Quintus Fabius Ambustus (flourished early 4th century BC) was a military leader of the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
, and the son of
Marcus Fabius Ambustus. In 390 BC, when his father was
pontifex maximus, he and his two brothers,
Numerius and
Caeso, were sent as emissaries to a Gaulish army besieging
Clusium
Clusium ( grc-gre, Κλύσιον, ''Klýsion'', or , ''Kloúsion''; Umbrian:''Camars'') was an ancient city in Italy, one of several found at the site. The current municipality of Chiusi ( Tuscany) partly overlaps this Roman walled city. The R ...
. Instead of entering into negotiations, however, the three Fabii gathered their forces and aided the citizens of Clusium in an attack against the Gauls, in which Quintus Fabius himself was said to have killed one of the Gaulish leaders.
Outraged, the Gauls demanded that the senate hand over the three brothers for violating "the law of nations". Instead, all three were honored by election as
consular tribune
A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called " Conflict of the ...
s. Further incensed, the Gauls marched on Rome, defeated the Roman Army in the
Battle of the 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 ...
, and sacked the city. In 389 BC he was supposed to have been prosecuted for his actions at Clusium, but died before the trial could take place.
Many scholars believe the entire story of the events at Clusium to be fiction, as Clusium had no real reason to appeal to Rome for help, and the Gauls needed no real provocation to sack Rome. The story, it is hypothesized, exists to provide an explanation for an otherwise unmotivated attack on Rome, and to depict Rome as a bulwark of Italy against the Gauls.
In popular culture
Quintus Fabius Ambustus was played by
Tony Kendall in the 1963 film ''
Brennus, Enemy of Rome''.
See also
*
Ambustus, for other men with the same ''
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
''
*
Fabius Ambustus
Fabius Ambustus was a name used by ancient Roman men from a branch of the ''gens Fabia'', including:
* Quintus Fabius Ambustus, consul 412 BC; son of Quintus, grandson of Marcus
* Caeso Fabius Ambustus Caeso Fabius Ambustus was a four-time consu ...
, for other men who used the same combination of ''
gens
In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...
'' name and ''cognomen''
*
Fabia gens Fabia may refer to:
* Fabia gens, an ancient Roman family
* Fabia, the daughter of Marcus Fabius Ambustus (consular tribune 381 BC)
* Fabia (given name), an Italian feminine given name derived from masculine Fabio
* Fabia Arete, Roman actress
* ...
, for a comprehensive list of ''gens'' members
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabius Ambustus, Quintus
Roman consular tribunes
Fabii Ambusti
4th-century BC Romans
4th-century BC diplomats