Gaius Fuficius Fango or Phango (died 40 BCE) was an Ancient Roman military leader and politician. Originally a common soldier, probably of African origin, he was raised to the rank of senator by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

. When, in 40 BCE,

Octavianus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

annexed

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

and part of

Roman Africa Roman Africa or Roman North Africa is the culture of Roman Africans that developed from 146 BC, when the Roman Republic defeated Carthage and the Punic Wars ended, with subsequent institution of Roman Empire, Roman Imperial government, through th ...

to his share of the triumviral provinces, he appointed Fango his prefect. But his title in Numidia was opposed by

Titus Sextius Titus Sextius ( BC) was a Roman soldier and governor in Africa. Sextius' origins are obscure. He belonged to ''gens'' Sextia and may have been an Ostian. Some of his descendants achieved consular rank and took the cognomen Africanus ...

, the prefect of

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

. Military conflict ensued, and after mutual defeats and victories, Fango was driven into the hills that bounded the Roman province to the north-west. There, mistaking the rushing of a troop of wild buffaloes for a night attack of Numidian horse, he killed himself. In

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

's letters to Atticus,

Marcus Tullius Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, ''Epistulae ad Atticum'' xiv. 10. ''Frangones'' is probably a misreading for ''Fangones'', and refers to Fango.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuficius Fango, Gaius Senators of the Roman Republic Ancient Roman generals Roman governors of Africa Suicides in Ancient Rome 1st-century BC Romans