Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul of 238 BC)

Tiberius Sempronius belonged to the plebeian family Semproniev , first mentioned in consular fasts under 304 BC. e. ^[1] Cognomen Gracchus is either of Etruscan origin, or dates back to the Latin graculus ( jackdaw ) ^[2] . Tiberius Sempronius is the first bearer of this patrimonial nickname from those mentioned in surviving sources ^[3] . His father and grandfather wore the names Tiberius and Guy, respectively ^[4] .

Tiberius Sempronius was first mentioned in sources in connection with the events of 246 BC. e., when he was a plebeian aedile ^[5] . Then a scandalous incident occurred: the patrician Claudius Quinta , the sister of Publius Claudius Pulhra , the culprit of a major naval defeat during the First Punic War , fell into a crush on one of the Roman streets, publicly declared: “Oh, let my brother come to life and lead another fleet to Sicily and will ruin this crowd, so cruelly pushing me, unhappy! ”Gracchus and his colleague Guy Fundanius Fundul brought Claudia to court for these words, accusing her of insulting the Roman people, and sentenced to a heavy fine of 25 thousand bullion coins ^{[6] [ 7]} . With this money, Tiberius Sempronius began the construction of the Temple of Libert on Aventine Hill in Rome ^{[8] [9]} .

In 238 BC e. Gracchus served as consul along with Patrician Publius Valery Falton . There is an assumption ^[10] that it was the consuls of this year who, for the first time in the history of Rome, fought against the ligurs ^[11] . Then the Carthaginian garrison of Sardinia , previously rebelling against the central government, asked the Romans for help. Tiberius Sempronius led the army, which landed on the island and took control of it; the Carthaginians began military preparations to recapture Sardinia, but in response Rome declared war. As a result, Carthage resigned to the loss of the island. From that moment, Sardinia was a province of Rome ^{[10] [12]} .

Pavel Oroziy refers to the consular year of Gracchus and Falton the war with the Falis , the people who lived in the southeast of Etruria : according to him, "15 thousand Falis were killed in that war" ^[13] . Eutropius dates these events 241 year BC. e. ^[fourteen]

Tiberius Sempronius had two sons. One of them, of the same name , was twice a consul (215 and 213 BC); the second, Publius Sempronius Gracchus, is practically not mentioned in the sources; perhaps he died in the Second Punic War . Through Publius, Tiberius Sempronius is the great-grandfather of the Gracchus brothers ^[3] .

Sources

1. Aulus Gellius . Attic nights. Books 1 - 10. - St. Petersburg. : Publishing Center "Humanitarian Academy", 2007. - 480 p. - ISBN 978-5-93762-027-9 .
2. Eutropium. Breviary of Roman history. - SPb. : Aletheia, 2001 .-- 305 p. - ISBN 5-89329-345-2 .
3. Titus Livy . The history of Rome from the foundation of the city. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 2 .-- 528 s. - ISBN 5-02-008995-8 .
4. Titus Livy . The history of Rome from the foundation of the city. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 3 .-- 768 p. - ISBN 5-02-008995-8 .
5. Pavel Oroziy . The story against the Gentiles. - SPb. : Publisher Oleg Abyshko, 2004. - 544 p. - ISBN 5-7435-0214-5 .
6. Guy Suetonius Tranquill . Life of the Twelve Caesars // Suetonius. The lords of Rome. - M .: Ladomir, 1999 .-- S. 12-281. - ISBN 5-86218-365-5 .
7. Fasti Capitolini (neopr.) . Site "History of Ancient Rome". Date of treatment March 19, 2017.

Literature

1. Rodionov E. Punic wars. - SPb. : St. Petersburg State University, 2005 .-- 626 p. - ISBN 5-288-03650-0 .
2. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1951. - Vol. I. - P. 600.
3. Münzer F. Sempronii Gracchi // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1923. - Bd. II, 2. - S. 1369-1371.
4. Münzer F. Sempronius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1923. - Bd. II, 2. - S. 1359-1360.
5. Münzer F. Sempronius 49 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1923. - Bd. II, 2. - S. 1400.
6. Münzer F. Sempronius 50 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1923. - Bd. II, 2. - S. 1400-1401.