Titus Antonius Merenda was a Roman politician, and decemvir from 450 to 449 BC.

Family

He was part of the ''

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 ...

Antonia Antonia may refer to: People * Antonia (name), including a list of people with the name * Antonia gens, a Roman family, any woman of the gens was named ''Antonia'' * Antônia (footballer) * Antônia Melo Entertainment * ''Antonia's Line'', ori ...

''. It is possible that he was a

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins ...

, since the ''nomen'' ''Antonius'' is found among the plebeians more often than the patricians in this era. He was the father of Quintus Antonius Merenda,

military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone ...

in 422 BC.

Biography

Titus Antonius Merenda was one of the ten members of the Second Decemvirate, presided over by

Appius Claudius Crassus Appius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis (or Crassinus Regillensis) Sabinus ( 471–451 BC) was a Roman senator during the early Republic, most notable as the leading member of the ten-man board (the Decemvirate) which drew up the Twelve Tables o ...

and elected to draft the

Law 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 Hornblow ...

, the first body of Roman law ever written. The Second Decemvirate seemed to be constituted equally by patricians and by plebeians, like Merenda. At the instigation of Crassus, the decemvirs maintained their power illegally for another year, refusing to proceed in the election of consuls. In 449 BC, 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 di ...

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 ter ...

and 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 hist ...

invaded and set up camp under

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 ...

. The Roman troops were divided into two armies in order to fight on two fronts. Merenda received command of the army that fought the Aequi, with three other decemvirs: Lucius Minucius,

Marcus Cornelius Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...

and Lucius Sergius. At the time, Crassus 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 ''De ...

stayed in Rome to assist in the defense of the city, while the four other decemvirs fought the Sabines. The two Roman armies were held in check on each front. The army commanded by Merenda withdrew to

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Classical Rome, 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 dist ...

before he was moved in reply to

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 made a slave by Crassus during a scandalous trial. In light of this, Lucius Verginius had been forced to kill his own daughter. His story provoked a mutiny among the soldiery who then chose ten military tribunes. Under their command, they returned to Rome and occupied the foot of the Aventine before joining with the other army by

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 conceded. Crassus and Spurius Oppius Cornicen remained in Rome, and were imprisoned, but committed suicide during the process. The eight other decemvirs, including Merenda, were sent into exile.

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 styl ...

, ''Roman Antiquities'', XI. 24-43

References

Bibliography

Ancient bibliography

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 ...

, ''

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 ex ...

'' *

, ''Roman Antiquities''

Modern bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonius Merenda, Titus 5th-century BC Romans Ancient Roman decemvirs Ancient Roman exiles Merenda, Titus