Political Power in Mid-Republican Rome case relyon the traditions about them,or(if we can, to anydegree) these
menarealmostallrepresentedasconspicuouslyplebeianleaders.In,for
example,therewasC.Poetilius,oneofthemostprominentearlyplebeian
consuls(,,),andastribunustheauthorofalawrestrictingcanvass-
ingtotheForum(Livy,,);in,C.Marcius(RutiliusCensorinus),the
authorofalawonthepopularelectionofmilitarytribunes,consulin;in
,P.Sempronius(Sophus?),consul;in,Q.Ogulnius,jointauthor
ofthemajorlawonplebeianpriesthoods,consulin;in,M’.Curius
Dentatus,associatedwithasteptosecurepriorauthorizationbythesenate
(patrum auctoritas)beforeelections,consul,;in,M.Fulvius(Flac-
cus),whoisrecordedashavingprotestedagainsttheexecutionofCampa-
nianmutineerscapturedinRhegiumonthegroundsthattheywereRoman
citizens(ValeriusMaximus,,),consulin.Itissurelyworthstress-
ing that M. Fulvius (Flaccus) is in fact the earliest consul in the historyof
Romewho is recorded as such in contemporarydocumentaryevidence. It
consists of two fragmentary but evidently identical inscriptions from the
basesofstatueserectedbyhiminthearea sacraofS.OmobonointheForum
BoariumafterhiscaptureofVolsinii:theyoriginallyread‘‘M.Folvio,sonof
Quint(o?),consul,dedicated(it)afterVolsiniihadbeencaptured’’(.
.. . . );seeM.TorelliinRoma Medio Repubblicana
(),–,andnowF.Coarelli,Il Foro Boario(),–.
Archaeological evidence is bound to be to a certain extent a matter of
luck. But the erection of this early victory monument, inscribed with his
ownname,intheForumBoariumbyaconsulwhoseonlyknownprevious
officewasastribuneoftheplebscannotbewithoutsignificance.Itperhaps
deservedamentionatthebeginningoftheinterestingbookbyC.Pietilä-
Castrén,Magnificentia Publica: The Victory Monuments of the Roman Generals in
the Era of the Punic Wars().Weshouldrecallthatitwasthetwoconsuls
of this year who, according to Polybius, persuaded the People, against the
willoftheSenate,tointerveneinSicily.Onlyone(AppiusClaudius)gained
that province, and it seems certain that he won no triumph for his pains.
Buttheconnectionofpopulismwithimperialismisclearenough.Thereis
alsoanothercoincidence,oftimeandplace:foritwasinthisconsulship,in
the Forum Boarium, that the first-ever gladiatorial show on the occasion
ofafuneralwasputonfortheentertainmentofthePeople(Livy,Epit.;
ValeriusMaximus,,;G.Ville,La gladiature en Occident[],).
FinallythereisC.Flaminius,tribuneoftheplebsin,praetorin—
thefirsttohaveSicilyashisprovince—consulinand,censorin.
Inthiscaseitissuperfluoustoarguethecaseforhisroleasachampionofthe
plebs,sincethetraditionisunanimousandemphatic.TheCircusFlaminius