He was according to
Cicero (
ad Fam. ix. 21) the father of the
Carbo of the same name, who was thrice consul, whereas this latter is called by
Velleius Paterculus (II 26) a brother of
Gaius Papirius Carbo Arvina. This difficulty may be solved by supposing that the word
frater in Velleius is equivalent to
frater patruelis or cousin. (Perizon.,
Animadv. Hist. p. 96.) His brother,
Gaius Papirius Carbo,
consul in 120 BC, had been an ally of the
Gracchi brothers, deserting their cause after their deaths, only to commit suicide in 119 BC after being prosecuted by the young and rising orator
Lucius Licinius Crassus. During his consulship, he was ordered by the Senate to take legions to defend the Alps from the migration of the
Cimbri. There, he shadowed the Germanic tribe and ambushed them near Noreia. At the ensuing
Battle of Noreia, although Carbo held the advantage in terrain and surprise, his forces were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Cimbrian warriors, and disastrously defeated. The Cimbri, while smashing the Roman army, did not advance into Italy, seemingly looking for some place to settle. He was afterwards accused by
Marcus Antonius for provoking and then losing the Battle of Noreia. Securing a conviction, Carbo committed suicide to redeem his pride and honour rather than depart for exile, taking a solution of
vitriol (
atramentum sutorium, Cic.,
ad Fam. IX 21; Liv.,
Epit. 63.). == Sources ==