Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus

Last updated

Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus (fl. late 4th century BC) was a Roman general and statesman, he was elected consul of the Roman Republic thrice, [1] he was also appointed dictator or magister equitum thrice, and censor in 307 BC. In 311, he made a vow to the goddess Salus that he went on to fulfill, becoming the first plebeian to build a temple. [2] The temple was one of the first dedicated to an abstract deity, and Junius was one of the first generals to vow a temple and then oversee its establishment through the construction and dedication process. [3]

The desultory manner in which Junius Bubulcus survives in the historical record obscures the stature indicated by the number of high offices he held from 317 to 302 BC; it has been observed that he "cannot have been as colourless as he appears in Livy." [4]

Political and military career

Junius was consul in 317 BC with the patrician Quintus Aemilius Barbula. The two were joint consuls again in 311. From the mid-4th century to the early 3rd century BC, several plebeian-patrician "tickets" repeated joint terms, suggesting a deliberate political strategy of cooperation. [5] The Second Samnite War was a formative time in the creation of a ruling elite (the nobiles ) that comprised both patricians and plebeians who had risen to power. [6] As consul, Junius exerted force in central Italy to restore Roman control over the Vestini. [7]

In 313 BC, as consul with Lucius Papirius Cursor in his fifth term, Junius is credited with the capture of Nola, Atina, and Calatia by some sources. [8] The following year, he was appointed either dictator [9] or magister equitum, [10] and was sent with troops to the Marrucini, with some success. [11]

In 311, Junius held command in Samnium. The Augustan historian Livy says that allied Etruscans attacked the colony of Sutrium, an exposed outpost, and Junius fought a battle that ended with nightfall rather than resolution. [12] The outcome of the campaign seems ambiguous: [13] "The sum total of his achievement apparently was to sack some otherwise unknown hamlets, Talium, Cataracta, and Ceraunilia." According to Livy, Junius regained Cluviae and captured Bovianum, a town of the Pentri, but this may be the propaganda of his gens . [14] Diodorus gives a more laudatory report of Roman actions, [15] while Zonaras gives a less favorable ending. [16] The varying assessments of Roman success may indicate a slim and costly victory. [17] Whatever the scale of his victories, Junius celebrated a triumph which featured praeda pecorum, booty in the form of cattle. [18]

During a Samnite ambush, Junius had prayed to Jupiter and Mars, but made a vow to the goddess Salus, presumably for a narrow escape in battle. Salus was the divine embodiment of health, welfare, safety, and salvation both personal and public. This was also a time of plague, and in 313 Poetelius Libo Visolus had been appointed dictator clavi figendi causa , that is, the dictator appointed to drive a nail, a much-debated ritual intended in this instance to stop the outbreak. [19] Reverence toward Salus's power to grant or withhold her favor as a response to plague may also have occasioned the temple, as Junius put out public contracts for its construction five years after the battle that is supposed to have prompted the vow, when he was censor in 307. [20] As dictator in 302 he oversaw its dedication. [21] The temple housed paintings by Gaius Fabius, a relative of Fabius Rullianus; the cognomen Pictor, or "painter" (see Fabius Pictor) is likely to have been acquired by a branch of the Fabii at this time. [22] Denarii minted by Decimus Junius Silanus in 91 BC picture Salus and may be intended to recall the founding of her temple by his ancestor. [23]

In their second joint consulship, both Junius Bubulcus and Aemilius Barbula refused to recognize the revision of the senate roll made the previous year by the censors Appius Claudius Caecus and Gaius Plautius Venox. [24]

Junius was magister equitum in 310 [25] and possibly again in 309; his office in the latter year may have been dictator. [26]

As censor in 307 with Marcus Valerius Maximus, he removed Lucius Annius from the senate on moral grounds. Annius had divorced his wife even though she had been a virgin when they married, and had done so without honoring his social obligations by consulting his friends. [27]

Junius was appointed dictator again in 302 BC. Livy's account of this year is somewhat confused. He makes both Junius and Valerius Maximus dictatores, but military campaigns on at least four fronts may account for the multiplicity of appointments. Junius's war against the Aequi is one of a series from 304 to 300 BC. Junius swiftly put down an insurrection that broke out when Alba was colonized, [28] and the Aequi ceased to exist as a separate people at this time. [29] There is a consul in 292 of the same name, this may be him or an unknown son. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus</span> Roman statesman and general (c. 280 – 203 BC)

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator, was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was consul five times and was appointed dictator in 221 and 217 BC. He was censor in 230 BC. His agnomen, Cunctator, usually translated as "the delayer", refers to the strategy that he employed against Hannibal's forces during the Second Punic War. Facing an outstanding commander with superior numbers, he pursued a then-novel strategy of targeting the enemy's supply lines, and accepting only smaller engagements on favourable ground, rather than risking his entire army on direct confrontation with Hannibal himself. As a result, he is regarded as the originator of many tactics used in guerrilla warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samnite Wars</span> Three wars between the Roman Republic and the Samnites in Central Italy, 343–290 BC

The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Fabia was one of the most ancient patrician families at ancient Rome. The gens played a prominent part in history soon after the establishment of the Republic, and three brothers were invested with seven successive consulships, from 485 to 479 BC, thereby cementing the high repute of the family. Overall, the Fabii received 45 consulships during the Republic. The house derived its greatest lustre from the patriotic courage and tragic fate of the 306 Fabii in the Battle of the Cremera, 477 BC. But the Fabii were not distinguished as warriors alone; several members of the gens were also important in the history of Roman literature and the arts.

Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, son of Marcus Fabius Ambustus, of the patrician Fabii of ancient Rome, was five times consul and a hero of the Samnite Wars. He was brother to Marcus Fabius Ambustus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aemilia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the greatest patrician families at ancient Rome. The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome. Its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to imperial times. The Aemilii were almost certainly one of the gentes maiores, the most important of the patrician families. Their name was associated with three major roads, an administrative region of Italy, and the Basilica Aemilia at Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Junia or Iunia was one of the most celebrated families of ancient Rome. The gens may originally have been patrician, and was already prominent in the last days of the Roman monarchy. Lucius Junius Brutus was the nephew of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last King of Rome, and on the expulsion of Tarquin in 509 BC, he became one of the first consuls of the Roman Republic.

The gens Papiria was a patrician family at ancient Rome. According to tradition, the Papirii had already achieved prominence in the time of the kings, and the first Rex Sacrorum and Pontifex Maximus of the Republic were members of this gens. Lucius Papirius Mugillanus was the first of the Papirii to obtain the consulship in 444 BC. The patrician members of the family regularly occupied the highest offices of the Roman state down to the time of the Punic Wars. Their most famous member was Lucius Papirius Cursor, five times consul between 326 and 313 BC, who earned three triumphs during the Samnite Wars. Most of the Papirii who held office under the later Republic belonged to various plebeian branches of the family. Although the most illustrious Papirii flourished in the time of the Republic, a number of the family continued to hold high office during the first two centuries of the Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucius Papirius Cursor</span> 4th century BC Roman politician and general

Lucius Papirius Cursor was a celebrated politician and general of the early Roman Republic, who was five times consul, three times magister equitum, and twice dictator. He was the most important Roman commander during the Second Samnite War, during which he received three triumphs.

Quintus Fabius Q. f. M. n. Maximus Gurges, the son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, was consul in 292, 276, and 265 BC. After a dissolute youth and a significant military defeat during his first consulate, he was given the opportunity to salvage his reputation through the influence of his father, and became a successful general, eventually holding the highest honours of the Roman state. He was slain in battle during his third and final consulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Publius Decius Mus (consul 312 BC)</span> Roman general and statesman

Publius Decius Mus, of the plebeian gens Decia, was a Roman consul in the years 312 BC, 308 BC, 297 BC and 295 BC. He was a member of a family that was renowned for sacrificing themselves on the battlefield for Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postumia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Postumia was a noble patrician family at ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the Republic, the Postumii frequently occupied the chief magistracies of the Roman state, beginning with Publius Postumius Tubertus, consul in 505 BC, the fifth year of the Republic. Although like much of the old Roman aristocracy, the Postumii faded for a time into obscurity under the Empire, individuals bearing the name of Postumius again filled a number of important offices from the second century AD to the end of the Western Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Saticula</span> Second of three battles described by the Roman historian Livy

The Battle of Saticula, 343 BC, was the second of three battles described by the Roman historian Livy, in Book Seven of his history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita, as taking place in the first year of the First Samnite War. According to Livy's extensive description, the Roman commander, the consul Aulus Cornelius Cossus was marching from Saticula when he was almost trapped by a Samnite army in a mountain pass. His army was only saved because one of his military tribunes, Publius Decius Mus, led a small group of men to seize a hilltop, distracting the Samnites and allowing the consul to escape. During the night Decius and his men were themselves able to escape. The next day the reunited Romans attacked the Samnites and completely routed them. Several other ancient authors also mention Decius' heroic acts. Modern historians are however sceptical of the historical accuracy of Livy's account, and have in particular noted the similarities with how a military tribune is said to have saved Roman army in 258 BC during the First Punic War.

Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas was a Roman statesman who served as the consul in 341 and 329 BC, Magister Equitum in 342, Dictator in 335 and 316, and Interrex in 326.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quintus Publilius Philo</span> 4th century BC Roman politician

Quintus Publilius Philo was a Roman politician who lived during the 4th century BC. His birth date is not provided by extant sources, however, a reasonable estimate is about 365 BC, since he first became consul in 339 BC at a time when consuls could be elected in their twenties. His Greek cognomen ‘Philo’ was unique to his family.

The Battle of Imbrinium was fought in 325 BC during the Second Samnite War between the Roman Republic, led by the magister equitum, Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus and the Samnites near Imbrinium, a city in Samnium.

