Were all the army generals of ancient rome very wealthy?
Only the elite and wealthy were allowed to command armies. Especially in the Republic, when armies were privately raised and paid for, only the wealthy could afford it. Even after professional armies were instituted by Marius this remained the case. Social customs as well as economic factors ensured that the poor couldn’t be promoted terribly far. It was possible for plebeians (Rome’s poor class) to be promoted to junior officerships, and even in some cases into the class of equites. Membership in the patrician class was hereditary, and only on a handful of special occasions was someone brought up into this class. Some of Rome’s more famous generals were easily among the wealthiest men ever. Marcus Licinius Crassus might have been the richest man ever (accounting for inflation and the like). Apart from founding the first professional fire fighting team, he privately raised several armies, each composed of several legions. This would be like Bill Gates paying for the entire US military.
