Curius and Apuleius
Curius and Apuleius were chieftains of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. They were active at the last phase of the Lusitanian War.
Biography
Sources describe them as heading a gang of robbers that fought
In 140 BC, after conquering Baeturia and five other cities, Servilianus marched with his remnant 17,000 soldiers towards and attacked the Cynetes on his path.[5] When he was approaching the Guadiana river, Curius and Apuleius ambushed him with a contingent of 10,000 men, taking him by surprise and stealing his loot.[4][5] However, the Lusitanian victory was ephemeral, as they decided to divide their forces in order for Curius to retreat with the plunders and a large number of prisoners. This allowed Servilianus to recover and initiate a counterattack, in which Curius was killed and the loot was recovered.[4][5] The Romans continued their march through Lusitania, where they would be ultimately defeated by Viriathus and forced to sign a peace treaty.[2]
Etymology
It is traditionally considered they sported Roman names, opening up several theories about their identities.[1][2][3] However, it has been suggested ancient chroniclers might have misunderstood their names and turned them into Roman patronymics.[6] Under this view, "Apuleius" might be a corruption of a Celtic name like the preexistent "Apulus" or "Apanus",[6] while "Curius" would come from "Coutius" or "Curundus".[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-84-895126-8-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-84-748183-6-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-84-767156-0-4.
- ^ a b c Francisco Javier Manuel de la Huerta y Vega (1606). Anales de el Reyno de Galicia: tomo primero (in Spanish). Biblioteca Complutense.
- ^ ISBN 978-84-916437-9-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-84-901238-3-6.