CURIO, GAIUS SCRIBONIUS, Roman statesman and orator, son of a distinguished orator of the same name, flourished during the 1st century B.C. He was tribune in 90 B.c., and served in Sulla's army in Greece against Archelaus, general of Mithri dates, and as his legate in Asia, where he was commissioned to restore order in the kingdoms abandoned by Mithridates. In 76 he was consul, and as governor of Macedonia (75-73), defeated the Dardanians, being the first Roman general to penetrate as far as the Danube. On his return he was granted a triumph. During the discussion as to the punishment of the Catilinarian conspira tors he supported Cicero, but he spoke in favour of P. Clodius (q.v.) at his trial for sacrilege (61) . This led to a violent attack on the part of Cicero, but it does not appear to have interfered with their friendship. Curio was a vehement opponent of Caesar. He was pontifex maximus in 5 7, and died in 53 See Orelli, Onomasticon to Cicero ; Florus iii. 4 ; Eutropius, vi. 2 ; Val. Max. ix. 14, 5 ; Quintilian, Instit., vi. 3, 76 ; Dio Cassius, xxxviii. 16, His son, GAIUS SCRIBONIUS CURIO, was first a supporter of Pompey, but after his tribuneship (5o B.c.) went over to Caesar, by whom he was said to have been bribed. When it was demanded that Caesar should lay down his imperium before entering Rome, Curio proposed that Pompey should do the same, adding that, if the rivals refused to do so, they ought both to be declared public enemies. His proposal was carried by a large majority, but a report having spread that Caesar was on the way to attack Rome, the consuls called upon Pompey to undertake the command of all the troops stationed in Italy. Curio's protest to the people was disregarded, whereupon he fled to Ravenna to Caesar. He was commissioned by Caesar to take a message to the senate, but met with so hostile a reception that he hurried back by night to Caesar. It was now obvious that civil war would break out. Curio collected troops in Umbria and Etruria for Caesar, who sent him to Sicily as propraetor in 49. After some successes against the Pompeians, Curio crossed over to Africa, where he was defeated and slain by Juba, king of Numidia. Curio possessed great ability; Cicero, as an old friend of his father, took an interest in him and seven of Cicero's letters (Ad. Fain. ii. 1-7) are addressed to him. See Orelli, Onomasticon to Cicero ; Livy, Epit. io9, iso; Caesar, Bell. Civ. ii. 23, for Curio's African campaign ; Appian, Bell. Civ., ii. 26-44 ; Vell. Pat. ii. 48. See also Rice Holmes, The Roman Republic (1923) chaps. xii. and xviii. and vol. iii. Part ii. pp. 421-28.