Gaius Horatius Pulvillus

Gaius Horatius Pulvillus was a Roman politician during the 5th century BC, and was consul in 477 and 457 BC.

Gaius Horatius Pulvillus
Consul of the Roman Republic
In office 1 August 477 BC[1] – 31 July 476 BC Serving with Titus Menenius Lanatus
Preceded by	Lucius Aemilius Mamercus, Gaius Servilius Structus Ahala (consul 478 BC)
Succeeded by	Aulus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus, Spurius Servilius Priscus Structus (consul 476 BC)
In office 1 August 457 BC – 31 July 456 BC Serving with Quintus Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus
Preceded by	Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Succeeded by	Marcus Valerius Maximus Lactuca, Spurius Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus
Personal details
Born	Unknown Ancient Rome
Died	453 BC Ancient Rome

Family

Ancient sources disagree on his praenomen. Livy and Diodorus Siculus give Caius for the year 477 BC, but Marcus for 457 BC; however the Fasti Capitolini and Dionysius of Halicarnassus give Caius for both years.[2] He was the son of Marcus Horatius Pulvillus, consul in 509 and 507 BC, and the grandson of a Marcus Horatius. His complete name is Caius (or Marcus) Horatius M.f. M.n. Pulvillus.[3]

Biography

First consulship

In 477 BC, was elected consul with Titus Menenius Lanatus.[a 1][3] The senate conferred to him management of the war against the Volsci while his colleague prepared to confront the Veientes. However, following the victories of Veii at the Battle of the Cremera and again against Menenius, Horatius was recalled to Rome, where the Veientes had occupied the Janiculum. He won a battle in Janiculum, but the success was insufficient in driving the Etruscans out - the war had to be continued by the consuls of the following year.[a 2][a 3]

Second consulship

In 457 BC, he was consul for the second time with Quintus Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus[4][n 1] The tribunes of the plebs prevented the mobilization of the army for the campaign against the Aequi, but finally gave in when the Sabines were found pillaging Roman fields.[4][a 4] Horatius led Roman forces against the Aequi, while Minucius led forces against the Sabines. The number of tribunes was increased to ten this year, with one tradition giving Horatius a leading role in accomplishing this.[4]

End of career

He later entered the college of the augurs. He died in 453 BC during a plague,[a 5] or typhus[5] which also took the consul Sextus Quinctilius Varus and the consul suffect Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus who replaced him.[6][a 6] Gaius Veturius Cicurinus succeeded Pulvillus within the college of augurs.[6][a 7]

References

Modern sources

1. Robert Maxwell Ogilvie, Commentary on Livy, books 1–5, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1965, pp. 404, 405.
2. Broughton 1951, p. 27 · Broughton 1951, p. 41
3. Broughton 1951, p. 26
4. Broughton 1951, p. 41
5. Flobert 1995
6. Broughton 1951, p. 44

Ancient sources

1. Diodorus Siculus, Universal History XI. 17
2. Livy, Roman History, II. 51
3. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, IX. 18-24
4. Livy, Roman History, III. 30
5. Livy, Roman History, III. 32
6. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, X.53
7. Livy, Roman History, III. 32.3

Notes

1. For the consuls of this year, only Diodorus Siculus gives two different names: Marcus Fabius Vibulanus and Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (see Diod., XII.2)

Bibliography

Ancient authors

• Dionysius of Halicarnassus in Romaike Archaiologia books 9 and 10.
• Diodorus Siculus in Bibliotheca historica book 11.
• Titus Livius in Roman History book 3.

Modern authors

• Broughton, Thomas Robert Shannon (1951), The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Philological Monograph No. 15, New York: American Philological Association, ISBN 0-89130-811-3
• Flobert, Annette (1995), Tite-Live, Histoire Romaine, livres I à V : traduction nouvelle (in French), Paris: Garnier-Flammarion