The Roman-Aequian wars were a series of wars during the early expansion of
ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
in central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
against their eastern neighbours, 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 ...
.
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 ...
mentions that the last king of Rome,
Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.Livy, ''ab urbe condita libri'', I He is commonly known a ...
, made peace with the Aequi.
They fought several battles against the Romans, among which was the
battle of Mount Algidus
The Battle of Mount Algidus was fought in 458 BC, between the Roman Republic and the Aequi, near Mount Algidus in Latium. The Roman dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus turned an expected Roman defeat into an important victory.
Background
The g ...
(458 BC). Their chief center is said to have been taken by the Romans about 484 BC and again about ninety years later.
Records of fighting between Romans and Aequi become much sparser in the second half of the 5th century BC. Likely the Aequi had gradually become a more settled people and their raiding petered out as a result.
The Aequi were not finally subdued until the end of the second
Samnite war
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) 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.
...
, when they seem to have received a limited form of franchise.
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Aequi incursions in 494 BC
During the period of popular discontent in Rome which led to the
First secessio plebis in 494 BC
The first was a significant event in ancient Roman political and social history that occurred between 495 and 493 BC. It involved a dispute between the patrician ruling class and the plebeian underclass, and was one of a number of secessions by ...
, each of the
Volsci
The Volsci (, , ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the ...
,
Sabines
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 divid ...
and the Aequi took up arms at the same time. To meet the threat, a
Roman dictator
A Roman dictator was an extraordinary Roman magistrate, magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the other ...
was appointed,
Manius Valerius Maximus
Manius Valerius Maximus was Roman dictator in 494 BC during the first secession of the plebs. His brothers were Publius Valerius Publicola and Marcus Valerius Volusus. They were said to be the sons of Volesus Valerius.Livy, ''Ab urbe condita ...
. Ten
legions were raised, a greater number than had been raised previously at any one time, three of which were assigned to the consul
Veturius to deal with the Aequi.
The Aequi had invaded
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...
, and Veturius marched there to meet the enemy at the request of the Latin allies of Rome, rather than allowing the Latins to arm themselves. Upon the arrival of the Roman army, the Aequians retreated from Latium to the safety of the mountains to the east.
Shortly afterwards, the Romans advanced into the mountains towards the Aequian camp. The Roman consul would have preferred to delay any attack, because the Aequian army's camp was situated on a position which was difficult to approach. However the Roman troops demanded that there be no delay, because of their anxiety to return to Rome as soon as possible because of the political events that had been fomenting there. Therefore the Roman army advanced up the hill towards the Aequian camp. The Aequi, however, were so stunned at the Romans' boldness that they abandoned their camp and fled. The Roman army captured the Aequian camp, and took from it an abundance of booty, thereby securing a bloodless victory.
Attack on Rome in 488 BC
In 488 BC the Volsci, led by
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus
Gnaeus (or Gaius) Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen "Coriolanus" following his courageous actions during a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He was ...
and
Attius Tullus Aufidius
Attius Tullius was a well-respected and influential political and military leader of the Volsci in the early fifth century BC: according to Plutarch,Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', xx. 1-3; xxii. 1 who calls him Tullus Aufidius, his home town was Ant ...
,
laid siege to Rome. Coriolanus, a native of Rome, relented and broke off the siege. The Volsci eventually returned to attack Rome, and were joined by an army of the Aequi. However the Aequi refused to accept the leadership of Aufidius, and as a result a dispute broke out and the two armies fought, diminishing the strength of each of them such that they were no longer a threat to Rome.
Ongoing hostilities from 485 BC
The Volsci and the Aequi were together defeated again in 485 BC. The consul
Quintus Fabius Vibulanus incurred the anger of the plebs by lodging the spoils of victory with the ''
publicum''.
Again in 484 BC hostilities with the Volsci and Aequi were renewed. The Romans led by the consul
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 ...
defeated the enemy, and the Roman cavalry slaughtered many in the rout which followed.
The Aequi took up arms again in 482 BC. In 481 BC they laid siege to the Latin town of
Ortona
Ortona (Neapolitan language, Abruzzese: '; grc, Ὄρτων, Órtōn) is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.
In 1943 Ortona was the site of a Battle o ...
, and the Romans raised an army and placed it under the command of the consul
Kaeso Fabius. The Romans met the Aequi in battle, and routed them solely by a cavalry charge. Due to popular discontent amongst the Roman army, both with the
patricians
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
and with Fabius himself, the Roman infantry refused to pursue the enemy. Fabius exhorted them to attack the fleeing enemy, but they refused, and returned to camp. Nevertheless Fabius and the army returned to Rome victorious.
