Titus Aebutius Elva
Encyclopedia
Titus Aebutius T. f. Elva or Helva was the first member of the patrician gens
Aebutia
to obtain the Roman consul
ship, which he held in 499 BC. The following year, he was magister equitum
under Aulus Postumius Albus
at the Battle of Lake Regillus
. He was the father of Lucius Aebutius Elva
, consul in 463 BC.
relates that during their consulship, the town of Fidenae
was besieged, Crustumeria
was taken, and Praeneste
joined the Roman cause. However, there is no report of which actions were undertaken by each consul.
, and as his magister equitum he nominated Aebutius. They marched into Latium, where they met a Latin army under the command of Octavius Mamilius
, the dictator of Tusculum
.
In the course of the battle, Aebutius and Mamilius, both on horseback, charged at one another and inflicted serious injuries. The Tuscan prince was wounded in the breast, and taken to the rear, while Aebutius' arm was so severely injured by Mamilius' lance that he had to withdraw from the fighting, and direct his forces at a distance. The battle ended in a decisive victory for the Romans.
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...
Aebutia
Aebutia (gens)
The gens Aebutia was a Roman gens that was prominent during the early Republic. The family was originally patrician, but also had plebeian branches...
to obtain the Roman 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...
ship, which he held in 499 BC. The following year, he was magister equitum
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
under Aulus Postumius Albus
Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis
Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis was an ancient Roman who, according to Livy, was dictator in 498 BC, when he conquered the Latins in the great Battle of Lake Regillus. Many of the coins of the Albini commemorate this victory of their ancestor, as in the one pictured...
at the Battle of Lake Regillus
Battle of Lake Regillus
The Battle of Lake Regillus was a legendary early Roman victory, won over the Latin League led by the expelled Etruscan former king of Rome. It is usually said to have occurred in 498 BC, but other dates have been proposed, including 499 BC, 496 BC and 493 BC.The battle may be entirely legendary,...
. He was the father of Lucius Aebutius Elva
Lucius Aebutius Elva
Lucius Aebutius T. f. T. n. Elva , son of Titus Aebutius Elva, was consul in 463 BC with Publius Servilius Priscus Structus.During their year of office, Rome was swept by a great plague...
, consul in 463 BC.
Consulship
Aebutius was elected consul for the year 499 BC, with Gaius Veturius Geminus. LiviusLivy
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...
relates that during their consulship, the town of Fidenae
Fidenae
Fidenae, or Fidenes, home of the Fidenates, was an ancient town of Latium, situated about 8 km north of Rome on the Via Salaria, which ran between it and the Tiber. As the Tiber was the border between Etruria and Latium, the left-bank settlement of Fidenae represented an extension of Etruscan...
was besieged, Crustumeria
Crustumerium
Crustumerium was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber....
was taken, and Praeneste
Palestrina
Palestrina is an ancient city and comune with a population of about 18,000, in Lazio, c. 35 km east of Rome...
joined the Roman cause. However, there is no report of which actions were undertaken by each consul.
Battle of Lake Regillus
For some time, the expectation of war between Rome and the Latins had been growing. The year after Aebutius' consulship, Aulus Postumius Albus was chosen as dictatorRoman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
, and as his magister equitum he nominated Aebutius. They marched into Latium, where they met a Latin army under the command of Octavius Mamilius
Octavius Mamilius
Octavius Mamilius was princeps of Tusculum, an ancient city of Latium. He was the son-in-law of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king of Rome...
, the dictator of Tusculum
Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy.-Location:Tusculum is one of the largest Roman cities in Alban Hills. The ruins of Tusculum are located on Tuscolo hill—more specifically on the northern edge of the outer crater ring of the Alban volcano...
.
In the course of the battle, Aebutius and Mamilius, both on horseback, charged at one another and inflicted serious injuries. The Tuscan prince was wounded in the breast, and taken to the rear, while Aebutius' arm was so severely injured by Mamilius' lance that he had to withdraw from the fighting, and direct his forces at a distance. The battle ended in a decisive victory for the Romans.