Quintus Catius
Encyclopedia
Quintus Catius was an officer (legatus
) of the Roman Republic
during the Second Punic War
.
Catius was plebeian aedile with Lucius Porcius Licinius in 210 BC. Using money collected through fines, they dedicated bronze statues at the Temple of Ceres and presented games (ludi
) that the Augustan
historian Livy
says were quite magnificent for their time.
In 207 BC, Catius was left in charge of the Roman camp at Canusium when his commanding officer Gaius Claudius Tiberius Nero
joined consular
colleague Marcus Livius Salinator
to fight against Hasdrubal. Nero's move was virtually unprecedented; a consul was to fight only within his own provincia
with the troops assigned to him by the senate
, but Nero thought the circumstances justified extreme measures which also gave him an element of surprise. Catius was left to face off against Hannibal, who decided to stay put. This delegation of authority anticipated a highly controversial case two years later concerning an egregious exercise of imperium
under Scipio Africanus
by his legate Quintus Pleminius
; Catius, by contrast, had benefitted from the nearby support of the experienced and respected Fulvius Flaccus, a four-time consul.
In 205, Catius and Marcus Pomponius Matho, who would later become the praetor
in charge of the investigation against Pleminius, were sent as Rome's ambassadors to Delphi
with gifts to dedicate at the temple. These included a 200-pound gold crown and images (simulacra) of the spoils seized from Hasdrubal, amounting to 1,000 pounds of silver. This embassy occurred in the context of what Livy characterizes as a sudden attack of religiosity at Rome, which in addition to a consultation with the Sibylline books
resulted most famously in the importation of the cult of Cybele
to Rome.
Catius and Matho received favorable omens when they sacrificed to Pythian Apollo at Delphi. The question posed by the Roman ambassadors goes unrecorded, but the oracle responded with what was probably already a safe prediction: "The Roman people
will soon have a victory much greater than that from whose spoils you have brought gifts." This was taken as confirmation of Scipio's desire to operate in Africa.
The Catii were an obscure family; the only other member to attain prominence during the Republic was Gaius Catius Vestinus, a military tribune
in 43 BC under Marcus Antonius
.
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
) of the Roman Republic
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...
during the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
.
Catius was plebeian aedile with Lucius Porcius Licinius in 210 BC. Using money collected through fines, they dedicated bronze statues at the Temple of Ceres and presented games (ludi
Ludi
Ludi were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people . Ludi were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also presented as part of the cult of state.The earliest ludi were horse races in the circus...
) that the Augustan
Augustan literature (ancient Rome)
Augustan literature is the period of Latin literature written during the reign of Augustus , the first Roman emperor. In literary histories of the first part of the 20th century and earlier, Augustan literature was regarded along with that of the Late Republic as constituting the Golden Age of...
historian Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
says were quite magnificent for their time.
In 207 BC, Catius was left in charge of the Roman camp at Canusium when his commanding officer Gaius Claudius Tiberius 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...
joined consular
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
colleague Marcus Livius Salinator
Marcus Livius Salinator
Marcus Livius Drusus Salinator , the son of Marcus , was a Roman consul who fought in both the First Punic wars and Second Punic wars most notably during the Battle of Zama....
to fight against Hasdrubal. Nero's move was virtually unprecedented; a consul was to fight only within his own provincia
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
with the troops assigned to him by the senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
, but Nero thought the circumstances justified extreme measures which also gave him an element of surprise. Catius was left to face off against Hannibal, who decided to stay put. This delegation of authority anticipated a highly controversial case two years later concerning an egregious exercise of imperium
Imperium
Imperium is a Latin word which, in a broad sense, translates roughly as 'power to command'. In ancient Rome, different kinds of power or authority were distinguished by different terms. Imperium, referred to the sovereignty of the state over the individual...
under Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
by his legate Quintus Pleminius
Quintus Pleminius
Quintus Pleminius was a propraetor in 205 BC. He was given command over Locri in Bruttium by Scipio Africanus after its recapture, considered the "outstanding event" in Sicilian operations that year...
; Catius, by contrast, had benefitted from the nearby support of the experienced and respected Fulvius Flaccus, a four-time consul.
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in charge of the investigation against Pleminius, were sent as Rome's ambassadors to Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
with gifts to dedicate at the temple. These included a 200-pound gold crown and images (simulacra) of the spoils seized from Hasdrubal, amounting to 1,000 pounds of silver. This embassy occurred in the context of what Livy characterizes as a sudden attack of religiosity at Rome, which in addition to a consultation with the Sibylline books
Sibylline Books
The Sibylline Books or Libri Sibyllini were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in Greek hexameters, purchased from a sibyl by the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, and consulted at momentous crises through the history of the Republic and the Empire...
resulted most famously in the importation of the cult of Cybele
Cybele
Cybele , was a Phrygian form of the Earth Mother or Great Mother. As with Greek Gaia , her Minoan equivalent Rhea and some aspects of Demeter, Cybele embodies the fertile Earth...
to Rome.
Catius and Matho received favorable omens when they sacrificed to Pythian Apollo at Delphi. The question posed by the Roman ambassadors goes unrecorded, but the oracle responded with what was probably already a safe prediction: "The Roman people
SPQR
SPQR is an initialism from a Latin phrase, Senatus Populusque Romanus , referring to the government of the ancient Roman Republic, and used as an official emblem of the modern day comune of Rome...
will soon have a victory much greater than that from whose spoils you have brought gifts." This was taken as confirmation of Scipio's desire to operate in Africa.
The Catii were an obscure family; the only other member to attain prominence during the Republic was Gaius Catius Vestinus, a military tribune
Military tribune
A military tribune was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion...
in 43 BC under Marcus Antonius
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
.