Sulla
Sulla (Lucius Cornelius Sulla),surnamed Felix, ‘Lucky’, born c.138 BC of an old, but not recently prominent, patrician family, after a dissolute youth inherited a fortune from his stepmother, which enabled him to enter the aristocratic career. Chosen by Marius as his quaestor (107) he distinguished himself in the Numidian War, finally securing the surrender of the Numidian king Jugurtha by his kinsman Bocchus I through diplomacy and thus ending the war. He again served under Marius against the Germans in 104 and 103, then joined the army of Quintus Lutatius Catulus (consul 78), probably dispatched by Marius to advise Catulus, and enabled him to join in the final victory. Omitting the aedileship, he failed to become praetor (see consul) for 98, but succeeded through lavish bribery in becoming urban praetor (i.e. hearing cases of law at Rome) 97. He was assigned Cilicia (SE Asia...
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