Marcus Junius Silanus (consul 109 BC)

Marcus Junius Silanus was descended from the noble family of Junier and served as consul 109 BC.

Life

Due to the very poor source material on the history of the Roman Republic in the second half of the 2nd century BC, only a reconstruction founded on uncertain assumptions of the offices of the cursus honorum is possible that Marcus Junius Silanus exercised before his consulate. To 145 BC he could have held office as Master of the Mint. Furthermore, it is perhaps with that tribunes Marcus Junius D. f identical, which brought in 124 or 123 BC a Repetundengesetz (lex Iunia ), a precursor of the lex Acilia repetundarum the tribunes Manius Acilius Glabrio ( 123/122 BC represented. ). About 113 or 112 BC should Silanus praetor, perhaps in Spain, have been.

Silanus reached the first member of his family, the Iunii silanization, 109 BC, the consulate, in which he was elected, together with Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus. While Metellus should continue the war against the Numidian king Jugurtha, Silanus took over the fight against the Cimbri. In order to increase the military strength of Rome, Silanus abolished the exemptions from military service. Well before the military conflict with the consul that are on pilgrimage Cimbri had asked the rejected by the Senate request to obtain settlements on Roman territory. Silanus drew this people against an army, but suffered in a non precisely known place in Gallia Transalpina a defeat. Because of this miscarriage rose Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus tribune of 104 BC against him, but was unsuccessful: a clear majority voted for an acquittal of Silanus.