Publius Ventidius Bassus
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Publius Ventidius Bassus was a Roman general and one of Julius Caesar's protégées.
[edit] History
Ventidius was from Picenum. He and his mother were captured during the Social War, and both were marched as prisoners in Pompey Strabo's triumph through the streets of Rome. He was forced to work as a muleteer and quickly saw the Roman Army as his path to advancement. Ventidius attracted Caesar's notice during the Gallic Wars, and while he does not receive mention in Caesar's commentaries, he did execute Caesar's orders with ability during Caesar's civil war, and became one of Caesar's favorites.
Ventidius chose to stand pat during the early stages of Mark Antony's struggle with Octavian, eventually throwing his lot in with Antony. After the formation of the Second Triumvirate, Ventidius was appointed suffect consul. During Antony's absence in Egypt in 41 BC, Ventidius did nothing to support Antony's brother Lucius Antonius or Antony's wife Fulvia during their struggle with Octavian.
After the sudden Parthian invasion of Syria in 40 BC, he was sent by Mark Antony with several of Caesar's veteran legions to drive the invaders out. In three separate battles, he not only managed to defeat the Parthian armies and drive them out of Roman territory, but also managed to kill Parthia's three top military commanders during the battles.
Relieved by Antony of his command because he had actually done too well, Ventidius returned to Rome to celebrate a triumph over the Parthians, the only Roman general distinguished with such an honor against the Parthians.
Ventidius appears briefly in Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, where he is shown leading the Roman forces against Parthia. He muses over whether to risk rousing his superior's jealousy by going further than he has; after which he disappears from the play.
