Lucius Marcius Philippus (consul 91 BCE)

Lucius Marcius Philippus (c. 141–c. 73 BCE) was a Roman orator and one of the most important politicians of the late Roman Republic. His strenuous opposition to the reforms of Marcus Livius Drusus during his consulate of 91 BCE, in defense of the "collusionist policy" of the governing class with the publicani chiefs, was instrumental to the outbreak of the disastrous bellum Italicum, the Social War. This should have made him a natural Marian during the violent politics and civil wars of the 80s BCE, and he did well under the Marian government, holding high office. But he was more of an individualist and survivor than committed to any cause, and took advantage of the political amnesty offered by Sulla in 83 BCE to change sides, along with other Marians of later importance, such as Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (cos.78) and Marcus Junius Brutus the Elder (tr.pl.83), P. Cethegus, and Pompey Magnus. He had backed the winner and enjoyed a special eminence in the first decade after the civil wars as one of the few surviving men of consular rank, and Rome's pre-eminent orator since the death of Marcus Antonius Orator (late 87 BCE). Following Sulla's death (78 BCE) he played a key role in the suppression of the Lepidan rebellion (78–77 BCE) and, shortly before his own death, in the rapid restoration of the public finances in the mid 70s BCE. His political career and character were typified by the harshly cynical but effective measures which he successfully advocated in that grave crisis.

Marcius Philippus was tribune of the plebs in 104 BCE, during which time he brought forward an agrarian law, of the details of which we are not informed, but which is chiefly memorable for the statement he made in recommending the measure, that there were not two thousand men in the state who possessed property. He seems to have brought forward this measure chiefly with the view of acquiring popularity, and he quietly dropped it when he found there was no hope of carrying it. In 100 BCE, he defended the state along with other distinguished statesmen to protect it from Lucius Appuleius Saturninus.

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