In 479 BC Kaeso Fabius was again consul. The Aequi invaded the Latin territory, and Fabius was assigned an army to deal with the threat. No significant battle was fought, because the Aequi retreated to their walled towns. When word arrived that the other consul
Titus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus
Titus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus (died 463 BC), was consul of the Roman Republic in 479 BC. He held the office with Caeso Fabius Vibulanus.
According to Livy, he was assigned the war with the Veientes, but because of his temerity his army wa ...
was threatened by the Veientes, Fabius took his army to rescue his colleague.
In 475 BC the Aequi together with the Volsci invaded the Latin territory. The
Latins
The Latins were originally an Italic tribe in ancient central Italy from Latium. As Roman power and colonization spread Latin culture during the Roman Republic.
Latins culturally "Romanized" or "Latinized" the rest of Italy, and the word Latin ...
, joined 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 earl ...
but without the assistance of any Roman troops or Roman commander, repelled the enemy and captured a significant amount of booty.
In 471 BC the Aequi again invaded, as did the Volsci. The consul
Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus
Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (513 BCafter 423 BC) was a Roman statesman and general who served as consul six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the gens Quinctia, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome.
He was the son of Luci ...
was given command of the Roman forces against the Aequi. He successfully ravaged the enemy territory. In contrast to his colleague
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
who had offended the plebeians and therefore lost the discipline of his troops, Quinctius suffered no military ill-discipline. Indeed his troops returned to Rome with praises for Quinctius, calling him their 'parent'.
In the following year the Roman consul
Lucius Valerius Potitus again led Roman troops into Aequian territory. He unsuccessfully attempted to assault the Aequian army camp, and instead ravaged the Aequian territory.
Three years later in 467 BC, the Roman consul
Quintus Fabius Vibulanus was sent into the Aequian territory with a Roman army. The Aequi sued for peace, and peace was agreed. However the Aequi broke the peace shortly after by a raid into Latin territory. In 466 BC the consul
Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus led a Roman army into the Aequian territory to continue the war. However an illness through the Roman camp prevented any military engagement.
In 465 BC Quintus Fabius Vibulanus, Roman consul for the second time, was given a special command against the Aequi. He sought to persuade the Aequi to make peace, however the Aequi rejected that offer, and marched to
Algidum Algidum ( grc, Ἄλγιδος) was a town in ancient Italy at the foot of Mount Algidus on the Via Latina.
Geography
It was located near the border between the territory of ancient Latium and the territory of the Aequi.
Architecture
It housed ...
. The Romans were so offended by the Aequian behaviour that the second consul,
Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus
Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (513 BCafter 423 BC) was a Roman statesman and general who served as consul six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the gens Quinctia, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome.
He was the son of Luci ...
, was sent with another Roman army against the Aequi. A battle was fought and the Romans were successful, following which the Aequi retreated to their own territory.
However the Aequi immediately returned to Latium and began pillaging the countryside. News of this fresh attack, at a time when both consuls were still absent from the city, caused panic in Rome. The consul Quinctius returned to the city, and to calm the populace he declared the
justitium
''Justitium'' (derived from the Latin term ''Juris statio'') is a concept of Roman law, equivalent to the declaration of the state of emergency. Some scholars also refer to it as a state of exception, stemming from a state of necessity. It invo ...
and appointed
Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus as
praefectus urbi
The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...
during the consuls' absence. Quinctius and his army then left Rome again, but were unable to locate the enemy to engage in battle. He returned to Rome four days later and declared the justitium concluded. Meanwhile the other consul Fabius successfully ambushed the Aequi and routed them, recovering all the bounty that had been taken from the Latin territory. He then pursued the Aequi into their own territory and ravaged their lands, later returning to Rome with much bounty and glory.
Hostilities continued in 464 BC. The Aequi allied with the Volscian town of
Ecetra (already under Roman rule) against Rome. The Hernici learnt of this alliance, and warned Rome that the Ecetrans had revolted. The Romans also suspected that the Volscian town of
Antium
Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conquere ...
(which included a Roman colony) would also revolt. This suspicion arose because Antium had been defeated by Rome in 468 BC, and many of the chief opponents of Rome from Antium had fled to the Aequi, and had fought with the Aequi against Rome, and had subsequently returned to Antium. The Roman consuls
Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis
Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis was an ancient Roman who, according to Livy, was Roman dictator in 498 or 496 BC, when he conquered the Latins in the great Battle of Lake Regillus and subsequently celebrated a triumph. Many of the coins of the ...
and
Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus summoned the chief men of Antium to Rome to explain their position, but they attended without reluctance and answered sufficiently that they were allowed return to Antium.
