Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus
Encyclopedia
Quintus Fabius Maximus Eburnus (fl. 2nd century BC) was a Roman statesman of the patrician gens
Fabia
. He was consul
in 116 BC.
himself. Two of his paternal uncles—Gnaeus Servilius Caepio and Quintus Servilius Caepio—served as consuls in 141 and 140 successively. His first cousin was Quintus Servilius Caepio
, consul in 106 BC and the co-commander at Arausio in 105. (This Caepio was paternal grandfather of Caesar's lover Servilia
).
in 132, serving in Sicily under his father-in-law Publius Rupilius
, who was a consul that year. Eburnus was held responsible for losing control of the city of Tauromenium to the slave uprising
, and he was sent back to Rome "in disgrace" even though the Roman siege eventually succeeded. A considerable gap in his career followed.
He held the praetor
ship no later than 119 BC, when he may have been the Fabius Maximus who presided as praetor
over the court in which Lucius Licinius Crassus
prosecuted Gaius Papirius Carbo. The charge is unclear: extortion, perhaps under the Lex Acilia de repetundis, or laesa maiestas, an offense against the dignity of the state, have both been proposed. Carbo was convicted, and committed suicide.
Eburnus was elected consul
for 116 with Gaius Licinius Geta. He seems to have been the proconsul
of Macedonia
recorded as sending a letter to the Dymaeans, and if the identification is correct, he would have served 115–114 BC. In 113, either he or Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus
was the diplomatic legate
send to Crete
.
In 108, he was censor with his co-consul, though as with some of his other offices, Allobrogicus has also been proposed as the Q. Fabius Maximus who served. The censors of this year reappointed Marcus Aemilius Scaurus as princeps senatus
.
, he condemned to death one of his sons for "immorality" or "unchastity". For this he was reviled, and accused by Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (possibly the consul of 89 BC) for having exceeded the limits of patria potestas. Eburnus went into exile in Nuceria.
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...
Fabia
Fabius
The gens Fabia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Rome. The gens played a prominent part in history soon after the establishment of the Republic, and three brothers are said to have been invested with seven successive consulships, from BC 485 to 479...
. He was consul
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...
in 116 BC.
Family
Eburnus was the son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus, consul in 142 BC, himself adopted from the gens Servilia into the gens Fabia, allegedly by one of the two adoptive sons of Fabius MaximusFabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Cunctator was a Roman politician and general, born in Rome around 280 BC and died in Rome in 203 BC. He was Roman Consul five times and was twice Dictator in 221 and again in 217 BC. He reached the office of Roman Censor in 230 BC...
himself. Two of his paternal uncles—Gnaeus Servilius Caepio and Quintus Servilius Caepio—served as consuls in 141 and 140 successively. His first cousin was Quintus Servilius Caepio
Quintus Servilius Caepio
Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder was a Roman statesman and general, consul in 106 BC, and proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul in 105 BC. He was the father of Quintus Servilius Caepio the Younger and the grandfather of Servilia Caepionis....
, consul in 106 BC and the co-commander at Arausio in 105. (This Caepio was paternal grandfather of Caesar's lover Servilia
Servilia
Servilia may refer to:Members of the Roman gens Servilia, including*Servilia , wife of Quintus Lutatius Catulus*Servilia Caepionis , mistress of Caesar and mother of his assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus...
).
Career
Eburnus may have been a monetalis around 134 BC. He was most likely the Q. Fabius Maximus who was quaestorQuaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
in 132, serving in Sicily under his father-in-law Publius Rupilius
Publius Rupilius
Publius Rupilius, Roman statesman, consul in 132 BC. During the inquiry that followed the death of Tiberius Gracchus, conducted by himself and his colleague Popillius Laenas, he proceeded with the utmost severity against the supporters of Gracchus. In the same year he was despatched to Sicily,...
, who was a consul that year. Eburnus was held responsible for losing control of the city of Tauromenium to the slave uprising
First Servile War
The First Servile War of 135–132 BC was an unsuccessful rebellion of slaves against the Roman Republic. The war was prompted by slave revolts in Enna on the island of Sicily. It was led by Eunus, a former slave claiming to be a prophet, and Cleon, a Cilician who became Eunus's military commander...
, and he was sent back to Rome "in disgrace" even though the Roman siege eventually succeeded. A considerable gap in his career followed.
He held the praetor
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...
ship no later than 119 BC, when he may have been the Fabius Maximus who presided as praetor
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...
over the court in which Lucius Licinius Crassus
Lucius Licinius Crassus
Lucius Licinius Crassus was a Roman consul. He was considered the greatest Roman orator of his day, by his pupil Cicero.He became consul in 95 BC. During his consulship a law was passed requiring all but citizens to leave Rome, an edict which provoked the Social War...
prosecuted Gaius Papirius Carbo. The charge is unclear: extortion, perhaps under the Lex Acilia de repetundis, or laesa maiestas, an offense against the dignity of the state, have both been proposed. Carbo was convicted, and committed suicide.
Eburnus was elected 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...
for 116 with Gaius Licinius Geta. He seems to have been the 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...
of Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
recorded as sending a letter to the Dymaeans, and if the identification is correct, he would have served 115–114 BC. In 113, either he or Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, was a Roman statesman and general.Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, a member of the patrician gens Fabia, was the son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus, consul of 145 BC...
was the diplomatic legate
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...
send to Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
In 108, he was censor with his co-consul, though as with some of his other offices, Allobrogicus has also been proposed as the Q. Fabius Maximus who served. The censors of this year reappointed Marcus Aemilius Scaurus as princeps senatus
Princeps senatus
The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought enormous prestige to the senator holding it.-Overview:...
.
Eburnus and Roman morals
Eburnus's claim to fame was his severity by Late Republican Roman standards. As pater familiasPater familias
The pater familias, also written as paterfamilias was the head of a Roman family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate". The form is irregular and archaic in Latin, preserving the old genitive ending in -as...
, he condemned to death one of his sons for "immorality" or "unchastity". For this he was reviled, and accused by Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (possibly the consul of 89 BC) for having exceeded the limits of patria potestas. Eburnus went into exile in Nuceria.