The Richest Man of Rome Who Was Destroyed by His Own Greed

Bust of Crassus, the richest antheral successful Rome. Louvre Museum. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Larry CC BY 2.0

Crassus was a wide and statesman who became the richest antheral successful Rome and 1 of the wealthiest successful the past satellite done his cunning, concern acumen, and ruthless ambition. However, successful the end, it was his insatiable greed that brought astir his downfall.

As a politician, Marcus Licinius Crassus contributed to the turning of Rome from a Republic to an Empire. He was the beardown statesman who crushed the enslaved revolt led by gladiator Spartacus successful the Third Servile War (or Gladiators’ War). That unsocial established him arsenic a almighty statesman, capable to pb a warfare against Rome’s enemies.

Crassus (c. 115 BC) was not calved with a metallic spoon successful his mouth. According to ancient Greek historiographer Plutarch, successful his publication The Parallel Lives, his household “lived successful a small house.“ His father, Publius Licinius Crassus, was consul successful 97 BC, a commandant successful Iberia (Spain), and was honored with a triumph, Rome’s highest subject honor, successful 93 BC.

In 87 Crassus was forced to fly Rome erstwhile Gaius Marius captured the metropolis and his begetter was killed due to the fact that of his absorption to Marius. He went to Spain wherever his begetter had galore friends. He stayed determination until 83, managing to enlistee 2,500 soldiers. He utilized his subject unit to extort wealth from locals to concern his campaign.

Crassus’ emergence to power

As a young serviceman now, Crassus supported General Lucius Cornelius Sulla with his men during the civilian warfare (83-82) betwixt Sulla and the followers of Marius. Returning to Rome successful 82, his forces fought successful the Battle of the Colline Gate, which would extremity the civilian warfare betwixt Marius and Sulla, with the second seizing power. Meanwhile, Crassus was amassing each the spoils from the battles his service won.

Joining forces with Sulla, Crassus held the praetorship c. 73, and successful 72-71 helium enactment down the enslaved uprising led by Spartacus. However, it was General Pompey who managed to instrumentality the credit. Crassus and Pompey cooperated to unit the Senate to elite them to the consulship for 70; erstwhile successful bureau they overthrew parts of Sulla’s constitution.

From past on, Crassus took vantage of Pompey’s continuous campaigns and subject victories overseas to found his ain governmental powerfulness in Rome. Now his ambition to go the richest antheral successful Rome was made easier.

The Roman profiteer

Crassus enactment his governmental powerfulness to enactment to turn his wealth. First, helium cleverly utilized properties of Marius’ followers that were confiscated by Sulla, selling them for profit, and extending recognition to indebted senators, including the young Julius Caesar. This mode helium amassed large wealthiness from existent estate.

Crassus is said to person made portion of his wealth from proscriptions, notably that of 1 antheral whose sanction was not initially connected the database of those proscribed but was added by Crassus, who coveted the man’s fortune.

He besides took vantage of houses that were burned, buying them inexpensive and rebuilding them to merchantability astatine higher price. Rome’s insulae (apartment blocks) were built precise adjacent to each different and erstwhile 1 caught fire, full blocks would pain down. Crassus would besides bargain adjacent houses that were intact arsenic the owners would fearfulness imaginable aboriginal fires. He would instrumentality burnt and collapsed insulae and usage his 500 slaves to rebuild them and merchantability them arsenic new. It was nary coincidence that galore of his slaves were architects and builders.

In his ain interest, Crassus created Rome’s archetypal ever occurrence brigade with 500 men. Since fires were a predominant occurrence, the firemen would unreserved to the burning buildings. However, they did thing to enactment retired the occurrence due to the fact that Crassus was already negotiating with the owners to bargain the spot astatine stone bottommost prices. Those who refused to merchantability saw the  “firemen” fto the gathering pain down. Once rebuilt, Crassus would rent them to caller tenants oregon adjacent to the erstwhile owners.

Crassus’ astir accepted ways of making wealth were enslaved trafficking, accumulation from metallic mines and speculation successful existent estate.

According to Pliny, Crassus’ wealthiness was estimated astatine astir 200 cardinal sesterces. Plutarch, successful his Life of Crassus, says the wealthiness of the richest antheral of Rome accrued from little than 300 talents to 7,100 talents. This was adjacent to 229 tons of silver, worthy astir US $240 cardinal astatine January 2025 metallic prices. That was close earlier his Parthian expedition. Plutarch says that Crassus made his luck “by occurrence and war, making the nationalist calamities his top root of revenue.”

The extremity of the richest antheral successful Rome

In 60 BC, Crassus, Pompey and Julius Caesar formed the First Triumvirate. Crassus utilized the conjugation to walk laws successful the Senate that helped his concern ventures successful Asia.

While his luck was growing, his governmental ambitions dictated that helium should neutralize Pompey’s power. The differences betwixt the 2 men were reconciled astatine a gathering of the 3 leaders astatine Luca, Etruria, successful 56, and successful the pursuing twelvemonth they were some again made consuls.

In 54 Crassus became politician of Syria. In an effort to summation subject glory to lucifer that of Pompey, and seeing Caesar defeating the Gauls, a twelvemonth aboriginal helium embarked connected a run to invade Parthia to the east. It was an unwarranted run that outgo him overmuch much than helium had bargained for.

Crassus led the Roman legions, mostly dense infantry, into the godforsaken wherever they couldn’t lucifer the mighty Parthian cataphracts and mounted archers. The 2 armies met astatine Carrhae wherever the Parthians obliterated the Roman forces and captured those who surrendered. They besides captured the eagle standards, the astir prized possession of the Roman legion. Crassus fell into captivity and was killed by a Parthian general. There is simply a rumor that the Parthians killed him by pouring molten golden into his throat, but this is astir apt a fable implying a fitting punishment for the greedy richest antheral of Rome.