We’re so thrilled to announce that the artist Flaroh has helped bring Spurius Furius, the Roman with the best name, to life for our new merch line. Her work is incredible and we recommend you check it out!
To celebrate the launch of this new line we thought a little giveaway is in order.
The Prize
We’re giving one lucky fan the chance to win an eco-friendly cotton tote-bag with the new design (valued at $25 AUD)
How to Enter
- Follow us on Twitter (@ p_historians)
2. In one tweet, tell us who your favourite historical character has been from our ‘Founding of the City’ series. Don’t forget to tag us!
- Entries close 25 November 2021 at 5pm AEST.
- We’ll announce the winner via our social media accounts on 2nd December.
- If you’re the winner we’ll DM you via Twitter to confirm the delivery address for your prize!
So, who is Spurius Furius?
The First Spurius Furius
The first Spurius Furius that we encountered was consul in 481 BCE, during a tense moment in the Conflict of the Orders. This Spurius may have been sympathetic to the plebeian cause. However, Rome was being menaced by Veii or some sort of Tyrrhenian force, and our Furius was sent off to deal with Veii… and nothing more is recorded about him. At least, that is the version that Livy runs with. Dionysius sends him against the Aequians, where he becomes the man of the hour, winning a victory and by distributing the spoils of battle amongst his men.
The Second Spurius Furius
It is the second Spurius Furius that really lived up to his name! While consul in 464 BCE, there were some problems in the recently established Roman colony of Antium. Rome’s enemies, the Aequians and some of the Volscians are both causing trouble, and Spurius Furius was sent to fight the former. He is a little over-eager and soon finds himself pinned down and needing a rescue.
Even so, Furius seizes an opportunity to catch the enemy off-guard. In the heat of the battle, his brother became separated from the rest of the army and is cut down. When Furius hears that his brother is in trouble, he turns on all his SPURIUS FURIUS powers and fights his way toward him. He is wounded and would have been killed as well if his men had not managed to pull him back to safety.
Help finally comes in the form of Titus Quinctius and additional forces. In Dionysius, Spurius is SO Furius that he ends up pursuing the enemy once he has recovered for a spell. What a battle!
Spurius Furius pop up only a couple more times in our sources. He is one of the patricians who testifies on behalf of uber-patrician Caeso Quinctius when he is being pursued by the tribune, Aulus Verginius. He tells the people of Caeso’s heroism and how he had helped to rescue him from the very sticky situation against the Aequians. Spurius Furius then fades into the background until 453 BCE, a year of terrible pestilence in Rome. He steps up to serve as suffect consul when the previous office holder dies, only to succumb to the plague himself. Never have Dr G and Dr Rad been so distressed.
Re-live Spurius Furius’ finest:
Please note that this competition is not endorsed, sponsored or administered by Twitter and they are not associated with this contest. Twitter bears no responsibility to entrants or participants.
We have a merch line and educational resources which you can explore here 🙂
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