ABSTRACT
On 6 July 54 bce, Marcus Ameleus Scaurus was formally accused of extortion while serving as the praetor pro consule of Sardinia (Asconius, 2006; Cicero & Dyck, 2012; Henderson, 1958). An antagonist by the name of M. Valerius Triarius spearheaded the prosecution, with two brothers (M and Q. Pacuvius Caldus) and L. Marius serving as assistants or subscriptiones (Alexander, 2003: 100). This rather obscure group of accusers was probably seeking renown by accusing someone from a prominent family with political ambitions in that year’s consular elections. And the family certainly was prominent: Scaurus’ father had served as both consul and censor while his mother, Caecilia Metelus Diadematus, remarried none other than Sulla after Scaurus senior’s death. A successful prosecution before the calendar elections would discredit Scaurus junior as a viable candidate for consul, and this promised his accusers political and pecuniary gain (Alexander, 2003: 105). Recognizing the stakes, Scaurus called upon six extremely well-known patroni (advocates) to mount his defence, including the famous Cicero.
