Marcus Antonius Creticus - Definition and Overview

Marcus Antonius Creticus (lived 1st century BC) was a Roman politician, member of the Antonius family. Creticus was son of Marcus Antonius Orator and by his marriage to Julia Antonia (cousin of Julius Caesar) he had three sons, Gaius, Lucius and his namesake Mark Antony. He was elected praetor in 74 BC and in the next year he received an extraordinary commission, similar to that bestowed upon Pompey years later and on his father three decades before, to clear the Mediterranean Sea of the threat of piracy. Creticus not only failed in the task, but plundered the provinces he was supposed to protect from robbery. He was also known widely by his avarice and incompetence, which earned him the nickname Creticus, meaning man of chalk.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.