{{Short description|Roman republican politician, praetor (67 BC), and historian}} {{Use dmy dates |date=November 2025}} {{Use British English |date=November 2025}}
'''Lucius Lucceius''' (born {{circa|105 BC}};{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=col. 1555, stating he was about the same age as Cicero}} {{fl}} 60s BC; possibly died in 42 BC) was a Roman politician. He was a friend of [[Cicero]] and [[Titus Pomponius Atticus]], with which he exchanged letters. He served as praetor in 67 BC and stood unsuccessfully for the consulship of 59 alongside [[Julius Caesar]]. Withdrawing from politics after his electoral defeat, he became a man of letters and a budding historian. Pardoned for his support of Pompey during the [[Caesar's civil war|civil war]], little is known of him after 45 BC.
A member of the [[Roman Senate|Senate]], Lucceius served as urban or [[praetor peregrinus|peregrine praetor]] in 67 BC.<ref>{{harvnb|Broughton|1952|p=582}}, has {{lang|la|praetor peregrinus}}. {{harvnb|Badian|2012}} however reports him as urban praetor.</ref> During his praetorship, when he failed to stand on the approach of the consul [[Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 67 BC)|Manius Glabrio]], Glabrio had Lucceius' [[curule chair]] smashed. He and the other praetors evidently were outraged and presided over their courts while standing in protest.<ref>{{harvnb|Münzer|1927|loc=col. 1555}}; {{harvnb|Badian|2012}}. Both cite Dio, 36.41.1.</ref> He refused to take a province after his term, apparently citing disgust with provincial corruption, even though he was assigned [[Roman Sardinia|Sardinia]].{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=col. 1555}} In 64 BC, Lucceius attempted to prosecute [[Lucius Sergius Catalina]] for the murder of [[Sullan proscription]] victims but Catiline was acquitted,{{sfn|Alexander|1990|pp=108–9 (= Trial 217)}} and supported Cicero against Catiline during the [[Catilinarian conspiracy]] the next year.{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=cols. 1555–56}}
After some hesitation about seeking the consulship – he withdrew from the canvasses for 61 and 60 due to competition from Pompey's candidates – he stood in summer 60 BC for the [[Roman consul|consulship]] of 59 in a joint ticket with [[Julius Caesar]]. A rich man, he provided much of the money and bribes in their canvass. However, with his bribes matched by supporters of [[Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus]], Lucceius was unable to secure the consulship with Caesar: instead Caesar and Bibulus were returned as victors from the {{lang|la|[[Elections in the Roman Republic|comitia]]}}. After the failed campaign, he evidently gave up hopes for a consulship.{{sfn|Badian|2012}}{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=col. 1556, citing: Suet. ''Iul.'' 19.1; Cic. ''Att.'' 2.1.9}} He remained active at Rome, however, and is attested in letters and as a witness as the trial of [[Marcus Caelius Rufus]] in the 50s. By 56 BC he had evidently turned his pursuits to history, having written a history of the [[Social War (91–87 BC)|Social war]] and [[Sulla's civil war]] that followed it. Cicero, by letter around this time, asked Lucceius to compose a monograph on the Catilinarian conspiracy, with hopes that it would glorify Cicero's consulship; such a monograph does not appear, however, to have been completed.{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=cols. 1556–57}}
By the start of [[Caesar's civil war]] in 49 BC, Lucceius was a friend and confidante of [[Pompey]], participating in discussion of Caesar's peace proposals and negotiations at [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)|Dyrrhachium]]. After Caesar's victory at [[Battle of Pharsalus|Pharsalus]], Lucceius sought and received Caesar's pardon and afterwards went home to Italy.{{sfnm|Münzer|1927|1loc=col. 1558|Badian|2012}} He exchanged letters of condolence with Cicero after Cicero's daughter [[Tullia (daughter of Cicero)|Tullia]]'s death in 45.{{sfn|Münzer|1927|loc=col. 1558, citing Cic. ''Fam.'' 5.13–15}} Nothing certain is known after this.{{sfn|Badian|2012}} Appian, if certain [[Emendation (textual)|emendations]] are made to identify a "Lucius" in ''Bella Civilia'' with this Lucius Lucceius, may count him among the victims of the [[triumviral proscriptions]] in 43–42 BC.{{sfnm|Hinard|1985|1pp=283 (= Victim 82), 489|Münzer|1927|2loc=col. 1558, expressing more uncertainty}}
==References== {{reflist|20em}}
== Bibliography == {{refbegin|30em}} * {{Cite book |last=Alexander |first=Michael Charles |title=Trials in the late Roman republic, 149 BC to 50 BC |date=1990 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=0-8020-5787-X |location=Toronto |oclc=41156621}} * {{Cite book |last=Badian |first=Ernst |chapter=Lucceius, Lucius |editor-last1=Hornblower |editor-first1=Simon |display-editors=etal |title=The Oxford classical dictionary |year=2012 |url={{google books |id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ |plainurl=y}} |isbn=978-0-19-954556-8 |edition=4th |oclc=959667246 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.3777 }} * {{cite book |last=Broughton |first=Thomas Robert Shannon |year=1952 |title=The magistrates of the Roman republic |location=New York |publisher=American Philological Association |author-link=Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton |volume=2}} * {{Cite book |last=Hinard |first=François |title=Les proscriptions de la Rome républicaine |date=1985 |publisher=Ecole française de Rome |isbn=978-2-7283-0094-5 |language=fr }} * {{cite wikisource |last=Münzer |first=F |wslink=RE:Lucceius 6 |title=Lucceius 6 |encyclopedia=Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft |year=1927 |volume=XIII, 2 |publisher=Butcher |location=Stuttgart |wslanguage=de |at=cols. 1554–1559 }} {{refend}}
== External links == * {{DPRR |id=2225 |name=L. Lucceius (6) Q. f.}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucceius, Lucius}} [[Category:Ancient Roman rhetoricians]] [[Category:Latin historians]] [[Category:Correspondents of Cicero]] [[Category:1st-century BC historians]] [[Category:1st-century BC Romans]]