Gaius Servilius Structus Ahala (died 478 BC) was a Roman senator from the early

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, who held the office of

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 478 BC. During his term of office he commanded two legions in a war against the Volsci. His lack of success and the heavy casualties incurred by the army led Servilius to avoided pitched battles and revert to skirmishing with the enemy. Servilius's colleague in office,

Lucius Aemilius Mamercus Lucius Aemilius Mamercus was a Roman statesman who served as consul three times: in 484, 478 and 473 BC.Livy, '' Ab urbe condita'', 2.42 In 484 BC, as consul, Aemilius led the Roman forces in battle against the Volsci and Aequi. The Romans were ...

, waged war with greater success against the

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

.Dionysius
9.16
/ref> According to the '' Fasti Capitolini'', Servilius died in office, and was replaced by one

Esquilinus The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' (Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

. Servilius's name is confused in the ancient sources.

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, 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 traditiona ...

calls him Gaius Servilius simply; the ''Fasti Capitolini'' add Structus Ahala and the suffect Esquilinus;

Dionysius The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...

has Gaius Sergius; and Diodorus, Gaius Cornelius Lentulus. Johannes Weber, following the evidence of Dionysius and Diodorus, argued that the name of Servilius is a later interpolation, and that the consul of 478 was confused in the sources with Servilius Structus, consul just two years later, in 476 BC. He also considered that the surname 'Ahala', which is only attested by the Capitoline ''Fasti'', was retrojected from the later figure of Gaius Servilius Ahala, the famous murderer of Spurius Maelius. Weber was ultimately inclined to accept Diodorus's Lentulus as belonging to the best tradition. Broughton, on the other hand, accepted "Servilius" as authentic and regarded Dionysius's Sergius as a corruption. He also rejected Diodorus's "Gaius Cornelius Lentulus", since the Lentuli appear much later in history and they never used the name "Gaius". Ridley considers the matter uncertain.

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References

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Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...

, ''Roman Antiquities'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Servilius Structus Ahala, Gaius 5th-century BC deaths 5th-century BC Roman consuls Ancient Roman generals Structus Ahala, Gaius