Crassus The First Tycoon
Crassus The First Tycoon by Peter Stothard, published by Yale University Press on October 17, 2023, is a biography that explores the life of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man of the late Roman Republic. This 184-page book delves into Crassus’s ambitious pursuits and his role as a pioneering figure in finance and politics, ultimately leading to his tragic end during a military campaign against Parthia. Stothard presents a narrative that highlights Crassus’s complex character and the consequences of his relentless ambition.
Readers will find a detailed account of Crassus’s life, including his rise to power and the infamous battle at Carrhae, which left a lasting impact on Roman history. The biography raises thought-provoking questions about the connections between wealth, ambition, and political influence. Through Stothard’s skillful storytelling, the book invites reflection on the historical significance of Crassus’s actions and the broader implications of his legacy in ancient Rome.
Official synopsis Publisher
The story of Rome’s richest man, who died a humiliating desert death in search of military glory
“A perfectly paced biography.”–Tom Holland, Times Literary Supplement
Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 BCE) was a modern man in an ancient world, a pioneer disrupter of finance and politics, and the richest man of the last years of the Roman republic. Without his catastrophic ambition, this trailblazing tycoon might have quietly entered history as Rome’s first modern political financier. Instead, Crassus and his son led an army on an unprovoked campaign against Parthia into what are now the borderlands of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, losing a battle at Carrhae which scarred Roman minds for generations.
After Crassus was killed, historians told many stories of his demise. Some said that his open mouth, shriveled by desert air, had been filled with molten gold as testament to his lifetime of greed. His story, skillfully told by Peter Stothard, poses both immediate and lasting questions about the intertwining of money, ambition, and power.
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