Aulus Hirtius
Aulus Hirtius (Latin: [ˈau̯lʊs ˈhɪrtɪ.ʊs]; c. 90 – 43 BC) was consul of the Roman Republic in 43 BC and a writer on military subjects. He was killed during his consulship in battle against Mark Antony at the Battle of Mutina.[1]
Biography
He was a legate of Julius Caesar's starting around 58 BC[2] and served as an envoy to Pompey in 50. It was reported that Hirtius dined with Caesar, Sallust, Oppius, Balbus and Sulpicius Rufus on the night after Caesar's famous crossing over the Rubicon river into Italy on 10 January 49 BC.[3] During Caesar's Civil War he served in Spain; he may have been a tribune in 48, and in 47 was at Antioch. He was a praetor in 46 and governor of Transalpine Gaul in 45. After Caesar's assassination in March 44, Hirtius was deeply involved in the maneuvering between parties. Having been nominated for that post by Caesar, Hirtius and Pansa became consuls in 43.[4] Initially a supporter of Mark Antony, Hirtius was successfully lobbied by Cicero, who was a personal friend,[5] and switched his allegiance to the senatorial party. He then set out with an army to attack Antony who was besieging Mutina. In concert with Pansa and Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus), Hirtius compelled Antony to retire but was slain in the fighting (April 21) at the Battle of Mutina. He was honored with a public funeral, along with Pansa who died a few days later. Hirtius added an eighth book to Caesar's De Bello Gallico. He was formerly thought to be an author of De Bello Alexandrino, though a 2018 computer-assisted stylistic analysis disproves this.[6]
See also
- De Fato, a dialogue by Cicero, where Hirtius is an interlocutor
References
- ↑ "Aulus Hirtius | Roman soldier". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ↑ Cicero. On the Orator: Book 3. On Fate. Stoic Paradoxes. Divisions of Oratory, p. 189. Translated by H. Rackham. Loeb Classical Library 349. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1942.
- ↑ Dando-Collins, Stephan (2002). The Epic Saga of Julius Caesars Tenth Legion and Rome. p. 67. ISBN 0-471-09570-2.
- ↑ Syme, Roman Revolution p. 95. Hirtius was already consul-designate for 43 on the Ides of March, therefore likely a nominee of Caesar's.
- ↑ Cicero, De Fato I
- ↑ Zhang, Olivia R., Trevor Cohen & Scott McGill. “Did Gaius Julius Caesar Write De Bello Hispaniensi? A Computational Study of Latin Classics Authorship”. HUMAN IT 14.1 (2018): 28–58
External links
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- Wikisource templates with missing id
- 90s BC births
- 43 BC deaths
- 1st-century BC Roman augurs
- 1st-century BC Roman consuls
- 1st-century BC writers
- Ancient Roman writers
- Golden Age Latin writers
- Hirtii
- Military personnel of Julius Caesar
- Roman consuls who died in office
- Ancient Roman generals killed in action
- Ancient Roman military writers
- Year of birth uncertain
- People of the War of Mutina