Quintus Hortensius was an

ancient Roman 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 (753–50 ...

, appointed to the office of

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in time ...

in the year 287 BC. When the people, pressed by their patrician creditors, "seceded" to the Janiculum, Hortensius was made dictator to put an end to the strife. He passed a law (known as the ''

Lex Hortensia The ''lex Hortensia'', also sometimes referred to as the Hortensian law, was a law passed in Ancient Rome in 287 BC which made all resolutions passed by the Plebeian Council, known as ''plebiscita'', binding on all citizens. It was passed by the ...

'') whereby the resolutions of the plebeian assembly (''

plebiscita A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

'') were made binding on all the citizens, without the approval of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

being necessary. This was not a mere re-enactment of previous laws. Another law, passed about the same time, which declared the '' nundinae'' (market days) to be '' dies fasti'' (days on which legal business might be transacted), is also attributed to him. He is said to have died while still in office,Julius Obsequens, ''Periochae of Livy'', 11.11 thus making him one of two dictators to die in office in history, the other being

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

Sources

Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius (c. 125after 180 AD) was a Roman author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome. He is famous for his ''Attic Nights'', a commonplace book, ...

xv. 27 * Pliny, Nat. Hist. xvi. 15 *

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. 16 *

Livy 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 ...

, Epit. ii.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hortensius, Quintus Ancient Roman dictators Hortensii 3rd-century BC Romans 3rd-century BC rulers