The Aequi invaded the Hernican territory, and the Roman consul Furius marched against them. In an initial battle the Aequi were victorious, and the Roman forces were besieged in their camp. The Hernici sent news of the defeat to Rome, and the senate declared the emergency decree, the
senatus consultum ultimum
The ''senatus consultum ultimum'' ("final decree of the Senate", often abbreviated to SCU) is the modern term given to resolutions of the Roman Senate lending its moral support for magistrates to use the full extent of their powers and ignore th ...
(the first recorded occasion of that decree), urging the remaining consul Postumius to take all measures to protect the state. Postumius remained at Rome to levy troops and Titus Quinctius, consul the previous year, was granted command of fresh Roman forces as
proconsul
A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority.
In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...
. The Latin allies, the Hernici, and Antium, were each ordered to provide emergency troops.
Aequian forces were sent to invade Roman territory, and if possible to attack the city. The remaining consul Postumius was sent to meet this new threat and Lucius Valerius, the consul of 470 BC, was left to defend Rome. A justitium was declared for several days.
Meanwhile the Roman forces led by the consul Furius burst forth from their besieged camp and attacked the Aequi. The Roman attack initially succeeded, however the consul's brother
Publius, (who had been consul in 472 BC and was serving as a
legatus
A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...
under his brother's command) led his forces too far from the main Roman force, and was cut off and killed. This led the consul to pursue him, and he was himself wounded and only just rescued from the enemy. The Aequi besieged the Romans in their camp once again, and displayed the head of the consul's brother. But then the proconsul Quinctius arrived with Latin and Hernican forces, and attacked the Aequian army. The besieged Roman army again broke forth from the camp, and the Aequian army was soundly defeated.
Postumius was also successful against the Aequian forces in the Roman territory, and he was joined in the attack by the returning Roman armies of Quinctius and Furius. Livy, relying on
Valerius Antias
Valerius Antias ( century BC) was an ancient Roman annalist whom Livy mentions as a source. No complete works of his survive but from the sixty-five fragments said to be his in the works of other authors it has been deduced that he wrote a chroni ...
gives the number of Romans dead in Hernican territory as 5,300, and 2,400 Aequi killed in the Roman territory plus a further 4,230 Aequians killed fleeing with booty.
The Roman forces returned to Rome. The justitium was ended. The Latin and Hernican troops were returned with much thanks. A force of 1,000 from Antium arrived too late to give assistance and were dismissed. A number of portents were witnessed in Rome at the conclusion of this war, and a solemn festival of three days was declared to appease the gods.
Aequi uprising in 388 BC
In 390 BC a Gaulish war band defeated the Roman army at the
Battle of Allia
The Battle of the Allia was a battle fought between the Senones – a Gallic tribe led by Brennus, who had invaded Northern Italy – and the Roman Republic. The battle was fought at the confluence of the Tiber and Allia rivers, 11 Roman m ...
and then sacked Rome. The ancient writers report that in 389 BC the Etruscans, the Volsci, and the Aequi all raised armies in hope of exploiting this blow to Roman power. According to Livy and
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 ...
, the Aequi gathered their army at
Bolae Bolae or Bola was an ancient city of Latium that was repeatedly mentioned in the early history of Rome. It was likely located in the territory of the modern town of Labico.
History
Its foundation is expressly ascribed by Virgil to the kings of Al ...
. However, the Roman dictator,
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 ...
, had just inflicted a severe defeat on the Volsci. He surprised the Aequian army and captured both their camp and the town. According to
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 ...
, the Aequi were actually besieging Bolae when they were attacked by Camillus. According to Livy, a Roman army ravaged Aequian territory again in 388, this time meeting no resistance. Oakley (1997) considers these notices of Roman victories against the Aequi in 389 and 388 to be historical, confirmed by the disappearance of the Aequi from the sources until 304. Owing to the dispute in the sources, however, the precise nature of the fighting around Bolae cannot be determined. Bolae was a Latin town, but it was also the scene of much fighting between Romans and Aequi, and it changed hands several times. Either an (unreported) Aequian capture followed by Roman recapture, or a failed Aequan siege, are therefore possible.
References
{{reflist
Wars involving the Roman Republic
5th-century BC conflicts
4th-century BC conflicts
5th century BC in the Roman Republic
4th century BC in the Roman Republic