Crassus - Marcus Licinius Crassus

A Roman politician and wealthy man in the final days of the Republic. At first he supported Sulla, bought up the property confiscated by Sulla from his opponents, bought up houses in Rome that had been burned down at low prices, and greedily pursued wealth through wars, becoming the richest man in Rome and known as Dives the Rich. As a general, he put down the Spartacus uprising that had caused great fear in Rome (71 BC), and the following year he was elected consul along with Pompey. However, he had a sense of rivalry with Pompey, and during Pompey's eastern campaign, he secretly assisted Catiline along with Caesar in the conspiracy by Catiline. When Caesar was appointed governor of Spain, he was struggling with large debts, and helped him by acting as a guarantor. In 60 BC, through Caesar's mediation, he also allied with Pompey, who was his rival, and together they opposed the powers of the Senate, realizing the First Triumvirate and dividing the territory of Rome into their respective spheres of influence. This alliance was renewed at the Conference of Luke in 56 BC, but Crassus sought to gain military fame comparable to that of Caesar and Pompey, and attempted to invade Parthia from his own sphere of influence in Syria as a base. He crossed the Euphrates River, but was killed in battle on June 9, 53 BC in a counterattack by the Parthian army.

[Masaoki Doi]

"Plutarch's Lives, translated by Yoichi Kono (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代ローマ、共和政末期の政治家、富豪。初めスラに味方し、スラによる反対派の没収財産を買い占め、火災にあったローマ市の家などを安く買い取り、また戦争を通して貪欲(どんよく)に富を追求し、ローマ一番の金持ちとなり、富者Divesといわれた。ローマに大きな恐怖を与えたスパルタクスの蜂起(ほうき)を将軍として鎮定し（前71）、翌年ポンペイウスとともに執政官に選ばれた。しかしポンペイウスには対抗意識をもち、ポンペイウス東征中のカティリナの陰謀事件では、カエサルとともにひそかにカティリナを援助した。カエサルがイスパニア総督として赴任する際、多額の負債に苦しんでいたのを保証人となって助け、紀元前60年には、カエサルの仲介で、反目していたポンペイウスとも結び、元老院勢力に共同で対抗し、第一次三頭政治を実現し、ローマの領土をおのおのの勢力範囲に分けた。この結合は前56年のルカ会談で更新されたが、クラッススはカエサル、ポンペイウスに匹敵する武名をも得ようとし、自己の勢力範囲であるシリアを拠点として、パルティア遠征を試み、ユーフラテス川を越えたが、ここでパルティア軍の反撃にあって前53年6月9日戦死した。

［土井正興］

『河野与一訳『プルターク英雄伝』（岩波文庫）』

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