why antony killer seius?

Mark Antony had Gnaeus Seius executed during the bloody Roman proscriptions of 43 BCE to seize his vast wealth. [1, 2, 3, 4]

While the ancient text by Aulus Gellius states that Seius "was condemned and suffered a cruel death at the hands of Marcus Antonius," it does not explicitly outline a personal grudge. Instead, Seius's execution fits perfectly into the political and financial crisis gripping Rome at that exact moment. [1, 2]

1. The Proscriptions and Financial Need

Following the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate in late 43 BCE. They desperately needed millions of sesterces to fund their massive armies for the upcoming civil war against Caesar’s assassins. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

To get this cash, they enacted the proscriptions—a official hit list of wealthy Roman citizens. Anyone placed on the list was declared a public enemy, instantly executed, and the state confiscated all of their property and wealth. [1, 2, 3, 4]

2. Seius Was an Ideal Target

Gnaeus Seius was a wealthy Roman equestrian (the knight/business class). He was not a major politician, but his ownership of the legendary horse—which Cornelius Dolabella immediately bought right after Seius's death for a staggering 100,000 sesterces—proves that Seius was immensely wealthy. Antony targeted him because his estate offered exactly the kind of liquid assets and luxury property the Triumvirs were hunting for.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

3. Antony's Famous Greed for Luxury

Antony was notoriously extravagant and frequently used his political power to execute wealthy Romans simply to possess their unique luxury items. [1, 2]

• A famous parallel is Nonius, a Roman senator whom Antony proscribed and executed purely because Nonius owned a remarkably large, priceless opal gemstone that Antony wanted for himself.

Though Antony did not immediately take the horse for himself (it went to Dolabella first), executing Seius allowed Antony to liquidate Seius's estate, pocket the massive payout from the horse's eventual sale, and ultimately claim the "cursed" horse years later after its subsequent owners died. [1, 2]