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The trial of Gaius Verres, governor of Sicily for fraud in 70 BCE is the best described and source-presented event showing the degree of corruption of Roman officials and the use of the provinces for their own selfish needs and the desire to get rich.
The main source of information about Verres himself and the trial come from the preserved letters and accusatory speeches of Cicero. No notes or notes have survived from the defense side. Naturally, this raises the suspicion of a one-sided depiction of history, but even ignoring many of Cicero’s dubious claims, it is certain that Verres was an example of a man corrupt and exploiting the inhabitants of Sicily on a large scale.
Who was Gaius Verres?
Gaius Verres was born around 114 BCE into a senatorial family. According to Cicero, Verres’s father could also “boast” about corrupt activities, but not on the scale of his son. We don’t have any information about Verres’s mother. The young aristocrat, certainly like other well-born people, went through the next levels of education. He reportedly showed a willingness to indulge in debauchery. Probably also in his adolescence, his admiration for art arose in him, which during his governorship turned into a real obsession.
Career
Verres’s first office was quaestor, in 84 BCE. Stationed with consul Papirius Carbon’s troops in Gaul, he probably embezzled hundreds of thousands of sesterces; leaving office in 82 BCE.
In 81 BCE Verres was appointed legate of Cornelius Dolabella, governor of Cilicia. The new position made it easier for Verres to “acquire” works of art (statues and paintings), incl. from the temples. At that time, the need to get women also arose in him, even though he already had a wife. While in the city, Lampsacus commissioned his assistants to find out if there was any interesting “virgin” in the area that would make Verres stay in the city for longer. One of his charges – Rubrius – informed you that there is a beautiful young girl in the area who lives with her father – Philodamus, the local representative of the elite – in the mansion. During one of the feasts at Philodamus’ house, the “invited” Rubrius asked why his daughter was not feasting with them. He replied that according to Greek custom, women did not feast with men. Eventually, there was a fight in the host’s house, as a result of which Rubrius poured boiling water over Philodamus, and many of Verres’ slaves and his lictor Cornelius perished. Verres was driven out of the city and began devising a plan of revenge. He accused Philodamus and his son of killing his lictor – although they were defending their daughter’s honor – and influenced the court to convict them. Then the father and son were killed in the market Lampsacus.
Verres’s next office was bursar with Dolabella. At that time, his attention shifted to collecting additional fees on real estate and generating his wealth. Following the end of Dolabella’s office and his return to Rome in 78 BCE, an extortion lawsuit was brought. Thanks to his efficient actions, Verres avoided responsibility, directing all accusations against the governor, who had been sentenced to exile.
In 74 BCE Verres was elected praetor. Cicero accuses him of giving enormous bribes of 300,000 sesterces, which were distributed to the voting professional “bribe-takers”. While already in office, Verres increased his wealth by accepting “money gifts” for the approval of construction plans in the city. Cicero gives an example of the praetor’s bribery in the matter of repairing the temple of Castor and Pollux on the forum. Verres hoped that the repair of the building would not be successful and would, in accordance with the law, demand additional money from the contractor for failure to comply with the contract. However, to Verres’ surprise, the temple was very well repaired and there were no shortcomings in its execution. At the suggestion of one of the extortion helpers (Cicero calls them “dogs”), Verres announced that virtually every column is not perfectly perpendicular. Therefore, the praetor ordered rigorous tests to show that the columns were not perfectly vertical – it is worth adding that it was in no way required or contracted, and what’s more, it did not affect the solidity of the structure. On the pretext of refusing the execution, Verres demanded a bribe. The contractor proposed an amount of 200,000 sesterces, which was, however, rejected, and Verres commissioned the selection of a new contractor for the repair of the building. A “friendly” contractor was selected who “repaired” the “defect” shown without any problems. The repair was estimated at 560,000 sesterces, and the original contractor was appointed to cover it.
Governorship of Sicily
Sicily was an important Roman province that provided the state with enormous grain supplies and was sometimes referred to as the “storehouse of the empire”. The assumption of the governorship of Sicily by Gaius Verres in 73 BCE was a real ennoblement, and for him himself a great opportunity to enrich himself. For three years1of his reign, Verres – in line with Cicero’s speech – committed the following offenses:
- abuse of judicial powers;
- the enforcement of agricultural taxes;
- confiscation of works of art and private and public goods;
- mismanagement of the fleet and unlawful judgments.
In the case of judicial abuses, Verres showed real disrespect. He ordered to pay himself bribes if he wanted to obtain a favorable sentence; he intimidated judges during the trial and threatened them with death; falsified court records, the number of witnesses; ordered a false testimony to be made; decided about the choice of priests. Moreover, Verres ordered the Sicilian cities to set aside money to build public statues. The part of the money that was not used was transferred to the private account of the governor.
