Gaius Norbanus

Gaius Norbanus Balbo (died 82 BC), (possibly surnamed Bulbus or Balbus), was a Roman politician who was elected consul in 83 BC alongside Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus Asiagenus. He committed suicide during the civil war between Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Gaius Marius the Younger.

A member of the Plebeian gens Norbani, and a Novus homo, Gaius Norbanus first came to prominence when he was elected Tribune of the Plebs for 103 BC. He achieved notoriety for his prosecution of Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder, where he accused Servilius Caepio of incompetence and dereliction of duty at the catastrophic defeat of the Roman armies by the Cimbri at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC. At the Concilium Plebis where Servilius Caepio was tried, two tribunes attempted to veto proceedings, but were driven off by force. Although the Senate vigorously tried to obtain his acquittal, and he was defended by Lucius Licinius Crassus, Norbanus managed to secure Caepio’s condemnation. Caepio was forced into exile to Smyrna, while his fortune was confiscated.

In 101 BC, Norbanus served as Quaestor under Marcus Antonius, grandfather of the triumvir Mark Antony, in his campaign against the pirates in Cilicia. In 94 BC, Norbanus was accused of minuta maiestas (treason) under the Lex Appuleia by Publius Sulpicius Rufus on account of the disturbances that had taken place at the trial of Caepio, but the eloquence of Marcus Antonius secured his acquittal.

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