The Grass Crown

A few years on, Marius and Sulla discuss King Mithridates of Pontus, the new threat in the East. In Rome, the tribune Marcus Livius Drusus tries to give citizenship to the Italian allies and is murdered. The Italians revolt, and the Social War begins. Marius and Sulla fight side by side, but Marius suffers a serious stroke and drops out. Near Nola, Sulla saves the army and is awarded the grass crown. With the war won, the two clash over the command against Mithridates. The Senate picks Sulla, Marius schemes to take it from him, and Sulla marches his legions on Rome. In the end, with Sulla away in the East, Marius returns, half mad, wins a seventh consulship amid a bloodbath and dies soon after.

1. Behind the scenesWhat the grass crown is

   The corona graminea was Rome's rarest military honor, woven from plants picked on the battlefield. It was given by the soldiers who had been saved, not by generals. Sulla wrote in his memoirs that he won one near Nola.

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2. SetupTwo boys on stage

   Between battles, the book shows the childhoods of Julius Caesar and Cato the Younger. Keep an eye on both of them from the start.

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3. ReferenceRutilius Rufus returns

   Publius Rutilius Rufus, who tells part of the first book through his letters, faces an unjust trial here that sends him into exile.

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