Quintus Laberius Durus (died August 54 BC) was a Roman military tribune who died during

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

's second expedition to Britain. Caesar describes how soon after landing in Kent, the Romans were attacked whilst building a camp by the native Britons. Before re-inforcements could arrive, Laberius was killed. His burial site is traditionally the earthworks of Julliberrie's Grave near Chilham (which is in fact a Neolithic long barrow).

Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in '' Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), t ...

, in his ''Seven Books of History Against the Pagans'', calls him Labienus, confusing him with Caesar's legate Titus Labienus, who lived to fight against Caesar in the Civil War. The error was perpetuated by

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

and Geoffrey of Monmouth, Geoffrey of Monmouth, '' Historia Regum Britanniae'' 4.3 both of whom refer to a tribune called Labienus being killed in Britain. The latter says he was killed by

Nennius Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...

. Despite his status as a footnote in history, a long modern poem by American poet

Gabriel Gudding Gabriel Gudding is an American poet, essayist, and translator. Life Gudding attended The Evergreen State College, an experimental school in Olympia, Washington, Purdue University and Cornell University. He is Professor of English in the English ...

is dedicated to Laberius ("For Quintus Laberius Durus, Who, Because of a Javelin in His Lungs, Died Near Kent, in Early August, 54 B.C") and appears in his book, ''A Defense of Poetry'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2002). An historical novel, ''Caesar'' (Harper, 1999), by Australian writer Colleen McCullough, also involves him.

References

Ancient Romans involved in Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain Ancient Romans killed in action 54 BC deaths Year of birth unknown Durus, Quintus {{AncientRome-mil-bio-stub