Roman Republic
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Marcus Furius Camillus
Rome, Roman Republic
Archival Overview
Roman soldier and statesman honored as the 'Second Founder of Rome' who captured Veii, drove Brennus's Gauls from the sacked city, and reorganized the legions.
Biographical Record
Marcus Furius Camillus (c. 446–365 BC) was a patrician general, censor, and five-time dictator of the early Roman Republic. In 396 BC, after a ten-year siege, Camillus captured the wealthy Etruscan city of Veii by excavating an underground tunnel directly beneath the citadel of Juno, doubling Roman territory.
When the Senones Gauls under chieftain Brennus sacked Rome in 390 BC, Camillus was recalled from voluntary exile at Ardea, appointed dictator, and marched to relieve the Capitol. According to Livy, as Brennus threw his sword upon the scales uttering 'Vae victis' ('Woe to the conquered'), Camillus arrived declaring that Rome would be recovered not with gold, but with iron. He restructured the Roman legion from a rigid phalanx into flexible maniples armed with scuta and heavy javelins.
Key Life Milestones
Subterranean Breach of the Etruscan Capital
Engineered a mining tunnel into the temple of Juno to capture the rival Etruscan city of Veii after a legendary decade-long siege.
Liberation as Second Founder of Rome
Rallied Roman survivors to rout Brennus' Gallic warbands from the ruins of Rome, rejecting ransom and saving the Republic with the sword.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialRome, Italy