Ancient legends of Roman history . ustoms ofthe period must be considered and also the fact that theleader Fabius is in no wise glorified as in the legend of theCremera. In fact, regarding his carelessness, which causedthe ignominious death of 307 men, Livy remarks that that foul massacre rendered more marked the ignominyof the Roman This last story evidently doesnot spring from a family tradition of the Fabii, nor froma laudatio funebris of the gens. Other elements of the legend of the Fabii seem to derivetheir origin from still more recent events. The seven Fa-bian consuls seem to
Ancient legends of Roman history . ustoms ofthe period must be considered and also the fact that theleader Fabius is in no wise glorified as in the legend of theCremera. In fact, regarding his carelessness, which causedthe ignominious death of 307 men, Livy remarks that that foul massacre rendered more marked the ignominyof the Roman This last story evidently doesnot spring from a family tradition of the Fabii, nor froma laudatio funebris of the gens. Other elements of the legend of the Fabii seem to derivetheir origin from still more recent events. The seven Fa-bian consuls seem to be entirely hypothetical; but it is to benoted that Fabius Rullianus, the famous general of thefourth century, was supposed to have held the suprememagistracies of the State seven times,—five times as con-sul, twice as dictator. Fabius Rullianus, too, was accom-panied by 4000 volunteers,—a number and a circumstancewhich recall the clients of the Fabii at the Cremera,—whichwere by some numbered at precisely 4000. According to. MAP OF ROME, FIDEN^E AND VEII THE FABII 175 one version, the child of the Fabii. who owed his life to hishaving been left at Rome had the prcenomen author worthy of faith, however, declares that the firstFabius to be called Numerius owed such prcenomen to acertain Ottacilius, a rich maternal grandfather from It is sufficient to recall that only in (according to tradition) did the Romans come intocontact with the Samnites. The mention of the distantBeneventum, then, obliges us to think immediately of FabiusRullianus. From what has been said thus far, it does not necessarilyand inevitably result that the entire story of a Roman defeatat the Cremera is false. The very confession of a Romanreverse, rather than the boast of a victory, should weighin favor of its credibility. But even laying aside such con-siderations, the excellent topographical studies of Richterdemonstrate, I think, that the legend has as a foundationr
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