Varus
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Varus (sources)
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Varus (subject)
Publius Quinctilius Varus was a Roman general and governor of Syria.
Overview
Publius Quinctilius Varus was an influential Roman politician and general at the time of Emperor Augustus. Although his father had supported Brutus against Julius Caesar, Varus sided with Augustus, becoming a close friend of his and Tiberius'.
In 8-7 BCE Varus was appointed Governor of Africa (modern Tunisia). In 7 BCE he arrived as Governor in Syria, where he became known for his harsh rule. He supported Herod the Great's accusation against Antipater II and had him executed.
At the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE there were riots in the land of Israel led by Judas the Galilean, Simon of Perea, and Athronges. Varus intervened and mercilessly suppressed any rebellion, destroying the Galilean capitol Sepphoris and the city of Emmaus. Josephus, who compared Varus' invasion to Antiochus IV Epiphanes' and Pompey's, says that on that occasion Varus crucified more than 2,000 rebels. His cruelty created lasting popular resentment.
Varus came back to Rome and was then appointed governor of Germania. In 9 CE, in a failed attempt to subdue some German tribes, he suffered a devastating defeat in the battle of the Teutoburg Forest and committed suicide.
Varus in Scholarship
Varus in Fiction
Fictional works focus on Varus' defeat in German, rather than on his deeds in Syria.