March 23rd, at Noon EST.

Featuring a talk from our own Anya Leonard, as well as a host of other experts on Classics and educating the little ones, including Professor Angie Hobbs and Professor M.D. Usher.

It’s a special event you won’t want to miss. You can read more and register HERE.

It’s a great chance to learn about how the Classics can inspire the next generation…

Just make sure they don’t copy General Quintus Servilius Caepio!

All the best,

Sean Kelly

Managing Editor

Classical Wisdom

Rome’s Worst General?

By Richardson Akande

The history of Rome, from the full sweep of Republic to Empire, is full of mighty generals who were exceptional in the art of war.

However, not all generals were of the finest class. In fact, many won reputations as downright horrible generals.

Yet one man stands out as arguably the worst Rome ever produced.

Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder was a General and a Roman statesman. He was born in Rome to a noble family, and he was consul in 106 BCE. During his time in this role, he enacted a controversial law. He was able to do so with the assistance of Lucius Licinius Crassus, a wonderful orator who convinced his fellow Romans with his linguistic skills.

The law mandated the jurymen to be chosen among Senators, canceling the old order where jurymen were from the Equites, which were the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. Fortunately, the controversial law was suspended around 104 to 101 BCE.

Yet Quintus Servilius Caepio would remain no stranger to controversies…

Several incidents occurred while he was on his way to Arausio (modern day France) with his legions in order to fight the Cimbri, a Germanic tribe of brave warriors.

First, Caepio decided to plunder the sacred temples of Tolosa, which is in the city of Toulouse. The myth at the time told of a semi-legendary sacred treasure, the famous aurum Tolosanum, which was assumed to be cursed gold taken from the Balkans during the time of the Gallic invasion.

It is on record that Caepio, in all his wisdom, stole 50,000 fifteen-pound gold bars and no less than 10,000 fifteen-pound silver bars.

The wealth of Tolosa was supposed to be shipped to Rome, but the General had a better idea: only the silver made the journey. The gold was stolen by a band of marauders, who were believed to have been hired by Caepio himself.

Boums Lake located in Haute-Garonne, one of the places suspected to have held the cursed gold

Then, while still on his way to the battle of Arausio, Caepio refused to share camp with General Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, a member of Novus homo, or ‘new man’ – a class that didn’t belong to the Roman elite.

Caepio, however, was born into a family of elite Romans and therefore felt Maximus was inferior to him.

Despite Caepio’ feelings, Maximus was a smart officer who knew when to strike his enemies dead or embark on negotiations. With the Cimbri, Maximus decided on the latter.

When Caepio learned that Maximus was at an advanced stage of negotiations, and truce was about to be agreed upon, he moved his legions on the Germanic camp – no doubt feeling that his ‘inferior’ was going about it all wrong, and that attack was better than truce. It was a terrible military decision.

He attacked the Cimbri forces on 6th of October, 105 BCE, and the Cimbri army brutally destroyed legions of Caepio’s army. With this decisive victory, the Germanic army felt confident enough to march on Maximus’ camp. Although Maximus tried to ready his soldiers, it was not enough to repeal the fierce Cimbri army.

The outcome was a devastating experience and the casualties were staggering. Over 80,000 infantry lost their lives as well as more than 40,000 auxiliaries and cavalry. The figures dwarf the tragic defeat at Cannae. Indeed, the Battle of Arausio ranks among one of the worse defeats in the Roman Republic’s history.

Caepio managed to escape unharmed, but upon arriving back in Rome, he was tried for the excessive losses of his troops by the Tribune of the Plebs. His old accomplice Lucius Licinius Crassus defended him with his oratory skills, but in the end Caepio was handed one the worse punishments possible…

He was stripped of Roman citizenship, denied fire and water within 800 miles of Rome, and was barred from speaking to his family and friends until exile. Finally, he was fined a whopping 15,000 talents of gold, more than the value missing under his watch.

He somehow managed not to pay the fine, and instead lived the rest of his life in exile at Smyrna, located in Asia minor, living in affluence and enjoying the loot from the missing gold of Tolosa. He even passed the wealth to his children.

Caepio might not have been a good general, but he managed to write his name in history as an amazing thief.