Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus (died 464 BC) was a Roman politician during the 5th century BC, and was consul in 472 BC.

Family

He was a member of the '' gens Furia'', and was the brother of Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus (consul 464 BC).

Biography

Consulship

In 472 BC he was elected consul with Lucius Pinarius Mamercinus Rufus. During their consulship,

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman Republic, Roman state that was open to the plebs, plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most importan ...

Volero Publilius Volero Publilius was tribune of the plebs in Rome in 472 and 471 BC. During his time as tribune, he secured the passage of two important laws increasing the independence of his office.Broughton, vol. I, pp. 29, 30. Background The tribunes of th ...

proposed a law ('' Rogato Publilia'') that plebeian tribunes should be elected by the

Tribal Assembly The Tribal Assembly (''comitia populi tributa'') was an assembly consisting of all Roman citizens convened by tribes (''tribus''). In the Roman Republic, citizens did not elect legislative representatives. Instead, they voted themselves on legisl ...

; Volero Pubilius proposed this new system so that patricians and their clients would be excluded from the voting, and thus they would lose their influence on such decisions.

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 ...

, ''Roman History'', II. 56

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'', IX. 40-42 During his consulship a Vestal named either Orbinia or Sunia was put to death for the crime of ''

incestum Sexual attitudes and behaviors in ancient Rome are indicated by art, literature, and inscriptions, and to a lesser extent by archaeological remains such as erotic artifacts and architecture. It has sometimes been assumed that "unlimited sexual ...

'' (sexual misconduct). The Vestals were expected to remain virgins; if a woman had lost her virginity, it was sacrilege for her to tend the sacred hearth of Vesta.

, ''Roman Antiquities'', IX. 40.3-4 According to

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

, the "''Lex Pinaria Furia'' of the intercalary month" is ascribed to Furius and Pinarius.

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

, ''Saturnalia'', I. 13.21 It mentions the method by which the dispenser of days could add additional days to the calendar, based on the lunar cycle.

Late career

In 467 BC, after taking 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 ...

an maritime city 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 ...

the preceding year, the Romans had founded a

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

there. Furius was appointed one of three commissioners (''Triumviri agro dando'') together with

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 ...

and

Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus ( 494–486 BC) was a Roman Republican politician and general of the gens Verginia. He served as a Roman consul in 494 BC together with Titus Veturius Geminus Cicurinus. Family Origins Caeliomontanus ...

. They were charged with dividing and distributing the lands of the colony among the first colonists.

, ''Roman History'', III. 1

, ''Roman Antiquities'', IX. 59 In 464 BC, he was given command 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 Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus, then consul, in a war against 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 ...

. The Romans were trapped in their camp. During a sortie Publius led his troops too far from the main Roman force, and was cut off and killed. Spurius sought to help his brother, but was wounded in the attempt. Publius' head was later displayed by the Aequi on a spear.

, ''Roman History'', III. 5.6-11

, ''Roman Antiquities'', IX. 63.5-6

References

Modern sources

Ancient sources

Bibliography

Ancient authors

in ''Romaike Archaiologia'' book 9 *

Titus Livius 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 ...

in ''Roman History'' book 2.

Modern authors

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Furius Medullinus Fusus, Publius 464 BC deaths Year of birth unknown 5th-century BC Roman consuls Medullinus, Publius Ancient Romans killed in action