Gellius Egnatius

Gellius Egnatius († 295 BC ) was a leader of the Samnites during the third Samnite war .

Life

Gellius Egnatius was probably born in the middle of the 4th century BC. Born in BC. Egnatius became the leader of the Samnites around 298 BC. BC, during the third Samnite war . His opponents in this battle against Rome were Appius Claudius Caecus and Lucius Volumnius Flamma Violens .

After the defeat of the Samnites in the Second Samnite War, the main part of the Samnite army had retreated towards Etruria . The Romans then conquered the Samnite cities ( Murgantia , Romulea and Ferentium ) under Volumnius . Egnatius decided to strike back with his army. 296 BC He recruited an army of Samnites, Umbrians and Etruscans , but this army collapsed because of conflicts between the Samnite and Etruscan warriors. On his second attempt, Egnatius recruited a united army of Samnites , Gauls and Senones , with whom he opposed the Romans in the area of ​​what is now Marche. But he lost the battle of Sentinum in 295 BC. And was killed himself.

The Samnites had thus also lost the last war against Rome .

literature

• Egnatĭus, 1) Gellius . In: Universal Lexicon of the Present and Past . 4., reworked. and strongly increased edition, Volume 5:  Germany – Euromos , Eigenverlag, Altenburg 1858, pp.  492–493 .
• Charles Peter Mason: Egnatius 1. Gellius Egnatius . In: William Smith (Ed.): Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . tape 2 : Ea'rinus, Fla'vius – Nyx . Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1870, p. 5 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).