Titus Veturius Calvinus
Encyclopedia
Titus Veturius Calvinus was a Roman statesman, who held the consulship
in 334 and 321 BC, the latter year during the Second Samnite War
.
As consul in 321, Calvinus and the other consul, Spurius Postumius Albinus
, were defeated by the Samnites at the Battle of the Caudine Forks
where they were cornered in a mountain pass and forced to surrender, after which their army was forced to "march under the yoke," a symbolic gesture of submission to an enemy. After returning to Rome, Postumius suggested that the consuls be handed over to the Samnites for having made a disgraceful peace with them, but the Samnites rejected this offer.
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 334 and 321 BC, the latter year during the Second Samnite War
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
.
As consul in 321, Calvinus and the other consul, Spurius Postumius Albinus
Spurius Postumius Albinus
Spurius Postumius Albinus was a politician of Ancient Rome, of patrician rank, of the 4th century BC. He was consul in 334 BC, and invaded, with his colleague Titus Veturius Calvinus, the country of the Sidicini...
, were defeated by the Samnites at the Battle of the Caudine Forks
Battle of the Caudine Forks
The Battle of Caudine Forks, 321 BC, was a decisive event of the Second Samnite War. Its designation as a battle is a mere historical formality: there was no fighting and there were no casualties. The Romans were trapped in a waterless place by the Samnites before they knew what was happening and...
where they were cornered in a mountain pass and forced to surrender, after which their army was forced to "march under the yoke," a symbolic gesture of submission to an enemy. After returning to Rome, Postumius suggested that the consuls be handed over to the Samnites for having made a disgraceful peace with them, but the Samnites rejected this offer.