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GUERRILLA LEADERS AS LATRONES
explain his observation that there are even ‘bandit laws’ (leges latronum), i.e.,
that even (or, especially) bandits live together according to established rules.
According to Cicero, leges latronum were observable insofar as the leader of a
group showed himself to be just; and justice was so powerful that it could
even establish and increase the power of latrones. 81 The source of Viriatus’
power was, therefore, his righteousness.
Alongside Viriatus, the perfect model, other latrones paled into insignificance,
not to mention, as we shall see below, his Roman opponents. Just one
person in Antiquity could, however, have been a model for him, though
more in the literary than in the historical sense. This is Hannibal, of whom
we have already seen that he honed his strategic skills while a young bandit
leader in Spain, just as Viriatus is supposed to have done in imitation of
him two generations later. We have a character sketch of Hannibal by Livy
which manifests striking similarities with the ones we have of Viriatus. 82
To reckless courage in incurring dangers he united the greatest
judgement when in the midst of them. No toil could exhaust his
body or overcome his spirit. Of heat and cold he was equally tolerant.
His consumption of meat and drink was determined by natural
desire, not by pleasure. His times of waking and sleeping were not
marked off by day or night: what time remained when his work
was done he gave to sleep, which he did not court with a soft bed
or stillness, but was seen repeatedly by many lying on the ground
wrapped in a common soldier’s cloak amongst the sentinels and
outguards. His dress was in no way superior to that of his fellows,
but his arms and horses were conspicuous. Both of horsemen and of
footsoldiers he was undoubtedly the first – foremost to enter battle,
and last to leave it when fighting had begun. 83
This extract shows the very high degree of correspondence between Hannibal
(he of Roman myth) and Viriatus (likewise, he of Roman myth), 84 and gives
an idea of how Livy’s portrait of Viriatus should be recognised as being very
close to that of Hannibal. It also demonstrates the high level of idealisation
that underpins the images of both these men. But while at least Livy attached
a list of Hannibal’s vices to his praise of his virtutes, with regard to
Viriatus he made no mention of any failings.
In the universal respect of historians for Viriatus, there can be no doubt
that a role was also played by their tacit agreement that the war in Spain was
an expression of a somewhat crass imperialism, and so no glorious page in
the annals of Rome. To be sure, such sensitivity was not new among Roman
writers, as is shown not only by the tenor of the whole tradition in respect of
the war against Viriatus, but also in the way in which one historian openly
admitted the injustice of another of Rome’s wars: ‘The Cretan war, if the
truth is to be told, was due solely to our desire to conquer that famous
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