Both in ancient sources and in modern imagination, the final years of Lucullus’ career
are commonly associated with the pleasures of an idle and luxurious life. Accordingly, it is
hardly surprising that some of the current anecdotes highlighting his extravagance are set in
his sumptuous villas. At the same time, it is undoubtedly significant that quite a few of these
stories establish a contrast between his luxuria and the supposed temperantia of Pompey, his
principal adversary in the political arena. As the conflict between the two statesmen persisted
for many years, it is clear that Lucullus continued to be active in Roman public life even after his
return from the campaign against Mithridates. This is reflected in a number of references to the
variegated use of the noble’s villas and gardens. In these settings, he used to receive guests from
the Greek world, tried to reconcile himself with Pompey in the course of a dinner, and invited
the people to a major feast organised on the occasion of his triumph. Thus, the various functions
of his residences correspond to the multiple activities of a politician in late Republican Rome.