Episode Details

The Fall of Veii is finally upon us – or perhaps we should say it was finally upon them! After a shameful defeat early in 396, the Romans decided to appoint a dictator. It is time for a Republican hero to burst into the spotlight. Welcome to the stage, Marcus Furius Camillus!

Episode 159 – The Fall of Veii: Part II

A Hero is Born

Camillus is a legendary figure of Rome, possibly in more ways than one. He was held up as an exemplar for generations. Even the emperor Augustus was a fangirl. We have mentioned him before, but it is his service as dictator during the siege against Veii where we get to see him shine for the first time.

Bronze Sculpture of Marcus Furius Camillus ca. 1st century AD from the Capitoline Museum. Courtesy of Ancient Times Blog Spot.

The Fall of Veii

The appointment of Camillus restored a sense of optimism to Rome and people were literally queuing up to serve under him. With suspicious ease, Camillus dealt with Veii’s allies, the Faliscans and Capenates, before turning his attention to breaking the siege once and for all. Through clever use of tunnels and military distractions, the Romans defeated their enemy – at last!

Rome has been engaged in almost constant warfare with neighbouring towns and cities for an exceptionally long time, but it is hard to overstate the importance of this conquest. Not only was Veii a wealthy and serious rival, but this acquisition also doubled the size of Rome’s territory. To quote Camillus as he surveyed the battlefield, “Cha-ching!”

However, Camillus made some promises to the gods both before and after this final battle, promises that will have various impacts for our hero and for Rome….  

Stay tuned for the next instalment on 396 BCE!

Things to Look Out For:

• The ongoing presence of the vanilla bean plebeian, Publius Licinius Calvus Esquilinus
• A bootylicious face-off between Licinius Calvus and Appius Claudius
• The resurgence of Mater Matuta
• Allusions to the Trojan War
• The discovery of the ancient version of BDE (BRME – Big Roman Masculine Energy)
• Livy constructing history before our very eyes!

Our Players for 396 BCE

Military Tribunes with Consular Power

• L. Titinius L. f. M. n. Pansa Saccus Mil Tr. c. p. 400
• P. Licinius P. f. P. n. Calvus Esquilinus Mil. Tr. c .p. 400
• P. Manlius Sp. f. C. n. Capitolinus Mil Tr. c. p. 400
• Q. Manlius A. f. Cn. n. Vulso Capitolinus? (Pat)
• Cn. Genucius M. f. M. n. Augurinus Mil. Tr. c. p. 399
• L. Atilius L. f. L. n. Priscus Mil Tr. c. p. 399

Dictator

• M. Furius L. f. Sp. n. Camillus (Pat) Mil Tr. c. p. 401, 398, 394, 386, 3