Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (consul 79 BC)

Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (* 134/130 BC, † in the early summer of 44 BC) was a Roman politician of the late Republic.

Life

The members of the plebeian family of the Servilii was the son of Gaius Servilius Vatia and of Cecilia Metella. To 98 BC, he served as tribune of the people. Probably 90 BC (maybe a little earlier ) he was praetor and governor of Sardinia or Cilicia, which he BC remained as propraetor 89. 88 BC he celebrated a triumph, and competed unsuccessfully (despite the support of Sulla ) to the consulate of the following year. Instead, he commanded troops in 87 BC Ariminum, until he was expelled by the populares and joined Sulla in Greece. During the civil war 82 BC he was legate of Sulla and was victorious in a skirmish at Clusium. 79 BC he was consul along with Appius Claudius Pulcher.

After his consulate Servilius was in the year 78 BC, proconsul of Cilicia, where he fought the pirates. He was appointed for a quinquennium, so for the years 78-74 BC, he was accompanied by the then 22 -year-old Gaius Julius Caesar, which at the time an absence of Rome seemed advisable. The first year is believed to have been devoted to the preparation of the campaign. In particular, a fleet should be provided. Apparently already had Gaius Verres, who had been 80-79 BC Legat and Proquästor in Cilicia, appointed the Milesians the construction easier and faster ships from Myoparo type.

The actual military action began probably 77 BC and initially directed against Lycia. There was a pirate named Zeniketes swung himself master of the city of Olympos, Phaselis and Korykos and other places on the coast of Pamphylia. When the Romans attacked his location on Mount Olympos on the eponymous town fortress and he saw no way out, he set fire and burned himself and his family. It is unclear whether Zeniketes itself was Cilicians or allied with the Kilikiern local robber chief who controlled by him coastline and the local towns and ports appear in any case for the Pirates of great importance to have been, as they are a not bloodless by Florus Battle supplied with the fleet of Servilius, rather than evading with their light and fast ships to the Roman warships, which would have corresponded to their otherwise practiced tactics. Then punished Servilius the further east to the coast Pamphylian Attaleia that had cooperated with the pirates, by forcing it to cede territories. After defeating the Isaurian, through which also the " rough Cilicia " became a Roman province. could Servilius 74 BC to celebrate a second triumph and received the honorary name Isauricus.

Since at least 76 BC Servilius pontiff was and ran 63 BC unsuccessfully to choosing the Pontifex Maximus. He was one of Marcus Tullius Cicero's supporters in the Catilinischen conspiracy and endorsed later recall of Cicero from exile. In old age he was 55/54 BC, censor (along with Marcus Valerius Messala Niger ), but could not complete the Lustrum. He died in the early summer of 44 BC His son Publius Servilius Isauricus was also a Roman Consul.