Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus (consul 464 BC)


Spurius Furius Medullinus Fusus was a Roman politician in the 5th century BC, and was consul in 464 BC, and consul suffect in 453 BC.

Family

Medullinus was the brother of Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus, consul in 472 BC. The cognomina Medullinus Fusus has been reconstructed from multiple sources. Dionysius of Halicarnassus gives the praenomen Servius in place of Spurius. Medullinus was the father of Lucius Furius Medullinus.

Biography

In 464 BC, he was elected consul with Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis. The two consuls led separate campaigns against the Aequi, Medullinus in Hernician territory. In an initial battle the Aequi were victorious, and the Roman forces led by Furius were besieged in their camp. Later Furius led his troops in a sortie. They burst forth from their besieged camp and attacked the Aequi. The Roman attack initially succeeded, however the consul's brother Publius, led his forces too far from the main Roman force, and was cut off and killed. This led the consul to pursue him, and Spurius Furius himself was wounded, and only just rescued from the enemy. The Aequi besieged the Romans in their camp once again, and displayed the head of the consul's brother. But then the proconsul Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus arrived with Latin and Hernican forces, and attacked the Aequian army. The besieged Roman army again broke forth from the camp, and the Aequian army was soundly defeated. The Roman forces led by Quinctius and Furius then assisted the other consul Postumius in driving a separate Aequian force from Roman territory.
In 453 BC a pestilence ravaged Rome. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a Spurius Fusus, was made consul suffect to replace the consul Sextus Quinctilius Varus, who died from the pestilence. Medullinus also died of the pestilence later that year.

Modern sources

Ancient sources

Ancient authors