Lucius Aemilius Papus
Encyclopedia
Lucius Aemilius Papus or Lucius Aemilius Q.f. Cn.n. Papus, a member of the patrician gens
Aemilia
of the branch cognominated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman who led the Romans to victory over the Gaul
s in the Battle of Telamon
in 225 BC.
He was the son of Quintus Aemilius Papus, himself the son of Gnaeus Aemilius Papus.
His probable father was Quintus Aemilius Papus
, who had been consul
twice and censor once; if true, he would have been born to a father already in his late fifties to sixties at the very least.
Aemilius Papus was himself consul for 225 BC, with Gaius Atilius Regulus
as his colleague. That year, when the Boii
, Insubres
and Taurisci
of Cisalpine Gaul
enlisted the aid of the mercenary Gaesatae
and mobilised against Rome, Papus was stationed at Ariminum (modern Rimini) to guard against them. Regulus' army was at this time stationed in Sardinia
. A smaller force of Roman allies was stationed on the border of Etruria
under a praetor
, and it was this force that encountered the Gauls first, suffering a defeat at Faesulae
(modern Fiesole
). The arrival of Papus persuaded the Gauls to withdraw along the coast, but they were cut off at Telamon (modern Talamone
) by Regulus, who had crossed from Sardinia to Pisa
and begun to march towards Rome. The Gauls were forced to fight to the front and the rear simultaneously, and despite the death of Regulus the Romans were victorious. Forty thousand Gauls are reported to have died. After the battle Papus marched the army into Liguria
and the territory of the Boii
to conduct punitive actions. For these feats he was awarded the honour of a triumph
.
He was censor in 220 BC, with Gaius Flaminius
as his colleague. In 218 BC he was one of five men sent as a commission to Carthage
following Hannibal's siege of Saguntum
, and in 216 BC he was one of the triumviri appointed to deal with Rome's lack of money during the Second Punic War
.
Aemilius Papus's year of death is unknown, nor is it known if he left any surviving sons who rose to any significant positions. A Marcus Aemilius Papus, maximus curio, died 210 BC, and was perhaps son or an elder brother of this Lucius Aemilius Papus. A Lucius Aemilius Papus was praetor for Sicily in 205 BC and is notable for commanding the first-known patrilineal ancestor of the emperor Augustus
. This man may be the same as the Lucius Aemilius Papus, decemvir sacrorum, who died in 171 BC. The younger Lucius Aemilius Papus may have been the son of the consul of 225 BC.
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...
Aemilia
Aemilius
The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the most ancient patrician houses at Rome. The family was said to have originated in the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, and its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to...
of the branch cognominated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman who led the Romans to victory over the Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
s in the Battle of Telamon
Battle of Telamon
The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Gauls, thus extending their influence over northern Italy....
in 225 BC.
He was the son of Quintus Aemilius Papus, himself the son of Gnaeus Aemilius Papus.
His probable father was Quintus Aemilius Papus
Quintus Aemilius Papus
Quintus Aemilius Papus , a member of the gens Aemilia of the branch cognomated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman....
, who had been 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...
twice and censor once; if true, he would have been born to a father already in his late fifties to sixties at the very least.
Aemilius Papus was himself consul for 225 BC, with Gaius Atilius Regulus
Gaius Atilius Regulus (consul 225 BC)
Gaius Atilius M.f. M.n. Regulus was one of the two Roman consuls who fought a Celtic invasion of Italy in 225 BC-224 BC; he however was killed in battle and beheaded...
as his colleague. That year, when the Boii
Boii
The Boii were one of the most prominent ancient Celtic tribes of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul , Pannonia , in and around Bohemia, and Transalpine Gaul...
, Insubres
Insubres
The Insubres were a Gaulish population settled in Insubria, in what is now Lombardy . They were the founders of Milan . Though ethnically Celtic at the time of Roman conquest , they were most likely the result of the fusion of pre-existing Ligurian, Celtic and "Italic" population strata with Gaulish...
and Taurisci
Taurisci
The Taurisci were a federation of Celtic tribes who dwelt in today's northern Slovenia before the coming of the Romans According to Pliny the Elder, they are the same people known as the Norici...
of Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul, in Latin: Gallia Cisalpina or Citerior, also called Gallia Togata, was a Roman province until 41 BC when it was merged into Roman Italy.It bore the name Gallia, because the great body of its inhabitants, after the expulsion of the Etruscans, consisted of Gauls or Celts...
enlisted the aid of the mercenary Gaesatae
Gaesatae
The Gaesatae were a group of Gaulish warriors who lived in the Alps near the river Rhône and fought against the Roman Republic in the Battle of Telamon of 225 BC...
and mobilised against Rome, Papus was stationed at Ariminum (modern Rimini) to guard against them. Regulus' army was at this time stationed in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. A smaller force of Roman allies was stationed on the border of Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
under a 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...
, and it was this force that encountered the Gauls first, suffering a defeat at Faesulae
Battle of Faesulae
The Battle of Faesulae was fought in 225 BC between the Roman Republic and a group of Gauls living in Italy. The Gauls defeated the Romans, but later the same year, a decisive battle at Telamon had the opposite outcome....
(modern Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
). The arrival of Papus persuaded the Gauls to withdraw along the coast, but they were cut off at Telamon (modern Talamone
Talamone
Talamone is a town in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Orbetello, province of Grosseto, in the Tuscan Maremma....
) by Regulus, who had crossed from Sardinia to Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
and begun to march towards Rome. The Gauls were forced to fight to the front and the rear simultaneously, and despite the death of Regulus the Romans were victorious. Forty thousand Gauls are reported to have died. After the battle Papus marched the army into Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
and the territory of the Boii
Boii
The Boii were one of the most prominent ancient Celtic tribes of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul , Pannonia , in and around Bohemia, and Transalpine Gaul...
to conduct punitive actions. For these feats he was awarded the honour of a triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
.
He was censor in 220 BC, with Gaius Flaminius
Gaius Flaminius
Gaius Flaminius Nepos was a politician and consul of the Roman Republic in the 3rd century BC. He was the greatest popular leader to challenge the authority of the Senate before the Gracchi a century later....
as his colleague. In 218 BC he was one of five men sent as a commission to Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
following Hannibal's siege of Saguntum
Siege of Saguntum
The Siege of Saguntum was a battle which took place between 219 BC and 218 BC between the Carthaginians and the Saguntines. The battle is mainly remembered today because it triggered one of the most important wars of antiquity, the Second Punic War....
, and in 216 BC he was one of the triumviri appointed to deal with Rome's lack of money during the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
.
Aemilius Papus's year of death is unknown, nor is it known if he left any surviving sons who rose to any significant positions. A Marcus Aemilius Papus, maximus curio, died 210 BC, and was perhaps son or an elder brother of this Lucius Aemilius Papus. A Lucius Aemilius Papus was praetor for Sicily in 205 BC and is notable for commanding the first-known patrilineal ancestor of the emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. This man may be the same as the Lucius Aemilius Papus, decemvir sacrorum, who died in 171 BC. The younger Lucius Aemilius Papus may have been the son of the consul of 225 BC.