Appius Claudius Crassus

Appius Claudius Crassus ( 403 BC) was a consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 403 BC. Career Claudius held the imperium in 403 BC as one of six consular tribunes. He shared the office with Manius Aemilius Mamercinus. Marcus Quinctilius Varus, Lucius Valerius Potitus. Lucius Julius Iulus and Marcus Furius Fusus. The college, with the exception of Aemilius and Valerius, were all first time consulars. Livy, when writing of this college, incorrectly includes the two censors Marcus Furius Camillus and Marcus Postumius Albinus Regillensis into the consular college. The year saw the continuation of the war started in 406 against the Veii with all consulars leading armies against the Veii, with the exception of Claudius who remained in Rome. The long years of war and new payments towards the soldiers seems to have strained the economy of Rome and the two censors, Camillus and Postumius imposed new taxes targeting bachelors and orphans. During his tribuneship Claudius succeeded with passing a law which gave the tribunes of the plebs the possibility of vetoing each other. Claudius, in the words of Livy, gives a passionate and well-reasoned speech towards the tribunes, but the speech has striking similarities to other speeches described by Livy and shares many anecdotes and speech-patterns with that of Cicero, whom it is known Livy had read and studied. This episode is most likely an addition by Livy to "spice up" the story and the whole character of Claudius is of some historical uncertainty. In 362 BC, about 40 years after his tribuneship, Claudius was appointed as a dictator when the consul, Lucius Genucius Aventinensis, was defeated and killed by the Hernici. Claudius as dictator he won a costly victory against the Hernici. There is a possibility that he was awarded a triumph for this victory, although this is doubted by Broughton and Degrassi. It is unknown who acted as magister equitum during this dictatorship and it is only kept in the Fasti Capitolini as SCA.U.LA, possibly identifying him as Publius Cornelius Scapula, consul in 328 BC, but this identification is rejected by Broughton and Degrassi. A secondary (equally doubtful) identification is that of Mucius Scaevola, an otherwise unattested individual.