List of Roman dictators explained

A list of all of the Roman dictators and magistri equitum known from ancient sources. In some cases the names or dates have been inferred by modern historians.

Key to Latin terms and phrases

Roman dictators were usually appointed for a specific purpose, or causa, which limited the scope of their activities. The chief causae were rei gerundae (a general purpose, usually to lead an army in the field against a particular enemy), clavi figendi (an important religious rite involving the driving of a nail into the wall of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus), and comitiorum habendorum (the holding of the comitia to elect magistrates, when the consuls were unable to do so).

Other causae included ludorum faciendorum, holding the Ludi Romani (Roman games), an important religious festival; ferarium constituendarum (establishing a religious festival in response to serious prodigies); seditionis sedandae (quelling sedition); and in one remarkable case, senatus legendi (filling up the ranks of the Senate after the Battle of Cannae).

The causa given at the very end of the Republic for the dictatorships of Sulla and Caesar are completely novel, as the powers granted greatly exceeded those traditionally accorded a Roman dictator. By legibus faciendis et rei publicae constituendae causa, Sulla was empowered to rewrite the laws and revise the constitution of the Roman state; by dictator perpetuo rei publicae constituendae causa, Caesar was appointed dictator in perpetuity, and given the power to revise the constitution.

The various causae may not have been legally distinguished from one another prior to 368 BC, when Publius Manlius Capitolinus was appointed dictator seditionis sedandae et rei gerundae causa. The precise formula of each causa later reported by ancient historians may only date to Manlius' dictatorship, in which case the causae attributed to earlier dictators must be later additions.^[1]

Other phrases

• abdicavit – abdicated, or resigned.
• mortuus est – died in office.
• non iniit – not inaugurated.
• occisus est – killed, slain.
• sine magistro equitum – without a magister equitum.

Roman numerals given following a name indicate that the dictator or magister equitum for that year previously held the same magistracy. The causae listed in the table are based largely on T. R. S. Broughton's The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, reporting those given in ancient sources. For cases in which no causa is given, rei gerundae may usually be inferred.

List of dictators and magistri equitum

6th and 5th centuries BC

width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year BC	width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year AUC	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Dictator	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Magister equitum	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Notes
501	253			rei gerundae causa
496	255
494	260		Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus
463	291	(Gaius Aemilius Mamercus)	unknown	clavi figendi causa
458	296		Lucius Tarquitius Flaccus
439	315	Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus II
437	317
435	319
434	320	Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus II
431	323
426	328	Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus III
418	336	Quintus Servilius Priscus Fidenas II
408	346

