Lucius Calpurnius Bestia was a Roman politician, and one of the Catilinarian conspirators.[lower-alpha 1]

Biography

He was possibly a grandson of the Lucius Calpurnius Bestia who was consul in 111 BC. He was tribune elect in 63 BC, and it had been arranged that, after entering upon his office, he should publicly accuse Cicero of responsibility for the impending war. This was to be the signal for the outbreak of revolution. The conspiracy, however, was put down and Bestia had to content himself with delivering a violent attack upon the consul on the expiration of his office.

Cultural depictions

In modern literature, he is used as a secondary character in two of the SPQR series of mysteries by John Maddox Roberts; The Catiline Conspiracy and Saturnalia.

Notes

  1. ↑ This Bestia is probably not the Lucius Calpurnius Bestia, aedile, and a candidate for the praetorship in 57. He was accused of bribery during his candidature, and, in spite of Cicero's defence, was condemned. In 43 he attached himself to the party of Antony, apparently in the hope of obtaining the consulship.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ Chisholm 1911.
  2. ↑ Sallust, Catiline, xvii. 43; Appian, Bell. Civ. ii. 3; Cicero, Ad Q. Fr. ii. 3, 6.

Sources

  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bestia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 824.
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