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 Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus while he was entering Lusitania in the search of Viriathus.[1] While it is generally agreed that they commanded Lusitanian forces,[1] their nationality is disputed due to their ostensibly Roman names. It has been argued they might have been either Romanized Iberians[1][2] or Roman deserters who had adopted local tribal customs.[2][3] Their relation to Viriathus is also a blurred matter. Oral tradition have them serving as lieutenants to the Lusitanian leader,[4] but it is more likely they were independent rebels from the lands south of the Tajo river,[2] inspired by but not affiliated to Viriathus.[3] In any case, the large size of their forces is considered proof that they were authentic military commanders and not mere bandits.[5]

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
  1. Luciano Pérez Vilatela (2000). Lusitania: historia y etnología (in Spanish). Real Academia de Historia. ISBN 978-84-895126-8-9.
  2. Julián de Francisco Martín (1996). Conquista y romanización de Lusitania (in Spanish). Universidad de Salamanca. ISBN 978-84-748183-6-9.
  3. Jean Gérard Gorges, Trinidad Nogales Basarrate (2000). Sociedad y cultura en Lusitania romana: IV mesa redonda internacional (in Spanish). Casa de Velázquez. ISBN 978-84-767156-0-4.
  4. Francisco Javier Manuel de la Huerta y Vega (1606). Anales de el Reyno de Galicia: tomo primero (in Spanish). Biblioteca Complutense.
  5. Benjamín Collado Hinarejos (2018). Guerreros de Iberia: La guerra antigua en la península Ibérica (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 978-84-916437-9-1.
  6. Juan Luis García Alonso (2014). Continental Celtic Word Formation: The Onomastic Data (in Spanish). Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca. ISBN 978-84-901238-3-6.
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