4th century BC

width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year BC	width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year AUC	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Dictator	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Magister equitum	width=30% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Notes
396	358
390	364	Marcus Furius Camillus II
389	365	Marcus Furius Camillus III	Gaius Servilius Ahala
385	369	Aulus Cornelius Cossus	Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus Capitolinus
380	374		Aulus Sempronius Atratinus
368	386	Marcus Furius Camillus IV		rei gerundae causa
368	386		Gaius Licinius Calvus	seditionis sedandae et rei gerundae causa
367	387	Marcus Furius Camillus V	Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus Capitolinus	rei gerundae causa
363	391		Lucius Pinarius Natta	clavi figendi causa
362	392		Publius Cornelius Scapula? Mucius Scaevola?
361	393			rei gerundae causa
360	394			rei gerundae causa
358	396
356	398
353	401		Aulus Cornelius Cossus Arvina
352	402
351	403		Quintus Servilius Ahala	comitiorum habendorum causa
350	404			comitiorum habendorum causa
349	405	Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus II	Aulus Cornelius Cossus Arvina II	comitiorum habendorum causa
348	406	(Gaius Claudius Crassinus Regillensis)	(Gaius Livius Denter)	comitiorum habendorum causa; names uncertain.
345	409	Lucius Furius Camillus II	Gnaeus Manlius Capitolinus Imperiosus
344	410		Quintus Fabius Ambustus	ferarium constituendarum causa
342	412
340	414		Lucius Papirius Cursor
339	415		Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva
337	417	Gaius Claudius Inregillensis	Gaius Claudius Hortator	abdicavit
335	419		Quintus Publilius Philo	comitiorum habendorum causa
334	420		Marcus Antonius	abdicavit; 333 the first of the "dictator years".
332	422		Publius Valerius Poplicola
331	423		Lucius Valerius Potitus	clavi figendi causa
327	427			comitiorum habendorum causa; abdicavit
325	429			rei gerundae causa; 324 the second of the "dictator years".
322	432			rei gerundae (for a general purpose) or ludi faciendorum causa 
321	433		Publius Aelius Paetus	comitiorum habendorum causa; abdicavit
321	433		Lucius Valerius Flaccus	comitiorum habendorum causa
320	434		Marcus Foslius Flaccinator	causa uncertain.
320	434		Lucius Papirius Cursor II
320	434	Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus III	Lucius Papirius Cursor III
316	438	Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas II		rei gerundae causa
315	439			rei gerundae causa
314	440	Gaius Maenius II	Marcus Foslius Flaccinator II	rei gerundae causa
313	441	Gaius Poetelius Libo Visolus or  Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus II	Marcus Foslius Flaccinator III or  Marcus Poetelius Libo	rei gerundae (et clavi figendi?) causa 
312	442			rei gerundae causa 
310	444	Lucius Papirius Cursor II	Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus II	309 the third of the "dictator years".
306	448			comitiorum habendorum causa
302	452		Marcus Titinius
302	452	Marcus Valerius Maximus Corvus II	Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus?  or Marcus Aemilius Paullus?	301 the fourth and last of the "dictator years".

3rd century BC

width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year BC	width=5% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year AUC	width=25% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Dictator	width=25% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Magister equitum	width=40% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Notes
287	467	Quintus Hortensius mortuus est	not recorded
287	467	Appius Claudius Caecus?	not recorded	dictator suffectus? 
285	469	Marcus Aemilius Barbula?	not recorded	date uncertain.
280	474		not recorded	comitiorum habendorum causa
276	478		not recorded	date uncertain.
263	491			clavi figendi causa
257	497		Marcus Laetorius Plancianus	Latinarum feriarum causa
249	505			abdicavit 
249	505		Lucius Caecilius Metellus
246	508			comitiorum habendorum causa
231	523		Gaius Aurelius Cotta	comitiorum habendorum causa
224	530		Numerius Fabius Buteo	comitiorum habendorum causa
221	533		Gaius Flaminius	date uncertain.
217	537	Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus II		Minucius given authority equal to the dictator's.
217	537		Marcus Pomponius Matho	comitiorum habendorum causa; abdicavit
216	538
216	538		sine magistro equitum	senatus legendi causa 
213	541			comitiorum habendorum causa
210	544			comitiorum habendorum causa
208	546			comitiorum habendorum et ludorum faciendorum causa
207	547		Quintus Caecilius Metellus	comitiorum habendorum causa
205	549			comitiorum habendorum causa
203	551			comitiorum habendorum causa
202	552			comitiorum habendorum causa

1st century BC

width=6% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year BC	width=6% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Year AUC	width=25% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Dictator	width=25% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Magister equitum	width=38% style="background:#E0FFE0"	Notes
82–79	672–675			legibus faciendis et rei publicae constituendae causa
49	705		sine magistro equitum	rei gerundae causa
48	706	Gaius Julius Caesar II
47–44	707–710	Gaius Julius Caesar III
44	710	Gaius Julius Caesar IV occisus est	Marcus Aemilius Lepidus II Gaius Octavius Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus (non iniit)	dictator perpetuo rei publicae constituendae causa

See also

• Constitution of the Roman Republic
• Dictator

Bibliography

• Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849).
• Marianne Elizabeth Hartfield, The Roman Dictatorship: its Character and Evolution (Ph.D. dissertation), University of California, Berkeley (1981).
• T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952).
• John Pinsent, Military Tribunes and Plebeian Consuls: The Fasti from 444 V to 342 V, Steiner, Wiesbaden (1975).

Notes and References

1. Hartfield, pp. (?).