Publius Crassus

Publius Crassus, the short form of the name of various Romans, all related, from the gens Licinius. This version of their name uses the first name and the cognomen, and would have been comprehensible to the average Roman (provided that there was only one Publius Crassus living, or one of whom the speaker and his/her listeners were conversing). Several of them were given the additional cognomen of "Dives" (rich) for their great wealth.

Among those illustrious Romans known by this short name (and so referred to by historians such as Livy) are:

*Publius Licinius Crassus (consul 205 BC) (d. 183 BC). He was the first member of the family to become Pontifex Maximus and censor, and among the first to reach the consulship.

*Publius Licinius Crassus (consul 171 BC), notable only for his wealth and as adoptive father of the following:

*Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus (consul 132 BC, Pontifex Maximus same year; kd 131 BC). He was the first Pontifex Maximus to lead an army outside Italy and to be killed in battle on foreign soil.

*Publius Licinius Crassus Dives (consul 97 BC, censor 89 BC; d 87 BC), eldest son of Marcus Licinius Crassus. He was governor of Hispania Ulterior 96 BC-94 BC, leading a military expedition to the Northwest and finding the source mines of Tin. He and his colleagues were the first Roman censors to be murdered (or forced to kill themselves) in office.

*Publius Licinius Crassus (d. 53 BC) eldest son of Marcus Licinius Crassus the triumvir, and grandson of the previous. He played a major part in Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars and died fighting alongside his father at the Battle of Carrhae. (For more, see [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Crassus*.html Plutarch's Life of Crassus] ). He was the first husband of Cornelia Metella.