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Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix〔L•CORNELIVS•L•F•P•N•SVLLA•FELIX in Latin inscriptions, the meaning in English is "Lucius Cornelius Sulla, son of Lucius, grandson of Publius, the Fortunate." His agnomen Felix — the fortunate — was attained later in life, as the Latin equivalent of the Greek nickname he had acquired during his campaigns, ἐπαφρόδιτος ''epaphroditos'', beloved-of-Aphrodite or (to Romans who read Sulla's Greek title) Venus — due to his skill and luck as a general.〕 (; c. 138 BC – 78 BC), known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as reviving the dictatorship. Sulla was awarded a grass crown, the most prestigious and rarest Roman military honor, during the Social War. His life was habitually included in the ancient biographical collections of leading generals and politicians, originating in the biographical compendium of famous Romans, published by Marcus Terentius Varro. In Plutarch's ''Parallel Lives'' Sulla is paired with the Spartan general and strategist Lysander. Sulla's dictatorship came during a high point in the struggle between populares and optimates. The former, represented by Sulla's contemporary and eventual rival, Gaius Marius, challenged the existing order to further rights for the plebs, while the latter sought to preserve the existing power structure dominated by the aristocracy and the Senate. In a dispute over army command, Sulla unconstitutionally marched his armies into Rome and defeated Marius in battle. He revived the office of dictator which had been inactive since the Second Punic War over a century before, and used his powers to enact a series of reforms to the Roman constitution, meant to restore the primacy of the Senate and curb the power of tribunes. After seeking election to and holding a second consulship, he retired to private life and died shortly after. Sulla's decision to seize power - ironically enabled by his rival's military reforms that bound the army's loyalty with the general rather than to Rome - permanently destabilized the Roman power structure. Later leaders like Julius Caesar would follow his precedent in attaining political power through force. ==Early years== Sulla was born into a branch of the patrician ''gens Cornelia'', but his family had fallen to an impoverished condition at the time of his birth. Lacking ready money, Sulla spent his youth amongst Rome’s comics, actors, lute-players, and dancers. Sulla retained an attachment to the debauched nature of his youth until the end of his life; Plutarch mentions that during his last marriage – to Valeria – he still kept company with "actresses, musicians, and dancers, drinking with them on couches night and day".〔Plutarch: Sulla.〕 It seems certain that Sulla received a good education. Sallust declares him well-read and intelligent, and he was fluent in Greek, which was a sign of education in Rome. The means by which Sulla attained the fortune which later would enable him to ascend the ladder of Roman politics, the ''Cursus honorum'', are not clear, although Plutarch refers to two inheritances; one from his stepmother and the other from a low-born, but rich, unmarried lady.〔Plutarch: Sulla, Sect 2.〕 In older sources, his name may be found as ''Sylla''. This is a Hellenism, like ''sylva'' for classical Latin ''silva'', reinforced by the fact that our two major sources, Plutarch and Appian, wrote in Greek, and call him Σύλλα.〔Buck, ''Comparative grammar of Greek and Latin''; Latin spelling in the late Republic is variable. He is generally known as ''Silla'' in Italian.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sulla」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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