Bituitus

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Boccace. XVe siècle, BnF
.

Bituitus (

Auvergne region of France. The Arverni were a powerful opponent of the Roman Republic during the 3rd and 2nd centuries under the leadership of Luernius, the father of Bituitus. In 121 BCE,[1] Bituitus was defeated by the Roman general Fabius Maximus, ending the power of the Arverni in Mediterranean Gaul, or present-day southern France. The defeat of the Arverni resulted in the establishment of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis
.

History

In 121 BC, the Roman proconsul

Valence in the south of France, the consul Fabius Maximus, the grandson of Paullus, met them in battle in the autumn of 121 BC. The Romans were greatly outnumbered, yet managed to gain a complete victory. It was estimated that 120,000 of Bituitus' army fell in the battle.[2]

Following his defeat, Bituitus was taken prisoner and sent to Rome, where he was sentenced by the senate to exile in

high-ranking officials, and to have agitated actively in political affairs.[4]

Fabius was awarded the honour of a triumph and given the agnomen Allobrogicus. Unlike the Arverni, who retained independence after the war, the Allobroges were brought under Roman rule at this time. Bituitus, wearing his silver ceremonial armor, was paraded at Fabius's triumph. From the plunder of the Auvergne, Fabius erected his victory arch, the Fornix Fabianus along the Via Sacra, and adorned it with a statue of himself.[5]

Bituitus is the last known king of the Arverni, and later sources, such as

Roman senate
.

References

  1. ^ " Bituitus" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Timothy Darvill. Oxford University Press, 2008.Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. York University. 12 October 2011 [1]
  2. ^ Authors, Various. "Bituitus." Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Ed. William Smith. Vol. 1. London: C.C. Little and J. Brown, 1844. 491+. Google Books. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. [2].
  3. ^ The others were Perseus of Macedon and Syphax of Numidia; Perseus, about whose detention more is known, was allowed to keep his friends, wealth, and lifestyle trappings with him.
  4. ^ David C. Braund, Rome and the Friendly King: The Character of the Client Kingship (Croom Helm, 1984), pp. 168–170.
  5. ^ Authors, Various. "Fabius Q. Amelliani." Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Ed. William Smith. Vol. 2. London: C.C. Little and J. Brown, 1861. 994-95. Google Books. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. [3].