Marcus Fabius Ambustus (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

360–351 BC) was a statesman and general of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

. He was the son of Numerius Fabius Ambustus. He served as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

three times: in 360, 356, and 354 BC. His consulships occurred during a time in which Rome was reasserting itself following its defeat at the hands of the Gauls in the

Battle of the Allia The Battle of the Allia was fought between the Senones – a Gauls, Gallic tribe led by Brennus (leader of the Senones), Brennus, who had invaded Northern Italy – and the Roman Republic. The battle was fought at the confluence of the Tibe ...

of 387 BC. He defeated the

Hernici The Hernici were an Italic tribe of ancient Italy, whose territory was in Latium between the Fucine Lake and the Sacco River (''Trerus''), bounded by the Volsci on the south, and by the Aequi and the Marsi on the north. History For many y ...

in 356, and

Tibur Tivoli ( ; ; ) is a town and in Lazio, Central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine Hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinus cites Cato ...

in 354, earning a triumph for the latter victory. He further succeeded against the

Falisci The Falisci were an Italic peoples, Italic tribe who lived in what is now northern Lazio, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. They spoke an Italic languages, Italic language, Faliscan language, Faliscan, closely related to Latin. Origina ...

, but was defeated by

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries. Tarquinia was designated as a ...

. As he was absent from Rome when the time came for holding the ''

comitia The Roman assemblies were meetings of the Roman people duly convened by a magistrate. There were two general kinds of assemblies: a '' contio'' where a crowd was convened to hear speeches or statements from speakers without any further arrangem ...

'', the senate, which did not like to entrust them to his colleague, who had appointed a plebeian dictator, and still less to the dictator himself, nominated '' interreges'' for the purpose. The object of the patricians was to secure both places in the consulship for their own order again, which was effected by Ambustus, who seems to have returned to Rome in the meantime. He was appointed the eleventh ''interrex'' in 355, and declared two patricians consuls in violation of the Licinian law (the

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

had been made eligible for the consulship again, over his objections), although he was not successful in his object. He served as ''interrex'' again in 351, and as

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

in 351. There is some disagreement between scholars over whether he ever served as censor, possibly in 358, and as ''

princeps senatus The ''princeps senatus'' ( ''principes senatus''), in English the leader of the senate, was the first member by precedence on the membership rolls of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the ''cursus honorum'' and possessing no ''imperium ...

'' later in life (the two questions are connected, as all ''principes'' prior to 209 BC were ''censorii''). He was possibly the interrex appointed in 340 BC named M. Fabius, other possibilities includes his son, Marcus Fabius Ambustus or another contemporary Fabii, Marcus Fabius Dursuo, consul in 345 BC. He was alive in 325, when his son,

Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus (or Rullus) was a Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician, politician and soldier of the Roman Republic during the fourth and early third century BC. He was the son of Marcus Fabius Ambustus (consul 360 BC), Marcus F ...

, was

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...

Lucius Papirius Cursor Lucius Papirius Cursor (c.365–after 310 BC) was a celebrated politician and general of the early Roman Republic, who was five times consul, three times magister equitum, and twice Roman dictator, dictator. He was the most important Roman command ...

, and fled to Rome to implore protection from the vengeance of the dictator. He interceded on his son's behalf both with the senate and the people.Livy, ''Ab Urbe Condita'' viii. 33 He was also father of Marcus Fabius Ambustus, who also served as Master of the Horse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabius Ambustus, Marcus Fabii Ambusti 4th-century BC Roman consuls Ancient Roman generals Ancient Roman dictators Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown

See also

References