Source edition
Appianus. Appiani Historia romana, Volume 1. Mendelssohn, Ludwig, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1879.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a collection of historical fragments depicting the foreign wars, internal political turmoil, and the fluctuating fortunes of legendary leaders in early republican Rome. The narrative first focuses on the tragedy of Marcius (Coriolanus), who, after being exiled from Rome, joins the enemy Volscians out of a desire for revenge and leads them to besiege his homeland. Despite repeatedly rejecting senatorial envoys, he is finally moved to withdraw by the desperate pleas of his mother and other Roman women, only to be assassinated later due to jealousy. The remaining fragments chronicle the harsh fates of other Roman saviors, such as Camillus, who conquered Veii but was fined, and Marcus Manlius, who saved the Capitol but was later accused of inciting the masses through debt relief. Through these episodes, the work highlights the complex conflicts between state heroes, the Senate, and the populace during times of national crisis.