Gaius Sempronius Blaesus (Consul 253 BC)

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Gaius Sempronius Blaesus came from the Roman plebeian family of the Sempronians and was in 253 and 244 BC. Chr. Consul .

Life

According to the testimony of the Fasti Capitolini and Triumphal Acts, both the father and grandfather of Gaius Sempronius Blaesus carried out the prenomen Tiberius . Apart from the warfare in his two consulates - which fell during the First Punic War - nothing is known about his life .

The first time Blaesus held the highest office of state in 253 BC. BC, where he received Gnaeus Servilius Caepio as an official colleague. The two consuls initially sailed to Sicily with a fleet of 260 ships , but they did not succeed in landing at the Carthaginian fortress of Lilybaion on the west coast of the island. Then they set course for North Africa and made smaller military raids along the coast of the Little Syrte , without being able to achieve any major success. Because they were not sufficiently familiar with the sea conditions there, they found themselves on shoals near the island of Meninx. They had no choice but to throw all heavy objects, probably a lot of booty, overboard. This made their ships light enough to be able to continue sailing when the tide returned.

The consuls were now in a hurry to return to Italy. After returning to Sicily without any problems, they anchored off Panormos (today's Palermo ), but on their onward journey to Rome a strong storm caused the sinking of 150 ships in their fleet. These and previous failures induced the Senate to forego further operations at sea for the time being. An alleged triumph of Blaesus handed down from the Triumphal Acts is probably unhistorical.

244 BC BC Blaesus held the consulate for the second time; his counterpart this time was Aulus Manlius Torquatus Atticus . The military conflict between the Romans and the Carthaginians under Hamilkar Barkas over Mount Eryx in Sicily continued.

Sons of Blaesus were perhaps the tribune of the same name from 211 BC. As well as that quaestor Tiberius Sempronius Blaesus , who in 217 BC Died with almost a thousand soldiers on a campaign in Africa.

literature

Remarks

  1. Fasti Capitolini: Gaius Sempronius Blaesus Ti. F. Ti. N.
  2. Zonaras 8:14 .
  3. Polybios 1, 39, 1; Zonaras 8, 14; Diodorus (23, 19) with a strong anti-Roman tendency; Eutropius (2, 23) and Orosius (4, 9, 10), however, with pro-Roman exaggerations.
  4. Polybios 1, 39, 2-4.
  5. Polybios 1, 39, 5-7; Zonoras 8, 14; Diodor 23:19; Eutropius 2:23; Orosius 4, 9, 11.
  6. ^ Sempronius [I 9]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01481-9 , Sp. 387.
  7. Polybios 1, 58, 1-6.
  8. ^ So Friedrich Münzer: Sempronius 28). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II A, 2, Stuttgart 1923, column 1368 f.