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Horatius Cocles
Savior of Rome
A Story First Told by the Greek Polybius 2nd
Cen B.C.
Retold again by Jason Yuan
An Exposition
● Ancus Marcius, 4th King of Rome got along with the Etruscan Lucuma
● allows himself to be succeeded by Etruscan Rule, beginning the Tarquin
Dynasty under Lucuma, aka Lucius Tarquinius Priscus
● 510 B.C.-Tarquin Dynasty ends with reign of Tarquinius Superbus
● Tarquinius was kicked out of office and from Rome for his tyranny
The Fall of Tarquinius
http://sapiosapiencis.blo
gspot.com/2013/04/rom
a-la-ciudad-celestialparte-cuarta.html
Superbus seeks for Revenge
● king superbus went to Clusium, a nearby Etruscan town, to ask the king
there to help him get back to power
● Lars Porsenna agreed, and raised an army to crush Rome
The Struggle
● Porsenna’s army marched to a bridge spanning the Tiber River, the only
way into Rome
● Rome knew that once the bridge is lost, Rome is doomed
● only a small number of men led by Horatius guarded the bridge
● all the men but 2 men and Horatius fled
● Horatius and the men fought Porsenna’s army, eventually only Horatius
himself was holding off the army
● while he held off the army, the Romans broke the bridge down and
prevented the army from crossing the river to get to Rome
● Horatius swam across the river once the bridge went down
● He lost one eye to defend the bridge, so he was later known as Horatius
Cocles; Cocles means “one-eyed”
● the river god let him live and get safely to shore according to tradition
Horatius’ Gallant Stand
http://thedeathofcarth
age.com/654/womenof-the-roman-republiccloelia-2/
Mucius Scaevola
● the king didn’t give up; he prepared to lay siege to Rome
● a young man named Gaius Mucius wanted to kill king Porsenna and end
the threat
● authorized by Roman Senate, he crossed the Tiber River hiding a sword
under his clothes
● he approached two men dressed in fancy clothes, one of them was the
king and the other is his scribe
● he thought the scribe was the king, so he drew his sword and killed him
Mucius Burning Himself
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Mucia_(gens
The Etruscans Give Up
● the king held Mucius in trial, he threatened to torture him
● Mucius defied the king by holding his hand in fire for a long time to show
that he doesn’t fear torture
● he taunted that 300 Romans are ready to kill Porsenna
● Porsenna was frightened by his courage and defiance, so he made peace
with Rome
● Mucius burnt his right hand so badly that it was useless, he could then only
use his left hand making him “left-handed”
● for this reason, he is called Mucius Scaevola; scaevola means “lefthanded”
Quick Quiz:
1. Why did Horatius came to be called Horatius Cocles?
2. Why did King Porsenna decide to attack Rome?
3. Why did Gaius Mucius came to be known as Mucius
Scaevola?
Bibliography
Walsh, Brian. “The courage of Horatius Cocles and Mucius Scaevola.” Calliope
Vol 6 Issue 1 1995: 19-22. Print.
The Baldwin Project. “Horatius at the Bridge.”
<http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=baldwin&book=fifty&story=ho
ratius>.
Encyclopedia Britannica. <“http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/41048>