4. Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus had been a consul of Rome, but he had retired
to his farm. In 458 BC, the Romans were fighting the Aequi
and the Sabines. The Roman army became trapped. The
Roman Senate decided to elect a DICTATOR to save them.
The Senate chose Cincinnatus.
The Romans hated the idea of a king, but they realized that
sometimes, in times of emergency, it was better for the
state to be led by one strong man. And so, a dictator could be
elected to serve for six months.
5. Cincinnatus
Several senators went to inform Cincinnatus
that he was now the dictator of Rome. The
Roman historian Livy wrote that the
Cincinnatus was plowing on his farm. When
he saw the senators, he went to put on his
toga so that he could hear their news.
6. Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus raised an army. With that
army, he rescued the trapped Roman
army. It took 16 days.
The fasces are a bundle of rods that are
tied with an axe. It was a symbol of
power.
7. Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus had 5 ½ more months to be
dictator. But he had accomplished what needed
to be accomplished, so he resigned the
dictatorship. Very few people are willing to give
up power, so many marvel at willingness of
Cincinnatus to do so. George Washington is
called the American Cincinnatus.
He holds the fasces in one hand,
and the plow in the other.
9. Horatius
Lars Porsenna, the king of Clusium, was
attacking Rome. He had captured much on
the west side of the Tiber, and now he was
ready to cross into Rome itself on the Pons
Sublicius.
The Pons Sublicius
10. Horatius
Horatius was stationed at the bridge. He held off the
Etruscans while his fellow Romans cut the bridge
down behind him. Some say that two other Romans
joined him. As the bridge fell, Horatius jumped into
the Tiber and swam safely to shore. The Etruscans
couldn’t cross into Rome, so they went home!
12. Scaevola
Lars Porsenna was attacking Rome (again). Scaevola slipped
into the Etruscan camp, because he wanted to murder
Porsena. A nicely-dressed man stepped out of a tent.
Scaevola assumed that someone dressed so fancy was the
king, and he killed him. Eheu! It wasn’t the king. Scaevola
was captured and brought before Porsenna.
13. Scaevola
He claimed that there were 300 other Roman youths
ready to assassinate Porsena if he failed. (He lied!)
To show Porsenna how brave (and crazy) he was, he
stuck his right hand in the fire and held it there.
14. Scaevola
Porsenna freaked out. What if there were
300 more Romans this crazy? So he sent
Scaevola away, and he went home. By the
way, it was only then that Scaevola got his
nickname, “Scaevola” – Lefty!
16. Cloelia
The Clusian king, Lars Porsenna, and the Romans made
a treaty. As a part of the treaty, Porsenna took
hostages. Cloelia was one of the hostages. She
escaped the Clusian camp, along with several other
Roman girls. They swam across the Tiber to Rome. But
the Romans sent her back, because that was part of
the treaty’s terms. Porsenna thought Cloelia was so
cool and brave that he allowed her to go free with
some companion. She picked the Roman boys, so that
they could join the fight against Porsenna.
