Curius and Apuleius were chieftains of the

Lusitanians The Lusitanians ( la, Lusitani) were an Indo-European speaking people living in the west of the Iberian Peninsula prior to its conquest by the Roman Republic and the subsequent incorporation of the territory into the Roman province of Lusitania ...

, a proto- Celtic tribe from western

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: His ...

. They were active at the last phase of the

Lusitanian War The Lusitanian War, called ''Pyrinos Polemos'' ("the Fiery War") in Greek, was a war of resistance fought by the Lusitanian tribes of Hispania Ulterior against the advancing legions of the Roman Republic from 155 to 139 BC. The Lusitanians rev ...

Biography

Sources describe them as heading a gang of robbers that fought Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus while he was entering Lusitania in the search of

Viriathus Viriathus (also spelled Viriatus; known as Viriato in Portuguese and Spanish; died 139 BC) was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hispania (as the Romans called it) or ...

. While it is generally agreed that they commanded Lusitanian forces, their nationality is disputed due to their ostensibly Roman names. It has been argued they might have been either Romanized Iberians or Roman deserters who had adopted local tribal customs. Their relation to Viriathus is also a blurred matter. Oral tradition have them serving as lieutenants to the Lusitanian leader, but it is more likely they were independent rebels from the lands south of the

Tajo The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to ...

river, inspired by but not affiliated to Viriathus. In any case, the large size of their forces is considered proof that they were authentic military commanders and not mere bandits. In 140 BC, after conquering Baeturia and five other cities, Servilianus marched with his remnant 17,000 soldiers towards and attacked the Cynetes on his path. When he was approaching the

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

river, Curius and Apuleius ambushed him with a contingent of 10,000 men, taking him by surprise and stealing his loot. However, the Lusitanian victory was ephemeral, as they decided to divide their forces in order for Curius to retreat with the plunders and a large number of prisoners. This allowed Servilianus to recover and initiate a counterattack, in which Curius was killed and the loot was recovered. The Romans continued their march through Lusitania, where they would be ultimately defeated by Viriathus and forced to sign a peace treaty.

Etymology

It is traditionally considered they sported Roman names, opening up several theories about their identities. However, it has been suggested ancient chroniclers might have misunderstood their names and turned them into Roman

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...

s. Under this view, "Apuleius" might be a corruption of a Celtic name like the preexistent "Apulus" or "Apanus", while "Curius" would come from "Coutius" or "Curundus".

Notes

{{reflist 143 BC Lusitanians Celtic warriors Spanish rebels Year of birth unknown

Biography

Etymology

See also

Notes