Antonius Hybrida and Catilinarian conspiracy

Abstract

The paper analyzes the role of Caius Antonius in the events of 63 BC. The author comes to the following conclusions: despite the agreement with Cicero, which assumed the transfer the rich province of Macedonia to him after the consulship, Antonius considered other ways to get out of debts. Intrigued by Catiline’s promises and being under the influence of his relative Lentulus Sura, he could have taken part in the meetings of the Catilinarii, but retreated from them as soon as he saw that the matter was becoming futile. Since Catiline was popular among debtors, including Antonius, and also because of their electoral alliance concluded on the eve of the elections for 63 BC, Hybrida was considered a friend of Catiline and therefore was under suspicion. Unwilling to risk, he privately made it clear to Cicero that his connections with the Catilinarii were a thing of the past. The orator convinced the senate of Antonius’ loyalty and subsequently eulogized his colleague as a hero. His harsh assessment of Hybrida’s activities in a speech on behalf of P. Sestius was not due to the events of 63 BC but to the political struggle that unfolded in the 50s BC, when Cicero’s conduct during the consulate met sharp criticism and he was forced to defend his own decisions and the actions of his assistants, one of whom was P. Sestius, quaestor of Antonius. It is also possible that the perception of the latter’s role in the events of 63 BC could also have been influenced be the subsequent enmity between Cicero and Hybrida’s nephew Mark Antony.

Keywords

• history of rome
• late republic
• catilinarian conspiracy
• caius antonius hybrida