Sallust stands as the earliest Roman historian whose complete works have endured. A senator of the Roman Republic, he lived as a younger contemporary of Cicero, Pompey, and Julius Caesar. His Catiline’s War recounts the infamous conspiracy of 63 BC, where L. Sergius Catilina sought to assassinate senators and seize governmental control, only to be foiled by Cicero. Through this narrative, Sallust paints a vivid picture of Roman public life, exposing a Republic weakened by moral decay and internal conflict.

In The Jugurthine War, Sallust chronicles Rome’s campaign in North Africa against Jugurtha, the king of the Numidians, from 111 to 105 BC. The work delivers a scathing portrayal of the Roman aristocracy, revealing corruption and self-interest at the heart of the Republic. Complementing these histories are the extant fragments of his Histories, which depict Rome in the turbulent period following Sulla’s death.

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