Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (consul 421 BC)

Last updated

Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 421 BC. [1]

Contents

Quinctius belonged to the Quinctia gens, one of the early Republics most influential patrician families. Quinctius was the son of Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, a six time consul, and nephew of the famous dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. [2]

Consulship

In 421 BC Quinctius was elected as consul together with Numerius Fabius Vibulanus. The year saw war against the Aequi and great military success for Quinctius's colleague Fabius, who celebrated an ovatio (minor triumph) for his victories. The year also saw the consuls overseeing the institution of a new law increasing the number of Quaestors from two to four. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Consular tribune

In 405 BC, sixteen years after his consulship, Quinctius was elected as one of the Consular tribunes as the most senior member of the consular college. His colleagues was Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus, cousin once removed to Quinctius, Gaius Julius Iulus, Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus, Lucius Furius Medullinus and Manius Aemilius Mamercinus. The consulars continued the war started with Veii in 406, succeeding with surrounding the city and beginning the Siege of Veii which would last for ten years. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Two Individuals?

It is unclear if the consul of 421 and the consular tribune of 405 BC should be considered as the same individual or as father and son. Broughton in Magistrates of the Roman Republic treats both posts as being held by the same individual while the large encyclopedia Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology treat them as two different individuals with the father holding the consulship and his son being the consular tribune. [11] [12] An objection towards treating the consul and the consular tribune as the same individual lies in the chronology, if the consul was born by the time of his fathers first consulship in 471 BC he would be close to fifty by the time of his consulship in 421 and approaching his seventies by the time of his role as consular tribune.

Suolahti, in his research on the Roman Censors, treats the consul and the consular tribune as the same individual in his speculation in regards to the missing censors of the lumstrum XV. Where the main argument for the inclusion of Quinctius as a viable candidate for having held the censorship lies with him being a repeated consular and politically active in the period 417 to 404 BC in which the lustrum XV was held. Suolahti, drawing from the fact that the census described in 403 is numbered lustrum XVI and counting from lustrum X which was held in 459 BC only gives us four pairs of censors (in 443, 435, 430 and 418 BC), thus a missing lustrum XV. Additionally drawing upon a gap in the Fasti Capitolini from 414 to 410 BC the censorship can likely be placed within this time frame, with Suolahti leaning towards the year 410 BC. Suolahti's main suggestions for these unknown censors are Spurius Nautius Rutilus and Manius Aemilius Mamercinus but adds Quinctius, among a few others, as one of the viable options. While Suolahti argues for the existence of these unknown censors and lustrum XV, these possible candidates should be noted, and is noted by the author himself, are simply educated guesses based on the suitability of the candidates to the office and are in the authors words "mere suppositions". [13] Considering the already existing doubt in regards to the identity of Quinctius second imperium, his potential for being censor should be equally doubted.

See also

Related Research Articles

Quinctia gens Ancient Roman family

The gens Quinctia, sometimes written Quintia, was a patrician family at ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the Republic, its members often held the highest offices of the state, and it produced some men of importance even during the imperial period. For the first forty years after the expulsion of the kings the Quinctii are not mentioned, and the first of the gens who obtained the consulship was Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus in 471 BC; but from that year their name constantly appears in the Fasti consulares.

Marcus Postumius Albinus Regillensis was an ancient Roman politician belonging to the patrician Postumia gens. His father and grandfather were both named Aulus, possibly identifying his father or grandfather as Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis, consul in 464 BC. Publius Postumius Albinus Regillensis, consular tribune in 414 BC, was most likely his brother. Postumius relationship to later Postumii Albini remains unknown as filiations are missing from the consular tribunes and consuls of 397, 394 and 334 BC.

Lucius Furius Medullinus, of the patrician gens Furia, was a politician and general of the Roman Republic who was consul twice and Consular Tribune seven times.

Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus was a Roman statesman and general who served as consul six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the gens Quinctia, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome.

Marcus Geganius Macerinus was a Roman statesman who served as Consul in 447, 443, and 437 BC, and as Censor in 435 BC.

Lucius Julius Iullus was a member of the ancient patrician gens Julia. He was one of the consular tribunes of 438 BC, magister equitum in 431, and consul in 430 BC.

Gaius Julius Iullus was a Roman statesman and member of the ancient patrician gens Julia. He was consular tribune in 408 and 405 BC, and censor in 393.

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was a consular tribune of the Roman republic in 438, 425, 420 BC and possibly consul in 428 BC.

Titus Quinctius Poenus (Pennus) Cincinnatus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 431 and 428 BC and a consular tribune in 426 BC. He might have been consular tribune again in 420 BC.

Aulus Sempronius Atratinus was a consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 425, 420, 416 BC and possibly consul in 428 BC.

NumeriusFabius Vibulanus was a Roman senator and military commander. As consul in 421 BC, he campaigned successfully against the Aequi, for which he was awarded an ovation. During his term in office, Fabius and his colleague, Titus Quinctius, also carried a law which increased the number of quaestors from two to four.

Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus was a consul in 410 and consular tribune in 415, 407 and 404 BC of the Roman Republic.

Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus was a consular tribune in 415 and 405 BC of the Roman Republic.

Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus was a consular tribune in 414 BC and consul in 409 BC of the Roman Republic.

Lucius Valerius Potitus was a five time consular tribune, in 414, 406, 403, 401 and 398, and two times consul, in 393 and 392 BC, of the Roman Republic.

Manius Aemilius Mamercinus was a three time consular tribune, in 405, 403 and 401 and one-time consul, in 410 BC, of the Roman Republic.

Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus was a consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 405, 402 and 397 BC.

Lucius Lucretius Tricipitinus Flavus was a Roman statesman and general who had a prominent career in the early 4th century BC, serving once as consul, and four times as consular tribune, as well as perhaps serving as Princeps senatus.

Appius Claudius Crassus was a consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 403 BC.

Quintus Servilius Fidenas was a prominent early Roman politician who achieved the position of Consular tribune six times throughout a sixteen-year period. Quintus Servilius was a member of the illustrious gens Servilia, a patrician family which had achieved great prominence since the foundation of the republic. In particular, Servilius was the son of Quintus Servilius Priscus Fidenas, a well respected statesman and general who served as dictator twice, in 435 and 418 BC, as well as holding the religious title of either augur or pontifex, which he held until his death in 390 BC. Servilius the younger himself had at least one son, also named Quintus Servilius Fidenas, who served as consular tribune in 382, 378, and 369 BC.

References

  1. Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, 1951, vol i, pp.69-70, 80
  2. Broughton, vol i
  3. Chronograph of 354 (Capitolino et Vivullano)
  4. Livy, Ab Urbe Condita , iv. 43
  5. Tacitus, Annales, xi.22
  6. Broughton, vol i, pp.69-70
  7. Chr. 354. (Iulo II et Mamertino)
  8. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica , xiv, 17.1
  9. Livy, iv, 61.1-61.2
  10. Broughton, vol i, pp.80
  11. Broughton, vol i, pp. 69-70, 80
  12. Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, pp.605 (Capitolinus, Quinctius, 2. & 3.)
  13. Suolahti, Jakkko. Roman Censors: A Study on Social Structure, 1963, pp.176, 619-620
Political offices
Preceded by Consul of the Roman Republic
with Numerius Fabius Vibulanus
421 BC
Succeeded by
Preceded by Consular tribune of the Roman Republic
with Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Gaius Julius Iulus
Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus
Lucius Furius Medullinus
Manius Aemilius Mamercinus
405 BC
Succeeded by