Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus

Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
Consul of the Roman Republic
In office
January 59 BC – December 59 BC
Serving with Julius Caesar
Preceded byLucius Afranius and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer
Succeeded byLucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus and Aulus Gabinius
Personal details
Bornc. 102 BC
Died48 BC
Spouse(s)1 Unknown
2 Porcia
ChildrenBy first wife:
Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
Gaius Calpurnius Bibulus
Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus
Calpurnia[1]
By Porcia:
(Gaius) Calpurnius Bibulus
Calpurnia[2]
Military service
Allegiance Roman Republic
CommandsGovernor of Syria
Commander of the Adriatic Fleet

Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus (c. 102 – 48 BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was a conservative and upholder of the established social order who served in several magisterial positions alongside Julius Caesar and conceived a lifelong enmity towards him. In 59 BC, he was consul alongside Julius Caesar. Their partnership was contentious to the extent that Caesar's supporters assaulted Bibulus in Rome's main forum on the eve of an important vote. Bibulus withdrew from public politics for the rest of his term.

Between 51 and 50 BC, he was governor of Syria, where he was effective but alienated the army by taking too much personal credit for the repulse of the Parthians. In 49, after Caesar's civil war broke out, Bibulus aligned himself with Pompey and was in charge of the fleet tasked with preventing Caesar from shipping his army across the Adriatic. He failed to stop Caesar's first fleet but was successful in delaying Caesarian reinforcements from landing in Greece. While in command of the blockade in 48 BC, he died of illness.

  1. ^ Tarrant, R. J. (1987). Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. Vol. 91. Harvard University Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-674-37939-8.
  2. ^ Syme, Ronald (1987). "M. Bibulus and Four Sons". Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. 91: 185–198. doi:10.2307/311404. JSTOR 311404.