Hostus Hostilius was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

warrior in the time of

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

, and the grandfather of

Tullus Hostilius Tullus Hostilius (r. 672–640 BC) was the legendary third king of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius. Unlike his predecessor, Tullus was known as a warlike king who according to the Roman Historian Livy, believ ...

, the third

Roman king The king of Rome ( la, rex Romae) was the ruler of the Roman Kingdom. According to Roman mythology, legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine Hill. Seven legendary kings are said to have ruled ...

Legend

In reprisal for the

Rape of the Sabine Women The Rape of the Sabine Women ( ), also known as the Abduction of the Sabine Women or the Kidnapping of the Sabine Women, was an incident in Roman mythology in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other citi ...

, the Romans were attacked by forces sent by several

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...

towns. The Romans, who had anticipated rash action of this sort, quickly routed the armies of Caenina,

Antemnae Antemnae was a town and Roman colony of ancient Latium in Italy. It was situated two miles north of ancient Rome on a hill (now Monte Antenne) commanding the confluence of the Aniene and the Tiber. It lay west of the later Via Salaria and now l ...

, and

Crustumerium Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber. In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...

.Livy, i. 11. But

Titus Tatius According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius was the king of the Sabines from Cures and joint-ruler of the Kingdom of Rome for several years. During the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, Tatius declared war on Rome in respon ...

, king of the Sabine city of Cures, was more cautious, and gained access to the Roman citadel through subterfuge, forcing the Romans to fight from a disadvantageous position.Cassius Dio, i. ''fragmenta''. The two armies advanced toward each other along the ground between the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

and

Capitoline The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. Th ...

hills, with the Sabine champion, Mettius Curtius, in the lead.Livy, i. 12. Hostus Hostilius, his Roman counterpart, met him in single combat.Livy, i. 12.Dionysius, iii. 1. Although Hostus fought valiantly, Mettius had the advantage of the ground, and slew the Roman champion. Disheartened, the Roman line broke and fled to their fortifications on the Palatine, as Mettius and the Sabines gave chase.Dionysius, ii. 42. Unable to control his army, Romulus vowed a temple to

Jupiter Stator Jupiter ( la, Iūpiter or , from Proto-Italic "day, sky" + "father", thus " sky father" Greek: Δίας or Ζεύς), also known as Jove (gen. ''Iovis'' ), is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods in ancient Roman religion ...

if his men would recover their courage, and face the enemy. As if in answer to his prayer, the Romans turned before the gates of the Palatine, so suddenly that Mettius' horse took fright and bolted, becoming stuck in the swampy ground that would become the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

. The Sabine charge came to a halt, uncertain of how to proceed, and concerned for the fate of their leader, who with the encouragement his men, managed to free his horse and escape. With the battle at a standstill and the outcome in doubt, the Sabine women themselves interceded, urging their husbands and fathers not to kill one another. Romulus and Tatius agreed to a truce, and joint rulership of Rome.Dionysius, ii. 45, 46. According to

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 ...

, Hostus' wife was

Hersilia In Roman mythology, Hersilia was a figure in the foundation myth of Rome. She is credited with ending the war between Rome and the Sabines. Battle of the Lacus Curtius In some accounts she is the wife of Romulus, the founder and first King of ...

, who had led the Sabine women between the battle lines to end the war, although in the more familiar account, which

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 ...

relates, Hersilia was the wife of Romulus.

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

reports both versions, noting a disagreement amongst his authorities. At his death, Hostus left a young son, who in turn was the father of

, the third King of Rome.Livy, i. 22. Hostilius was buried in the Roman Forum, where a monument was set up and inscribed in honour of his bravery.

Notes

References

Bibliography

, ''Romaike Archaiologia'' (Roman Antiquities). * Titus Livius (

), ''

History of Rome The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced m ...

''. * Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (

), ''

Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans Plutarch's ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', commonly called ''Parallel Lives'' or ''Plutarch's Lives'', is a series of 48 biographies of famous men, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, probably writt ...

''. *

Lucius Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

, ''Roman History''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hostilius, Hostus 8th-century BC Romans Characters in Roman mythology Hostilii

Legend

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography