Lucius Sergius Esquilinus was a Roman politician, and member of the Second ''Decemvirate'' in 450 and 449 BC.

Family

He was a member of the ''Sergii Esquilini'', patrician branch of the ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

Sergia''. His ''praenomen'' is not reported 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 ...

'', and ancient authors disagree on what it is.

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 ...

gives ''Marcus'' then ''Lucius'',

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

mentions a ''Caius'' and

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 ...

, a ''Marcus''.

Biography

Lucius Sergius Esquilinus was one of the ten members of the second decemvirate, presided over by Appius Claudius Sabinus and elected for the writing of the

Twelve Tables The Laws of the Twelve Tables was the legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. Formally promulgated in 449 BC, the Tables consolidated earlier traditions into an enduring set of laws.Crawford, M.H. 'Twelve Tables' in Simon Hornblowe ...

, first body of written law protecting Roman rights. At the instigation of Sabinus, the decemvirs had maintained their power illegally the following year, refusing to proceed in the election of consuls. That year, the Sabines' occupied

Eretum Eretum (Greek: ), was an ancient town of the Sabines, situated on the Via Salaria, at its junction with the Via Nomentana, a short distance from the Tiber, and about from Rome. History Eretum lay near the frontier between Roman and Sabine territo ...

, while the

Aequi 300px, Location of the Aequi (Equi) in central Italy, 5th century BC. The Aequi ( grc, Αἴκουοι and Αἴκοι) were an Italic tribe on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains to the east of Latium in central Italy who appear in the early his ...

were camped on

Mount Algidus The Algidus Mons, known in English as Mount Algidus, is the eastern rim of the dormant Alban Volcano in the Alban Hills, about southeast of Rome, Italy. The ridge is traversed by a narrow crevasse called ''la Cava d'Aglio''. It was the site of the ...

. Roman troops were divided into two armies so they could fight on two fronts. Esquilinus received command of the army opposing the Aequi, with three other decemvirs, Lucius Minucius,

Marcus Cornelius Maluginensis Marcus Cornelius Maluginensis was a Roman politician and member of the Second Decemvirate in 450 and 449 BC. Family He was part of the ''Cornelii Maluginenses'', patrician branch of the ''gens Cornelia''. He was grandson of Servius Cornelius Malu ...

, and

Titus Antonius Merenda Titus Antonius Merenda was a Roman politician, and decemvir from 450 to 449 BC. Family He was part of the ''gens Antonia''. It is possible that he was a plebeian, since the ''nomen'' ''Antonius'' is found among the plebeians more often than the pat ...

. Meanwhile, Sabinus and

Spurius Oppius Cornicen Spurius Oppius Cornicen was a Roman politician and member of the Second ''Decemvirate'' in 450 and 449 BC. Biography According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Spurius Oppius Cornicen was plebeian. He was one of the ten members of the Second ''D ...

stayed in Rome to assure the defense of the city, and four other decemvirs went against the Sabines. The two Roman armies were held in check on each front. The army commanded by Esquilinus withdrew to

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ( ...

then answered the call of

Lucius Verginius 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 ...

whose daughter had been reduced to slavery by Sabinus during one of his scandalous trials. After that infamous trial, Verginius had been forced to kill his own daughter. His story provoked the mutiny of the soldiers who elected the ten military tribunes. Under their command, they headed back toward Rome and settled on the Aventine then joined with the other army on

Monte Sacro __NoToC__ The Mons Sacer, Sacer Mons, or Sacred Mount is a hill in Rome, famed as the location of the first secession of the plebs, in 494 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. II, p. 871 ("Sacer Mons"). Geography The Mons Sacer i ...

. Under pressure by the soldiers and the plebeians, the decemvirs resigned. Appius Claudius Sabinus and Spurius Oppius Cornicen stayed in Rome and were imprisoned, but committed suicide before their trial. The other eight decemvirs, including Esquilinus, left in exile.

, ''Roman Antiquities'', XI.24.43

References

Bibliography

Ancient bibliography

, ''

Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an exp ...

'' *

, ''Roman Antiquities''

Modern bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergius Esquilinus, Lucius 5th-century BC Romans Ancient Roman decemvirs Esquilinus, Lucius