48 MAY/JUNE 2019Colline Gate in 82 B.C., which would end the civil
war between Marius and Sulla. Crassus’ involve-
ment in this war not only brought him glory and
money but also forged his reputation for greed:
His soldiers complained to Sulla that Crassus
would not share the significant spoils he had
accrued in the course of the conflict.
The war is also notable for the beginnings of
the rivalry between Pompey and Crassus, ac-
cording to Plutarch. Pompey’s three legions were
essential to the efforts to recapture Rome, feats
that drew great praise from Sulla, who allowed
him to marry his stepdaughter. This acclaim did
not escape the notice of Crassus. Plutarch wrote
how it “inflamed and goaded him.”An Eye for a Bargain
Sulla did reward Crassus for his service in the
war. His gratitude allowed Crassus to be the
prime beneficiary of a highly lucrative process
of revenge, in which Sulla confiscated the assets
of Marius’s followers and then let his allies buy
them at bargain prices, sowing the seeds of
Crassus’ real estate empire.L
IKE MANY POWERFUL PEOPLE in the late Roman Republic,
Crassus also found himself having to flee the city from time
to time. In 87 B.C., when he was only 28, he fled Rome, tak-
ing three friends and 10 slaves with him. Marius had taken
control of the city, and Crassus’ father and brother were killed for
opposing them. According to the historian Plutarch, Crassus fled to
Spain, where his father had been praetor and still had many allies.
Even there, people were scared of the reach of Marius’s purges, so
Crassus took refuge in a cave. When he had settled in there, he sent
a messenger to Vibius Paciacus, a friend of his father. Paciacus was
more than willing to help and arranged to send daily provisions to
the cave. It was an ideal hiding spot. Plutarch described it as “not far
away from the sea... a spring of purest flow issues from the base
of the cliff, and natural fissures in the rock... admit the light from
outside, so that in the day-time the place is bright.” Crassus spent
eight months in the cave, only venturing out after learning that his
enemies in Rome were no longer a threat.THE ROMAN
CAVEMAN
A KNIGHT FROM MARIUS’S FIRST LEGION. FUNERARY STELA. MUSEUM OF ROMAN CIVILIZATION, ROME
DEA/ALBUM