Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas
| Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas | |
|---|---|
| Consul and Dictator of the Roman Republic | |
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Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas (Latin: Lucius Aemilius L. f. L. n. Mamercinus Privernas) was a Roman statesman who served as the Consul 341 and 329 BC, Magister Equitum in 342 BC, Dictator in 335 and 316 BC, and Interrex in 326 BC.
Family
Lucius Aemilius was the son of Lucius Aemilius L.f. Mamercinus, a Roman Consul in 366 and 363 BC. He belonged to the gens Aemilia, one of the oldest patrician families of Ancient Rome.
Career
In 342 BC, during the dictatorship of Marcus Valerius Corvus, Aemilius served as Magister Equitum. The following year he was elected to his first Consulship with Gaius Plautius Venox Hypsaeus. Gaius Plautius fought victoriously in Priverno and Volsci, Lucius Aemilius traveled to Samnium where he received the regions ambassadors who demanded peace. After the peace was accepted by the Roman Senate, Lucius Aemilius left the Samnium. He a year's salary and rations for three months for his troops. According to Livy, Aemilius was encouraged by his colleagues to resign before the end of his term of office because of the impending Latin War. In 335 BC he was appointed Dictator (dictator comitiorum habendorum causa). In 329 BC Aemilius was again elected Consulship alongside Gaius Plautius Decianus. Aemilius conquered Priverno. For his victory, he was nicknamed Privernas. In 326 BC he was selected as Interrex. In 316 BC he again served as dictator (dictator rei gerundae causa). His primary mission as Dictator was to fight the Samnites.
Bibliography
- Livy, Ab urbe condita libri
- William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. II, Boston, Little, Brown, and Company, 1867.