First Calvus used to be a Praetor, later a Consul and Governor of Hispania in 142 BC, where he fought, without success, against Viriathus, then he became a Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul in 141 BC, and in 140 BC—139 BC he was a Legate.
The cover art shows Jose de Madrazo Santander's painting The Death of the Spanish Rebel Viriathus.