Philip Matyszak and Joanne Berry

OF THE ROMANS

With 217 illustrations, 135 in color

-<�;- Thames & Hudson HALF-TITLE Bronze bust of (1616). Decius Mus typified the Augustus, formerly Octavian, warrior aristocracy of the early 27-25 BC. Republic, when Roman leaders FRONTISPIECE Fourth-century were expected to command from mosaic of a house on a lake. the front. PREVIOUS PAGE Bust of Lucius OPPOSITE Romulus and Remus Cornelius Sulla, 138-78 BC. being suckled by the wolf, thought BELOW Decius Mus addressing the to be an Etruscan statue of the sth Legions, by Peter Paul Rubens century BC.

© 2008 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in 2008 in hardcover in the United States of America by Thames & Hudson Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10110 thamesandhudsonusa.com

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2008901001

ISBN 978-o-soo-25144-7

Printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press (Pte) Ltd The Triumph of Quintus Fabius by Samuel Elliot (1849). Fabius celebrated two triumphs, the first in 233 sc after his defeat of the Ligurians, the second in 209 sc after he recaptured Tarentum (which had taken three years previously). Livy claims that Fabius brought back to Rome 30,000 captives and thousands of pounds of gold and silver, but he left behind statues of Tarentum's warrior gods -unlike his rival Marcellus who had stripped the temples of Syracuse in 211 sc.

18 I FABIUS MAXIMUS THE GENERAL WHO DELAYED HANNIBAL

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus was known as 'the Delayer' (cunctator).

Initially intended as an insult, this epithet later became a compliment of the highest order, since his defensive strategy of avoiding direct battle with Han­ nibal's army ultimately led to the salvation of Rome.

Fabius Maximus was born in c. 275 BC into one of the most distinguished patrician families of Rome, the Fabii. His career was thus assured: he would hold the consulship five times, be appointed dictator and achieve the office of

CATO THE ELDER I FABIUS MAXIMUS 61 censor. He was given the cognomen 'Verrucosus' because he had a small wart on his upper lip. According to Plutarch he

was also called ovicula ('lambkin') as a child, due to his gentle nature and because he showed extreme caution even

when playing.

Fabius probably served in the army during the First

Punic War, but his role is unknown. He held the consulship in 233 BC, winning a triumph for his victory over the Liguri­ ans. He went on to be censor in 230 BC and consul again in

228 BC. When Hannibal captured the Spanish city of Sagun­ tum (which was under Roman protection), it was Fabius

who declared war on . He then advised the

Romans to caution, noting the small size of Hannibal's army and believing that its strength would burn out on its own. He was ignored, and the Romans suffered a crushing defeat at Lake Tr asimene in 217 BC. In the aftermath of this disaster Fabius was named dictator by the Senate. As dicta­ tor he had command of the Roman armies, and he kept them close to Hannibal, without directly engaging him, and adopted a scorched earth policy, so that Hannibal was prevented from gathering supplies. This strategy was highly effective yet extremely unpopular at Rome and even among Fabius' officers. His second-in-command openly called him a coward, 'In one fold here, I hold peace, and in the other I hold war- which disobeyed him and attacked Hannibal, but Hannibal had anticipated the shall I let fall?' Tiepolo's painting assault. Fabius was forced to march to the rescue of his irresponsible officer. of Quintus Fabius Maximus delivering his ultimatum before the When Fabius' term as dictator ended, the consuls resumed military senate of Carthage on the eve of command; after the elections of the following year, the new consuls met Han­ the . (Painted c. 1730, now in the Hermitage nibal in pitched battle at Cannae. Their losses were enormous, and almost Museum, St Petersburg.) brought the Roman state to its knees. Once more the people turned to Fabius for salvation, as Plutarch informs us: 'For when the people had felt secure, it was Fabius who had appeared to be cautious and timid, but now, when all others were giving way to boundless grief and helpless bewilderment, he was the only man to walk the streets with a resolute step, a serene expression, and a kindly voice.' Calm was restored at Rome. The people sent two generals into the field: Fabius, who was known as the 'Shield of Rome', and Marcellus, the 'Sword of Rome'. The first harried Hannibal without engaging him, the second exhausted him with frequent battles. Together they proved Rome's salvation.

62 FROM ITALIANS TO ROMANS The people of Rome elected Fabius' on (of the same name) con ul in

213 BC. To see if he was worthy of that honour, Fabius mounted his horse and rode towards the young man, a direct affront. The new consul ordered Fabius to dismount and approach on foot. The crowd were outraged at this insult to the elder Fabius, but Fabiu himself leaped from the horse and embraced his son for understanding the dignity of his new office.

Fabius' only other military intervention came in 209 BC when, as consul once more, he retook the city of Tarentum. In the meantime, another general had been sent to Spain. drove the Carthaginians from that country and on his return to Rome proposed that the fight should be taken to

Carthage itself. Only Fabius opposed him, accusing Scipio of hot-headed­ ne s. His opposition was to no avail, however. Scipio crushed Carthage.

Fabius Maxim us did not live to hear of the triumph of his rival. He sick­ ened and died in 203 BC, at about the same time that Hannibal finally sailed from Italy. Every Roman citizen contributed towards the cost of his funeral

'because they felt that they were burying the father of the people'.

Fabius Maximus was one of Rome's greatest heroes, immortalized by

Virgil in the Aeneid: 'You are Fabius the greatest of them, Maximus, the only

Roman who can give us back success by inactivity.' His legacy can be seen today. The 'Fabian Strategy' is the military strategy by which pitched battles are avoided in favour of wearing down an opponent by attrition. 'The Fabian

Society' in Britain is so named because it seeks to use this technique to create a socialist society through gradual change.

FABIUS MAXIMUS I CLAUDIUS MARCELLUS 63