Publius Ventidius

Publius Ventidius
Publius Ventidius
Born	Picenum, Roman Republic
Died	After 38 BC; Unknown
Allegiance	Roman Republic
Years of service	89–38 BC
Rank	General
Known for	Protégé of Julius Caesar
Battles/wars	Gallic Wars; Caesar's civil war; Pompeian–Parthian invasion Battle of the Cilician Gates; Battle of Amanus Pass; Battle of Mount Gindarus;
Awards	Roman triumph

Publius Ventidius^[1] (fl. 89–38 BC) was a Roman general and one of Julius Caesar's protégés. He won key victories against the Parthians which resulted in the deaths of key leaders – victories which redeemed the losses of Crassus and paved the way for Antony's incursions. According to Plutarch in his "Life of Antony", the three military victories of Ventidius over the Parthians singularly resulted in the only award (up to the time of Plutarch's writing) to a Roman general of the triumphal ceremony for victory over Parthians.

^ Some later sources infrequently give him the cognomen "Bassus". No official or contemporary source calls him that, however, leading modern authors to avoid it as well. Wylie, p. 140 n. 1; Syme, "Sabinus the muleteer", Latomus vol. 17 no. 1 (1958) p. 76; Oxford Classical Dictionary, "Ventidius, Publius".

[1] Some later sources infrequently give him the cognomen "Bassus". No official or contemporary source calls him that, however, leading modern authors to avoid it as well. Wylie, p. 140 n. 1; Syme, "Sabinus the muleteer", Latomus vol. 17 no. 1 (1958) p. 76; Oxford Classical Dictionary, "Ventidius, Publius".

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