A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

2. C.Servilius, C. F. P. N., son of the preceding, is first mentioned in B. C. 212, when he was sent into Etruria to purchase corn for the use of the Roman garrison in the citadel of Tarentum, which was then besieged by Hannibal. He succeeded in forcing his way into the harbour, and supplying the garrison with the corn. In B. C. 210 he was elected pontifex in the place of T. Otacilius Crassus, in B. C. 209 plebeian aedile, and in B. C. 208 curule aedile. In the last year, while holding the office of curule aedile, he was appointed magister equitum by the dictator T. Manlius Torquatus. He was praetor B. C. 206, when he obtained Sicily as his province, and consul B. C. 203 with Cn. Servilius Caepio. Livy, in speaking of his consulship (29.38, 30.1), as well as subsequently, calls him C. Servilius Geminus ; but in the Capitoline Fasti his name is given C. SERVILIUS C. F. P. NEPOS. It is therefore probable that his cognomen Geminus is a mistake. C. Servilius obtained Etruria as his province, and front thence marched into Cisalpine Gaul, where he released his father from captivity, as has been already related. Livy mentions that a rogatio was proposed to the people to release Servilius from the consequences (ne C. Servilio fraudi esset) of having acted contrary to the laws in having been tribune of the plebs and aedile of the plebs, while his

father was alive, who had sat in the curule chair, nasmuch as he was ignorant of the existence of his father (Liv. 30.19, comp. 27.1). No other ancient writer mentions any law which forbade such an election : the conjectures of modern writers on the point are given at length in Duker's note on the passage of Livy (30.19). In B. C. 202, Servilius was appointed dictator by the consul M. Servilius Geminus for the purpose of holding the comitia, being the last person who was named dictator till the usurpation of the office by Sulla. In B. C. 201, he was one of the decemviri for distributing lands to the veterans who had fought in Africa under P. Scipio, and in B. C. 183 he was elected pontifex maximus in the place of P. Licinius Crassus. He died in B. C. 180. (Liv. 25.15, 27.6, 21, 33, 36, 28.10, 46, 29.38, 30.1, 19, 39, 31.4, 39.46, 40.37, 42.)