Marcus Livius Salinator
Encyclopedia
Marcus Livius Drusus Salinator (254 BC – ca. 204 BC), the son of Marcus (a member of the gens
Livia), was a Roman
consul
who fought in both the First Punic wars and Second Punic wars most notably during the Battle of Zama
.
Born in 254 BC, Livius was elected consul of the Roman Republic with Lucius Aemilius Paulus shortly before the Second Illyrian War in 219 BC. After leading a successful campaign against Illyria
ns, he was charged with malfeasance concerning war spoils during a mission to Carthage
and was tried and found guilty upon his return to Rome.
After his removal as consul, he retired from public life for several years, until 210 BC. In 207 BC during the Second Punic War he was again elected consul (supposedly against his wishes) with Gaius Claudius Nero
. Arriving in Narni
, Livius attempted to block the advance of the Carthaginian army invading the Italian peninsula. Encountering Carthaginians near Fanum
in the spring of 207 BC, Livius, reinforced by the army of his colleague Nero, defeated the Carthaginians in the decisive Battle of the Metaurus
, killing their commander Hasdrubal
, the brother of Hannibal.
Following the Roman victory, Livius returned to Rome where he and Nero were awarded a triumph in 206 BC. Livius remained as proconsul
, defending Etruria
(modern day Tuscany
and Umbria
) between 206-205 BC and later Cisalpine Gaul
from 204 BC until the end of the war.
Livius was elected censor
again with Gaius Claudius Nero
in 204 BC. This was marred by constant quarreling with Nero, particularly concerning a salt
tax (inspiring his cognomen
Salinator, which would be adopted by his descendants, including the Roman admiral Gaius Livius Salinator
) as well as his vendetta against those responsible for his trial, continuing until his death several years later. Livius' wife, Calavia, was the daughter of Pacuvius Calavius
, the chief magistrate of Capua
in 217 B.C.
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Livia), was a Roman
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
who fought in both the First Punic wars and Second Punic wars most notably during the Battle of Zama
Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the final and decisive end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated a Carthaginian force led by the legendary commander Hannibal...
.
Born in 254 BC, Livius was elected consul of the Roman Republic with Lucius Aemilius Paulus shortly before the Second Illyrian War in 219 BC. After leading a successful campaign against Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
ns, he was charged with malfeasance concerning war spoils during a mission to Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
and was tried and found guilty upon his return to Rome.
After his removal as consul, he retired from public life for several years, until 210 BC. In 207 BC during the Second Punic War he was again elected consul (supposedly against his wishes) with Gaius Claudius Nero
Gaius Claudius Nero
Gaius Claudius Nero was a Roman consul who fought in the Battle of the Metaurus . He was member of the gens Claudia. He is not to be confused with the Roman Emperor Nero.In 207 BC, the thirteenth year of the war, he was elected consul with Marcus Livius Salinator, and with his colleague he led the...
. Arriving in Narni
Narni
Narni is an ancient hilltown and comune of Umbria, in central Italy, with 20,100 inhabitants, according to the 2003 census. At an altitude of 240 m , it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. It is very close to the Geographic center of Italy...
, Livius attempted to block the advance of the Carthaginian army invading the Italian peninsula. Encountering Carthaginians near Fanum
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
in the spring of 207 BC, Livius, reinforced by the army of his colleague Nero, defeated the Carthaginians in the decisive Battle of the Metaurus
Battle of the Metaurus
The Battle of the Metaurus was a pivotal battle in the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, fought in 207 BC near the Metauro River in present-day Italy. The battle gets a chapter in the classic The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy...
, killing their commander Hasdrubal
Hasdrubal Barca
Hasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
, the brother of Hannibal.
Following the Roman victory, Livius returned to Rome where he and Nero were awarded a triumph in 206 BC. Livius remained as proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
, defending Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
(modern day Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
) between 206-205 BC and later Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul, in Latin: Gallia Cisalpina or Citerior, also called Gallia Togata, was a Roman province until 41 BC when it was merged into Roman Italy.It bore the name Gallia, because the great body of its inhabitants, after the expulsion of the Etruscans, consisted of Gauls or Celts...
from 204 BC until the end of the war.
Livius was elected censor
Censor (ancient Rome)
The censor was an officer in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances....
again with Gaius Claudius Nero
Gaius Claudius Nero
Gaius Claudius Nero was a Roman consul who fought in the Battle of the Metaurus . He was member of the gens Claudia. He is not to be confused with the Roman Emperor Nero.In 207 BC, the thirteenth year of the war, he was elected consul with Marcus Livius Salinator, and with his colleague he led the...
in 204 BC. This was marred by constant quarreling with Nero, particularly concerning a salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
tax (inspiring his cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
Salinator, which would be adopted by his descendants, including the Roman admiral Gaius Livius Salinator
Gaius Livius Salinator
Gaius Livius Salinator, son of Marcus, was a Roman consul of the gens Livia, said to have founded the city of Forum Livii , in Italy, during his consulship in the year 188 BC. He also served as admiral when he was praetor in 191 BC in the war against Antiochus III the Great and defeated his...
) as well as his vendetta against those responsible for his trial, continuing until his death several years later. Livius' wife, Calavia, was the daughter of Pacuvius Calavius
Pacuvius Calavius
Pacuvius Calavius was the chief magistrate of Capua during the Second Punic War. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lake Trasimene, he prevented the people of Capua from surrendering the city to Hannibal...
, the chief magistrate of Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
in 217 B.C.