Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus (consular tribune 415 BC)

Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus was a consular tribune in 415 and 405 BC of the Roman Republic.[1]

Quinctius belonged to the Quinctia gens, one of the oldest and possibly the most influential and powerful patrician gens of the early Republic. Quinctius branch, the Cincinnati, traced their descent from the legendary dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. His father was the son of the dictator and also named Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. No filiations survive in our sources in regards to Quinctius relation to later Quinctia but there is a possibility that his namesake Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 369 BC, is a son or grandson.[2]

Career

Quinctius first held the imperium in 415 BC as one of four consular tribunes. His colleagues in the office were Publius Cornelius Cossus, Numerius Fabius Vibulanus and Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus, with the exception of Fabius all consulars were newcomers to the imperium. The actions of the consulars is little known but there was a proposal by the tribune of the plebs, Lucius Decius, to colonize Bolae which was vetoed by his own colleagues.[3][4][5][6]

Quinctius became consular tribune for a second time in 405 BC as part of a large and experience consular college. His colleagues were Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (a distant relative), Gaius Julius Iulus, Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus, Lucius Furius Medullinus and Manius Aemilius Mamercinus. The consulars continued the war against the Veii that had begun the previous year and succeeded with surronding and besieging the city. This siege, known as the Siege of Veii, would last for ten years.[7][8][9][10]

Conflicting traditions & Lustrum XV

Diodorus Siculus in his Bibliotheca historica does not name Quinctius as one of the six consular tribunes of 405 BC. Diodorus account only includes three names, Capitolinus, Furius and Aemilius but mentions that the college consisted of six members. As other sources are in agreement in regards to the number of consulars and of the remaining three names not listed by Diodorus. It can therefor be assumed that Quinctius should be included among the college of 405 BC.[11]

Quinctius could have been one of the unknown censors who completed the lustrum in between 417 and 404 BC as suggested by the classicist Jaakko Suolahti. Suolahti, drawing from the fact that the census described in 403 is numbered lustrum XVI and counting from lustrum X which was held in 459 BC only gives us four pairs of censors (in 443, 435, 430 and 418 BC), thus a missing lustrum XV. Additionally drawing upon a gap in the Fasti Capitolini from 414 to 410 BC the censorship can likely be placed within this timeframe, with Suolahti leaning towards the year 410 BC. Suolahti's main suggestions for these unknown censors are Spurius Nautius Rutilus and Manius Aemilius Mamercinus but adds Quinctius, as one of a few viable candidates. While Suolahti argues for the existence of these unknown censors and lustrum XV, these possible candidates should be noted, and is noted by the author himself, are simply educated guesses based on the suitability of the candidates to the office and are in the authors words "mere suppositions".[12]

See also

References

  1. Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, 1951, vol i, pp.74, 80
  2. Broughton, vol i
  3. Chronograph of 354 (Casso et Cincinnato)
  4. Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, iv. 49.1-49.6
  5. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica, xiii 34.1, 42.6
  6. Broughton, vol i, pp.74
  7. Chr.354 (Iulo II et Mamertino)
  8. Livy. iv. 61.1-61.2
  9. Diodorus, xiv, 17.1
  10. Broughton, vol i, pp.80
  11. Broughton, vol i, pp.80, note.1
  12. Suolahti, Jakkko. Roman Censors: A Study on Social Structure, 1963, pp.176, 619-620
Political offices
Preceded by
Aulus Sempronius Atratinus
Marcus Papirius Mugillanus
Quintus Fabius Vibulanus
Spurius Nautius Rutilus
Consular tribune of the Roman Republic
with Numerius Fabius Vibulanus
Publius Cornelius Cossus
Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus
415 BC
Succeeded by
Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus
Lucius Valerius Potitus
Quintus Fabius Vibulanus
Publius Postumius Albus Regillensis
Preceded by
Publius Cornelius Rutilus Cossus
Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus
Numerius Fabius Ambustus
Lucius Valerius Potitus
Consular tribune of the Roman Republic
with Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus
Gaius Julius Iulus
Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus
Lucius Furius Medullinus
Manius Aemilius Mamercinus
405 BC
Succeeded by
Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus
Manius Sergius Fidenas
Publius Cornelius Maluginensis
Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus
Caeso Fabius Ambustus
Spurius Nautius Rutilus
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