A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

DECIMIUS.
that occur in this gens are Mus and SUBULo:
for those who are mentioned without a surname
see DECIUS.
DECIA'NUS, APPULEIUS. 1. C. APPuLEIUS DECIANUS was tribune of the people in B. c.
90. In that year he brought a charge against L.
Valerius Flaccus, the nature of which is unknown.
He also brought an accusation against L. Furius,
one of the tribunes of the year previous, who opposed the recall of Metellus Numidicus. It seems
to have been on this occasion that he lamented before the public assembly the fate of L. Appuleius
Saturninus and Servilius Glaucia, and endeavoured
to create disturbances to avenge their death. In
consequence of these proceedings he himself was
condemned, and went into exile to Pontus, where
lie engaged in the service of Mithridates. (Cic.
pro Rabir. perd. 9, pro Flacc. 32; Schol. Bobiens.
p. 230, ed. Orelli; Val. Max. viii. 1. ~ 2; Appian, B. C. i. 33.)
2. C. APPULEIUS DECIANUS, a son of No. 1,
lived as negotiator in Asia Minor, at Pergamus,
and at Apollonis. He was repeatedly charged
with having committed acts of injustice and violence towards the inhabitants of Apollonis, for he
appears to have been a person of a very avaricious
and insolent character, and in the end he was condemned by the praetor Flaccus, the son of the L.
Valerius Flaccus, who had been accused by Decianus, the father. In B. c. 59, Decianus took
vengeance upon Flaccus by supporting the charge
which D. Laelius brought against him. (Cic. pro
Flace. 29-33; Schol. Bobiens. pp. 228, 230, 242,
ed. Orelli.) [L. S.]
DECIA'NUS, C. PLAU'TIUS, was consul in
B. c. 329 with L. Aemilius Mamercinus. It was
his province during his consulship to continue the
war against Privernum, while his colleague was engaged in raising another army to meet the Gauls, who
were reported to be marching southward. But this
report proved to be unfounded, and all the Roman
forces were now directed against Privernum. The
town was taken, its walls were pulled down, and
a strong garrison was left on the spot. On his
return Decianus celebrated a triumph. During
the discussions in the senate as to what punishment was to be inflicted upon the Privernatans,
Decianus humanely endeavoured to alleviate their
fate. According to the Fasti, C. Plautius Decianus
was consul also in the year following; but Livy
mentions in his stead P. Plautius Proculus. In
B. c. 312, C. Plautius Decianus was censor with
Appius Claudius, and after holding the office eighteen months, he laid it down, in accordance with
the lex Aemilia, while Appius Claudius, refusing
obedience to the law, remained censor alone. (Liv.
viii. 20, 22, ix. 29, 33; Val. Max. vi. 2. ~ 1;
Frontin. de Aquaed. i. 5; Diodor. xx. 36.) [L. S.]
DECIA'NUS CATUS. [CATus.]
DECI'DIUS SAXA. [SAxA.]
DECI'MIUS. The Decimii appear to have
been originally a Samnite family of Bovianum, at
least the first of the name belonged to that place,
and the others who occur in history were probably
his descendants, who after obtaining the Roman
franchise settled at Rome. The only cognomen
among the Decimii is FLAVUS. The following
list contains those who are mentioned without a
cognomen.
1. NUMERIUS DECIMIUS, of Bovianum in Samnium, is called the most illustrious person in all

DECIUS. 947
Samnium, both by his noble descent and his
wealth. In B. c. 217 he joined the Roman army
against Hannibal with 8000 foot and 500 horse, at
the command of the dictator Q. Fabius Maximus.
With these forces Decimius appeared in the rear
of Hannibal, and thus decided a battle which was
taking a very unfavourable turn for Minucius, the
magister equitum. Two castella were taken on
that day, and 6000 Carthaginians were slain, but
the Romans too lost 5000 men. (Liv. xxii. 24.)
2. C. DECIMIUS, was sent in B. c. 171 as ambassador to Crete to request the Cretans to send
auxiliaries for the war against Perseus of Macedonia. In 169 he was praetor peregrinus, and in
the year following he was sent with two others as
ambassador to Antiochus and Ptolemy, to bring
about a reconciliation between the two kings, and
to declare that, whichever of them should continue
hostilities, should cease to be treated as the friend
and ally of Rome. On that occasion Decimius and
his colleagues visited the island of Rhodes at the
request of the Rhodians themselves, and on his
return to Rome his report was in favour of the
Rhodians, in as much as he endeavoured to throw
the guilt of their hostility towards Rome upon
some individuals only, while he tried to exculpate
the body of the people. (Liv. xlii. 35, xliii. 11,
15, xliv. 19, xlv. 10.)
3. M. DECIMIUs, was sent with Tib. Claudius
Nero as ambassador to Crete and Rhodes in B. c.
172, just before the outbreak of the war with
Perseus, for the purpose of discovering whether
they had been tempted by Perseus, and of trying
to renew their friendship with Rome. (Liv. xlii.
19.)
4. L. DECIMIUS, was sent in B. c. 171 as ambassador to the Illyrian king Genthius, to try to win
him over to the side of the Romans during the war
against Perseus. But he returned to Rome without having effected anything, and was suspected of
having accepted bribes from the king. (Liv. xlii.
37, 45.)
5. C. DECIMIUS, a person wno had held the
office of quaestor (quaestorius), and belonged to the
party of Pompey. In B. c. 47 he was in the
island of Cercina to take care of the provisions for
the Pompeians, but on the arrival of Sallust, the
historian, who was then a general of Caesar,
Decimius immediately quitted the island, and
fled in a small vessel. (Caes. Bell. Afr. 34.) He
seems to be the same as the C. Decimius who was
a friend of Atticus. (Cic. ad Att. iv. 16.) [L. S.]
DE'CIUS. 1. M. DECIUS, one of the deputies sent to the senate by the plebeians during
their secession to the sacred mount in B. c. 495.
(Dionys. vi. 88.)
2. M. DECIUS, tribune of the people in B. c.
311, when he carried a plebiscitum, that the
people should appoint duumviri navales to restore
and equip the Roman fleet. (Liv. ix. 30.)
3. P. DECIUs, one of the legates who in B. c.
168 brought to Rome the news of the defeat of the
Illyrians, and of the capture of their king Genthius.
(Liv. xlv. 3.)
4. P. DECIUs, according to Cicero (de Orat. ii.
31) and Aurelius Victor (de Vir. Ill. 72), whereas
Livy (Epit. 61) calls him Q. Decius, was tribune
of the people in B. c. 120. L. Opimius, who had
been consul the year before, was brought to trial
by the tribune Decius for having caused the murder
of C. Gracchus, and for having thrown citizens
3p2