LUCULLUS, Lucius Licinius, Roman soldier of the 1st century a.c. When a young man he served with distinction in the Marsic War, and accompanied Sulla as qumstor into Asia on the breaking out of the Mithridatic War, 88 B.C. He expelled Mithridates from Chios and Colophon and defeated him off Tene dos. After peace had been concluded with Mith ridates he remained in Asia till 80 B.C. In 79 he was elected curule mdile, an office which he held in conjunction with his younger brother. Subsequently he held the office of prwtor. On the conclusion of this magistracy he went to Africa, the administration of which province he conducted with ability and impartiality, and in 74 p.c. obtained the consulship with M. Aurelius Cotta. As consul he maintained the constitutional laws of Sulla. On the breaking out of the war with Mithridates he obtained the proconsulship of Cilicia and the command of the army. He vanquished the squadron of Mithridates near the island of Lemnos, and this victory enabled him to drive all the other squadrons of Mithridates from the Archipelago.
The generals of Lucullus subdued meanwhile all Bithynia and Paphlagonia. Lucullus, again at the head of his army, although overcome by Mithridates in a battle, soon acquired such advantages that he finally broke up the hostile and Mithridates himself sought protec tion in Armenia. Lucullus now changed Pon tus into a Roman province. Tigranes, king of Armenia, refusing to surrender Mithridates to the Romans, Lucullus marched against Armenia and vanquished Tigranes 69-68 B.C. Mithri dates, however, contended with varying fortune, till Lucullus was prevented from effectively con tinuing the war by the mutiny of his soldiers. Lucullus was deprived of the chief command, which was bestowed first on Glabrio, and after ward on Pompey, and recalled 66 a.c. After a delay of three years he succeeded in procuring the merited recognition of his services in a public triumph. He laid out his gardens at Rome with such splendor that they became proverbial, and Pompey called him the Roman Xerxes.