Scholz, Peter Lucullus. Herrschen und Genießen in der späten römischen Republik

General, aristocrat, benefactor: a captivating story full of intrigue and flavours. His reputation as a gourmet is still proverbial today, but his status as a politician has been completely forgotten: Lucullus was one of the last defenders of a free Roman republic. Peter Scholz paints a vivid picture of the highly cultivated aristocrat and exemplary military leader. At the same time, he succeeds in creating a captivating new view of the last phase of the Republic and its splendid world, which shows that the end of freedom was not inevitable: The end of freedom was not inevitable! Lucius Licinius Lucullus (118-56 BC) was a celebrated general, an esteemed benefactor and a highly educated aristocrat. In the last phase of the Roman Republic, he was one of the most capable members of the political ruling class. Against the backdrop of a declining political order, Peter Scholz describes how Lucullus learnt the trade of war, rose to become emperor of the Greek East and won acclaimed victories for Rome. At the same time, he cultivated an exchange with philosophers and writers and was open to all kinds of "epicurean" pleasures. Lucullus fought with all his might against the ruthless exploitation of the provincial population by the financial elite and against being booted out of the Roman Senate. His desire for freedom made him one of the protagonists of the resistance against the autocratic endeavours of Pompey and Caesar. The author exposes the story of the supposed transformation of the successful general into a gourmand as publicised propaganda by his opponents, which still shapes our image of Lucullus and the Senate aristocracy today.