Appius Claudius Crassus ( 403 BC) was a
consular tribune
A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called "Conflict of the Or ...
of the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
in 403 BC.
Career
Claudius held the ''
imperium
In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
'' in 403 BC as one of six consular tribunes. He shared the office with
Manius Aemilius Mamercinus
Manius Aemilius Mamercinus was a three-time consular tribune, in 405, 403 and 401 and also consul in 410 BC, of the Roman Republic.
Aemilius belonged to the Aemilia gens, one of the oldest and most prominent patrician gens of the early Republic. A ...
.
Marcus Quinctilius Varus,
Lucius Valerius Potitus.
Lucius Julius Iulus and
Marcus Furius Fusus
Marcus Furius Fusus was a Tribuni militum consulari potestate, consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 403 BC.
Furius belonged to the Furia gens, an old and powerful Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician Gens, gentes of the Republic which had ris ...
. The college, with the exception of Aemilius and Valerius, were all first time consulars.
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
, when writing of this college, incorrectly includes the two censors
Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus (; c. 446 – 365 BC) was a Roman soldier and statesman of the patrician class. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of ''Second Founder ...
and
Marcus Postumius Albinus Regillensis 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, co ...
into the consular college. The year saw the continuation of the war started in 406 against the Veii with all consulars leading armies against the Veii, with the exception of Claudius who remained in Rome. The long years of war and new payments towards the soldiers seems to have strained the economy of Rome and the two censors, Camillus and Postumius imposed new taxes targeting bachelors and orphans. During his tribuneship Claudius succeeded with passing a law which gave the tribunes of the plebs the possibility of vetoing each other. Claudius, in the words of Livy, gives a passionate and well-reasoned speech towards the tribunes, but the speech has striking similarities to other speeches described by Livy and shares many anecdotes and speech-patterns with that of Cicero, whom it is known Livy had read and studied. This episode is most likely an addition by Livy to "spice up" the story and the whole character of Claudius is of some historical uncertainty.
In 362 BC, about 40 years after his tribuneship, Claudius was appointed as a
dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...
when the consul,
Lucius Genucius Aventinensis Lucius Genucius Aventinensis, along with Quintus Servilius Ahala, was one of the two consuls of ancient Rome in 365 BC.
Genucius was also the consul of 362 BC again with Quintus Servilius Ahala. Genucius was killed in battle between 362 BC and 358 ...
, was defeated and killed by the
Hernici
The Hernici were an Italic tribe of ancient Italy, whose territory was in Latium between the Fucine Lake and the Sacco River (''Trerus''), bounded by the Volsci on the south, and by the Aequi and the Marsi on the north.
For many years of the ear ...
. Claudius as dictator he won a costly victory against the Hernici. There is a possibility that he was awarded a triumph for this victory, although this is doubted by
Broughton and
Degrassi
''Degrassi'' is a Canadian television franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It is centred on a multigenerational teen drama about an ensemble cast of teenagers attending the namesake Toronto school as they navigate their ...
. It is unknown who acted as ''
magister equitum'' during this dictatorship and it is only kept in the ''
Fasti Capitolini
The ''Fasti Capitolini'', or Capitoline Fasti, are a list of the chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, extending from the early fifth century BC down to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Together with similar lists found at Rom ...
'' as SCA.U.LA, possibly identifying him as
Publius Cornelius Scapula Publius Cornelius Scapula was a Roman senator and politician. He was a member of gens Cornelia.
According to Titus Livius, he held the consulship in 328 BC, with Publius Plautius Proculus.Titus Livius VIII, 22, 1-2.
References
4th-century B ...
, consul in 328 BC, but this identification is rejected by Broughton and Degrassi. A secondary (equally doubtful) identification is that of
Mucius Scaevola
The gens Mucia was an ancient and noble patrician house at ancient Rome. The gens is first mentioned at the earliest period of the Republic, but in later times the family was known primarily by its plebeian branches.
Origin
The first of the Mucii ...
, an otherwise unattested individual.
Pinsent, in commenting on the dictator and magister equitum of 362 BC, concludes that both are most likely fictitious addition by Livy and should not be considered as historical.
There is also a possibility, although small and connected with the individual of the dictatorship, that Claudius should be considered the same individual as the consular of 349 BC. Holding the office as an elderly man little over a 50 years after his tribuneship. An argument in favour of this reading is that Livy described him as elderly and has him dying during this consulship. His ''imperium'' was transferred to the
praetor
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...
,
Lucius Pinarius Natta
Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...
and later by the elections to
Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus
Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus was a famous politician and general of the Roman Republic. He had an outstanding career, being consul three times in 347, 344, and 340 BC, and dictator three times 353, 349, and 320 BC. He was one of the early ...
as dictator. Although It is more probable that this consul of 349 BC is a distant cousin or a grandson to Claudius in according to the reading of the ''Fasti'' which has a different filiation compared to that of Claudius.
Ogilvie Ogilvie is a surname of Scottish origin. It may also refer to:
People
*Ogilvie (name)
Places Australia
* Ogilvie, Western Australia
Canada
* Ogilvie, Nova Scotia
* Ogilvie Aerodrome, Yukon
* Ogilvie Mountains, a mountain range in Yukon
Scotlan ...
, in his commentary on Livy, agrees with the Fasti but has the consular tribune of 403 BC having the same filiations, making him a nephew, not a son, of the consular of 424 BC. Adding to the confusion during this year is that
Diodorus Siculus has Marcus Aemilius and Titus Quinctius as consuls this year, not Claudius or his colleague
Lucius Furius Camillus
Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames ('' praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from ...
. The classicist
Suolahti
Suolahti is a former list of towns in Finland, town and List of former municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located next to Lake Keitele in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finl ...
, in his reading of the ''Fasti'', identifies Claudius as the same individual as the dictator of 362 and of the consular of 349 BC.
[ Suolahti, Jaakko, ''The Roman Censors: A study of social structure'', Helsinki, 1963, pp.221]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claudius Crassus, Appius
349 BC deaths
5th-century BC Romans
Crassus, Appius
Roman consular tribunes