Lucullus: A Life (Classical Lives) Book

Although less recognized, Lucullus was indisputably an accomplished general, one who ranks with such greats as Sulla and Pompey. Lucullus narrates the Asiatic campaigns upon which his military repute chiefly rests. Despite his achievements, some ancient traditions suggest that when the wars were over, Lucullus became an overweight degenerate, a miserable trifler devoting his time to banquets and baths. Arthur Keaveney debunks this myth, arguing that Lucullus' leisure activities were not merely self-indulgent, but were instead the expression of an aesthetic impulse. He further shows that Lucullus was highly active in the public sphere up until the very end of his life.The first full-length study in English of this most interesting figure, Lucullus offers a thoroughly revisionist account of this ruler--dispelling many of the wild fictions which have accumulated around his name.Read More