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

Marcus Foslius Flaccinator was a Roman politician who served as Magister Equitum two or perhaps three times, and as Roman consul once in the late 4th century BC. Foslius was a member of the gens Foslia, which despite being of Patrician stock was fairly irrelevant. Indeed, previous to this Foslius, no member of the Foslii ever held the consulship and the family only had one recorded magistracy, that being of Consular Tribune, which was held by another Marcus Foslius Flaccinator in 433 BC. The consul Marcus Foslius Flaccinator was the son of a Gaius Foslius and grandson of Marcus Foslius; however nothing is known about these two individuals and their names are only known through fillation.

Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva was a Roman politician and consul in 325 BC.

References

  1. ↑ Livy 9.20.7, 21.1, 28.2, 30.1; Diodorus Siculus 19.77.1, 20.3.1 (where Ἰοὐλιος is an error for Iunius); Fasti Capitolini Chr. 354; Festus 458L. Unless otherwise noted, offices, dates and citations of ancient sources from T.R.S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic (American Philological Association, 1951, 1986), vol. 1, pp. 155, 158, 159, 160–161, 162, 165; vol. 2, p. 577.
  2. ↑ Anna Clark, Divine Qualities: Cult and Community in Republican Rome (Oxford University Press, 2007), p. 50.
  3. ↑ Richard D. Weigel, "Roman Generals and the Vowing of Temples, 500–100 B.C.," Classica et Mediaevalia (Museum Tusculanum Press, 1998), p. 122; Eric M. Orlin, Temples, Religion, and Politics in the Roman Republic (Brill, 1997), pp. 179–180.
  4. ↑ Christopher John Smith, The Roman Clan: The gens from Ancient Ideology to Modern Anthropology (Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 43.
  5. ↑ Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the First Punic War (University of California Press, 2005), p. 269.
  6. ↑ E.T. Salmon, Samnium and the Samnites (Cambridge University Press, 1967), p. 217.
  7. ↑ Salmon, Samnium, p. 220, asserting that Livy is mistaken to attribute these actions to Decimus Junius Brutus, the consul of 325.
  8. ↑ Livy 9.28.5–6; Diodorus 19.101.2. Livy notes that others say Poetelius Libo Visolus captured Nola.
  9. ↑ Livy 9.29.3.
  10. ↑ Fasti Capitolini, Degrassi 36f., 110, 420f.
  11. ↑ Salmon, Samnium, p. 241.
  12. ↑ Livy 9.32; Forsythe, Critical History p. 306.
  13. ↑ Tim Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000–264 BC) (Routledge, 1995), p. 354.
  14. ↑ Salmon, Samnium, p. 244.
  15. ↑ Diodorus Siculus 20.26.3.
  16. ↑ Zonaras 8.1.1.
  17. ↑ Jane E. Phillips, "Current Research in Livy's First Decade," Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II.30.2 (1982), pp. 1016–1017, summarizing the view of J.M. Libourel.
  18. ↑ Livy 9.31–32; Diodorus 20.25 (placing instead both Junius and his consular colleague Aemilius Barbula in Apulia); Ida Östenberg, Staging the World: Spoils, Captives, and Representations in the Roman Triumphal Procession (Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 169.
  19. ↑ S.P. Oakley, A Commentary on Livy, Books VI–X (Oxford University Press, 2005, 2007), pp. 330–332; Richard D. Weigel, "Roman Generals and the Vowing of Temples, 500–100 B.C.," Classica et Mediaevalia (Museum Tusculanum Press, 1998), pp. 122 and 138. For an overview of the ritual, see T. Corey Brennan, The Praetorship of the Roman Republic (Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 21–22, and H.S. Versnel, Triumphus: An Inquiry into the Origin, Development, and Meaning of the Roman Triumph p. 359–360 online.
  20. ↑ Livy 9.43.25; Forsythe, Critical History, p. 342; Weigel, "Roman Generals and the Vowing of Temples," p. 138.
  21. ↑ Livy 10.1.9.
  22. ↑ Clark, Divine Qualities, pp. 50–52.
  23. ↑ Clark, Divine Qualities, p. 141.
  24. ↑ Livy 9.30.1–2.
  25. ↑ Livy 9.38.15, 40.8–9
  26. ↑ See Broughton, MRR1, p. 158.
  27. ↑ Valerius Maximus 2.9.2; Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Roman Religion in Valerius Maximus (Routledge, 2002), p. 195, note 54.
  28. ↑ S.P. Oakley, A Commentary on Livy, Books VI–X (Oxford University Press, 2005, 2007), pp. 44–45.
  29. ↑ Salmon, Samnium, p. 256.
  30. ↑ Livy 9, 27 4.
Political offices
Preceded by
Marcus Folius Flaccinator
Lucius Plautius Venno
 Roman consul
317 BC
With: Quintus Aemilius Barbula 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Marcus Poetelius Libo
Gaius Sulpicius Longus  III
 Roman consul
313 BC
With: Lucius Papirius Cursor  V 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Roman consul
311 BC
With: Quintus Aemilius Barbula  II 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.