User:Douglas Coldwell/Sandboxes/76
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cloelia is a figure from the early history of the city of Rome. Modern historians debate whether the story of Cloelia is a genuine historical record or a myth, although the truth of the account was widely upheld by the Romans themselves.
According to Roman tradition, Cloelia was one of the young Roman women given as hostages to Lars Porsenna, king of the Etruscan town of Clusium, as a hostage for peace during the war with Tarquinius Superbus. This war was due to the incident of the raping of Lucretia. Tarquinius was expelled, however secretly plotted to return to power in Rome. Tarquinius request the assistance of Porsenna, king of Chiusi. The Etruscans were held back from crossing the Tiber River by Horatius Cocles and his military. They had defended the Sublician Bridge and prevented them from crossing. Porsenna then came to terms with the Romans out of fear of the plotting of Mucius Scaevola. In the guarantee for peace Porsenna received a group of young women, among them being Cloelia.
Cloelia, however, one night evaded the guards and escaped her captors, swimming across the river Tiber. She took and mounted a horse (for the first time ever) and led many of the other young Roman women to safety. Porsena was furious when he learned of the escape and demanded her back. The very next morning the Roman Senate gathered a large group together. To keep peace, they then issued an order that Cloelia be returned to Porsenna. This was under the peace terms that she be returned later unharmed. Porsenna flabbergasted by the courage and bravery of Cloelia allowed her to return to her family when his troops had left Roman territory. Cloelia returned and stayed with the camp. She was even allowed to select some of the hostages that Porsenna had captured. She selected only very young boys that were exceptionally vulnerable to harm. In so doing this exceptional deed she received an equestrian statue that was for a long time at the highest point on the Sacred Way.
[edit] Sources
- Livy, History of Rome, 2:9-13.
- H.W. Roberts Classical Rome Comes Alive, Libraries Unlimited, 1992, p 33.
- Virginia Brown's translation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s Famous Women, pp. 106-108; Harvard University Press 2001; ISBN 0-674-01130-9
