Marcus Licinius Crassus

Marcus Licinius Crassus (86 or 85 BC–ca. 49 BC) was a quaestor of the Roman Republic in 54 BC. He was the elder son of Marcus Crassus who formed the political alliance known as the "First Triumvirate" with Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great") and Julius Caesar. His mother was Tertulla, the daughter of Marcus Varro Lucullus. His father and his younger brother, Publius, died at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, after which time Marcus continued to be a partisan of Caesar. Marcus served under Caesar in the Gallic Wars, first as quaestor, then as proquaestor in 53 BC. He is attested as a legatus under Caesar in 49 BC. He was also a pontifex of Roman state religion, probably as early as 60 BC. Early life Scholarly opinion is divided as to whether Marcus or Publius was the elder, but with Roman naming conventions, the eldest son almost always carried on his father's name, including the praenomen, or first name, while younger sons were named for a grandfather or uncle. The achievements of Publius, named after his grandfather (consul in 97 BC) and uncle, eclipse those of his brother to such an extent that some have questioned the traditional birth order. Both Ronald Syme and Elizabeth Rawson, however, have argued vigorously for a family dynamic that casts Marcus as the older but Publius as the more talented younger brother.