Titus Albucius was a Roman senator, scholar and government official who had a notable life in the Roman Republic during the 2nd century BCE. In his youth, he received a thorough education in Athens, which left a lasting impact on his life. For the rest of his days, Albucius would remain an avid lover of everything Greek, especially the language, literature, and philosophies. In particular, he became a devotee to the Epicurean philosophical school. A fellow Roman statesman, Cicero (106-43 BCE)—who was not a fan of Albucius or Epicureanism—wrote of the man’s education, writing, “T. Albucius, who lived in the same age, was well versed in the Greek literature, or, rather, was almost a Greek himself. I speak of him, as I think; but any person, who pleases, may judge what he was by his orations. In his youth, he studied at Athens, and returned from thence a thorough convert to the doctrine of Epicurus; which, of all others, is the least adapted to form an orator” (Cicero, Brutus, section 131). Cicero’s criticisms aside, Albucius had a fairly successful career in Roman politics. He achieved the lofty magistrate position of praetor and, around 105 BCE, he was appointed to a governing role in Sardinia that included military powers. Unfortunately, that position would lead to Albucius’ political downfall in Rome.
Several odd occurrences happened during Albucius’ time in Sardinia. For one, he used his small military force on the island to defeat a gang of armed bandits. After this victorious skirmish, Albucius was said to have overly glorified his battle and then threw himself a triumphal celebration that was not proportional to the rather insignificant victory that he had achieved. Triumphal parades were a serious matter in Rome, so the Senate reacted with hostility once it was discovered that Albucius gave himself honors that he arguably had not earned. On this, Cicero stated:
“A battle fought by a propraetor with one auxiliary cohort against a group of bandits clad in animal skins in Sardinia…Albucius had had already decreed to himself in Sardinia the same thing which he was soliciting from the senate. For it was notorious that he like a Greek, and like the light-headed inconsiderate man that he was, had celebrated something like a triumph in the province itself. And therefore the senate marked their displeasure at this precipitate conduct of his by the refusing of a supplication.” (Cicero, De Provinciis Consularibus, 7).
Titus Albucius’ time in Sardinia did not improve after that point. In addition to the triumph scandal, he was also accused of extortion. The incident, which occurred around 103 BCE, is vague and obscure, but members of the Sardinian population made complaints against Albucius, and a case was built against him that included documentary evidence. He was ultimately prosecuted and found guilty. Cicero, again, commented on the man’s troubled history, stating, “Titus Albucius and Gaius Megaboccus both suffered condemnations that had their origin in Sardinia, though many Sardinians spoke in praise of them. In these cases the very variety of the evidence lent it greater credit; for they were convicted by impartial evidence and by documents which had not been tampered with.” (Cicero, Pro Scauro, 18). Additionally, in a separate text, Cicero also stated, “I would remind you that Albucius, after winning a triumph in Sardinia, was found guilty at Rome” (Cicero, In Pisonem, 38). Despite being found guilty, Albucius suffered no real consequences besides public shaming and the end of his political career.
After his strange and turbulent time at Sardinia, Albucius was exiled (or retired) from the city of Rome and relocated himself to Athens, Greece, where he had received his education in his youth. Shunned from politics, Albucius delved back into his love for Greek language, literature and philosophy. Ultimately, he began a new life for himself as an adherent and advocate for the Epicurean school of philosophy. On this last phase of Albucius’ life, Cicero stated, “How was it with T. Albucius? Did he not follow his philosophical studies with the greatest satisfaction at Athens, although he was banished?” (Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, 5.37). Interestingly, Albucius was received with open arms by the philosophical community in Athens. Despite his troubles with the Roman Senate and the law, Titus Albucius gained a sizable following and became an orator and philosopher of note.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Bronze statuette of a philosopher on a lamp stand, by a Roman artist from the 1st century BCE, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the MET).
Sources:
- Cicero, The Nature of the Gods, translated by P. G. Walsh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998, 2008.
- [Cicero’s Brutus] https://www.attalus.org/cicero/brutus2.html
- [Cicero’s Pro Scauro] https://www.attalus.org/cicero/scaurus.html#40
- [Cicero’s De Provinciis Consularibus] https://www.attalus.org/cicero/provinciis.html#15
- [Cicero’s In Pisonem] https://www.attalus.org/cicero/piso2.html#92
- [Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations] https://www.attalus.org/cicero/tusc5B.html
- https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-250?d=%2F10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780199381135.001.0001%2Facrefore-9780199381135-e-250&p=emailA604eUCe0P6Nw
- https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=t-albucius-bio-1&ie_sort=token
