BC) was an important statesman of the Roman Republic, who was active between 315 and 278. He served as a Roman censor between 312 and 308, and then a consul twice, once in 307 and once in 296, dictator c. 285, he also served as a interrex three separate times. Appius Claudius Caecus is an integral part of Roman history due to the fact that he is the first Roman whose life can be traced with historical certainty.
Caecus' political highlight is his time as censor for five years, which was only supposed to last 18 months. During his time as a censor he built the first Roman road (the Via Appia) and the first aqueduct (the Aqua Appia). He also made several obscure constitutional reforms; he changed the organization of Roman tribes and admitted descendants of freedmen in to the electoral rolls. In addition, he was the first censor to draw the list of senators. These reforms massively increased the prestige of the censorship position, which before had only been a minor magistracy.
His reforms did trigger some outrage, as he broke a number of established traditions. Appius embroiled himself in several bitter political feuds, especially with the Fabii (powerful Roman family). Fabius who was the earliest roman historian and a member of the Fabbii family, may have been the source for a significant amount of smear against Caecus, accusing him of being a corrupted, immoral demagogue, and an inept general. Due to the wide divergence in the sources, modern scholars have had very different interpretations of Caecus' deeds: he has been described as a revolutionary, a reactionary, a would-be tyrant, or a great reformer, and comparable to the AthenianCleisthenes.
Caecus belonged to the patriciangensClaudia, one of the most important families of the Republic, which counted prominent men from its beginning and all the way throughout the Roman Empire. His exact relationship with the Claudii of the fifth century is uncertain as there is some doubt on their career, but Caecus was certainly a descendant of Appius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis Sabinus, consul in 495 and semi-legendary founder of the gens.[1] This man's son was perhaps consul in 471 and the leading member of the Decemvirate in 451;[2] his brother was consul in 460,[3] and his son and grandson were respectively consular tribunes in 424 and 403.[4]Livy describes them in a stereotypical fashion as haughty aristocrats with arch-conservative views.[5]
The Claudii were however in decline in the fourth century, and only two of them are recorded before Caecus. Appius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis—Caecus' grandfather—was dictator in 362 and consul in 349; he died during his last office.[6][7] Caecus' father, Gaius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis was dictator in 337, but had to resign immediately because the augurs had found a fault in his appointment.[8][9][10]
His mother is not known, but he had a much younger brother, Appius Claudius Caudex, who became consul in 264, four years after Caecus' elder son. Since Caecus' sons became consuls over a period of 28 years and long after his own time, he probably married at least twice, even though none of his wives are known.[11]
The only information known about Caecus' early career before his censorship is from his eulogy, formerly displayed on the Roman Forum. This summary of his career lists all the responsibilities he held, including some junior offices, while literary sources only record upper magistracies (censor, consul, and praetor); however it does not provide any date and the offices are not ordered chronologically.[12] The eulogy tells that he was the military tribune three times, the quaestor one time, and curule aedile two times. These junior magistracies were standard and found in the career of every Roman politician, but the amount of times he held these positions is much more unusual. Endre Ferenczy thought Caecus held them all before his censorship because of his family's decline, which forced him to repeat them to build his popularity (especially as aedile, because this magistrate organised games), therefore explaining his early censorship.[13] However, his thesis has been criticised, notably by Stephen Oakley, who notes that there is not enough evidence to know whether iterations of the military tribuneship and aedileship were really exceptional for this period, during which most careers are unknown.[14]
It is nonetheless certain that Caecus was military tribune before his censorship, because it was a requirement for being elected consul, which he became immediately after his censorship. As military tribune, he certainly served during the Second Samnite War (326–304 BC), the main conflict in Italy at the time.[15]
Appius Claudius Caecus was a Roman censor from 308 BC to 312 BC, He was not a consul beforehand which later became a prerequisite for the office.[16] During his time as censor he sought support from the lower classes, by allowing sons of freedmen to serve in the Senate, and extending voting privileges to men in the rural tribes who did not own land. During the Second Samnite War, he advocated the founding of Roman colonies (colonia) throughout Latium and Campania to serve as fortifications against the Samnites and Etruscans.
Appius is best known for two construction undertakings as censor: the Appian Way (Latin: Via Appia), the first major Roman road, running between Rome and Beneventum to the south; and the first aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Appia.[17]
Appius major legal contribution came from him starting the publication of legis actiones (“methods of legal practice”). This publication severed as a guide for Roman Legal procedure. The publication also included a list of days that court was to be held on.
During this time period he served as consul twice; in 307 BC and 296 BC, he was also appointed Dictator in 285 BC . Appius gave a famous speech in this period against Cineas, an envoy of Pyrrhus of Epirus, declaring that Rome would never surrender.[18] This is the earliest known political speech in Latin, and is the source of the saying "every man is the architect of his own fortune" (Latin: quisque faber suae fortunae).[19] In 279 BC Appius went blind due to a curse, this is according to Livy.
Appius wrote several books over his life. He wrote a book called Sententiae, which was based upon a verse of Greek model. It was "the first Roman book of literary character".[20] Appius also wrote treatise, De Usurpationibus (“Concerning Usurpations”), which is lost and the content is unknown. In addition Appius was one of the earliest known Roman Prose and verse authors who's name is still known today. He was also concerned with literature and rhetoric, and instituted reforms in Latin orthography, allegedly ending the use of the letter Z.[21]
Appius Claudius Caecus is used in Cicero's Pro Caelio as a stern and disapproving ancestor to Clodia. Cicero assumes the voice of Caecus in a scathing prosopopoeia, where Caecus is incensed at Clodia for associating with Caelius, a member of the middle equestrian class instead of the upper patrician class. Caecus's achievements, such as the building of the Appian Way and the Aqua Appia, are mentioned as being defiled by Clodia's actions.
^Broughton, vol. I, pp. 81, 82 (note 1), 117, 118 (note 2), 128, 129 (note 1), who notes the unlikely possibility that he was also the consular tribune of 403 (and therefore the grandson of the decemvir).
^"The Romans: From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire" by M. Boatwright, et al. 2nd edition. 2011.
