Publius Rutilius Lupus (consul)

For the Roman rhetorician, see Publius Rutilius Lupus (rhetorician).

Publius Rutilius Lupus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 90 BC.

The Social Wars broke out during his consulship. His colleague, Lucius Julius Caesar was sent out to face the Samnites, while Lupus was to fight the Marsi. He chose Gaius Marius as his legate. Marius advised him to train his inexperienced troops more before meeting the enemy in battle, but Rutilius ignored this advice. Rutilius advanced and divided his troops with Marius in order to build two bridges to cross the river Liris. The Marsic commander, Titus Vettius Scato, was encamped on the other side. He placed the main body of his troops near the bridge of Marius and sent a smaller detachment to lie in wait near Lupus's bridge. The following morning, Rutilius fell into the trap and lost most of his army, some 8,000 men; he himself received a fatal wound to the head. Marius noticed bodies floating down the river and so crossed and captured the poorly defended enemy camp. The battle was fought on the feast of Matralia: 11 June.[1]

Post-classical legend sees him as a progenitor of the Stirpe Luporum, the Italian noble families of Lupi's and Serlupi's.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, William (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. 2. Boston, Little. p. 840.

Primary Sources

Political offices
Preceded by
Sextus Julius Caesar and Lucius Marcius Philippus		 Consul of the Roman Republic
with Lucius Julius Caesar
90 BC 		Succeeded by
Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo and Lucius Porcius Cato
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