Viriathus - Viriatus' Life

Viriatus' Life

Little is known about Viriatus. The only reference to the location of his native tribe was made by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus who claims he was from the Lusitanian tribes of the ocean side.

He belonged to the class of warriors, the occupation of the minority ruling elites. He was known to the Romans as the dux of the Lusitanian army, as the adsertor (protector) of Hispania, or as an imperator, probably of the confederated Lusitanian and Celtiberian tribes.

Livy described him as a shepherd who became a hunter, then a soldier, thus following the path of most young warriors, the iuventus, who devoted themselves to cattle raiding, hunting and war.

According to Appian, Viriatus was one of the few who escaped when Galba, the Roman consul, massacred the flos iuventutis, the flower of the young Lusitanian warriors, in 150 BC.

Two years after the massacre, in 148 BC, Viriatus became the leader of a Lusitanian army.

Viriatus was thought by some to have a very obscure origin, although Diodorus Siculus also says that Viriatus "approved himself to be a prince" and that he said he was "lord and owner of all". His family was unknown to the Romans who were familiar with the native aristocratic warrior society. His personality and his physical and intellectual abilities as well as his skills as a warrior were described by several authors. He was a man of great physical strength, probably in the very prime of life, an excellent strategist owner of a brilliant mind. Some authors claim that the ancient authors described Viriatus with the precise features of a Celtic king.

He was described as a man who followed the principles of honesty and fair dealing and was acknowledged for being exact and faithful to his word on the treaties and leagues he made. Livy gives him the title of vir duxque magnus with the implied qualities that were nothing more than the ideals of the ancient virtues.

A more modern current claims Viriatus belonged to an aristocratic Lusitanian clan who were owners of cattle. For Cassius Dio, he did not pursue power or wealth, but carried on the war for the sake of military glory. His aims could then be compared to pure Roman aristocratic ideals of that time: to serve and gain military glory and honor. Viriatus did not fight for war spoils or material gain, like common soldiers.

The Lusitanians honored Viriatus as their Benefactor, (Greek: euergetes), and Savior (Greek: soter), typically Hellenistic honorifics used by kings like the Ptolemies.

Some authors defend he probably was from the Herminius Mons (Serra da Estrela) - in the heart of Lusitania, (in central Portugal) or Beira Alta region.

Most of his life and his war against the Romans are part of legend and Viriatus is considered the earliest Portuguese national hero, given the fact that he was the leader of the confederate tribes of Iberia who resisted Rome. The historian Appianus of Alexandria in his book about Iberia (in the section Historia Romana, Roman History), commented that Viriatus "killed numerous Romans and showed great skill".