Marcus curius Dentatus was what the Romans called “the new man.” This meant that he did not have a string of noble ancestors, and he was the first of his family to achieve high positions. Thanks to his valor, he was elected consul. While consul, Dentatus successfully fought against the Sabines and Samnites. Having seized their lands, the consul divided the land, giving each 14 jugers and taking the same amount for himself, because he believed that such an amount of land was quite enough for a normal life, but not enough for a luxurious life and the whole world. The Samnites tried to obtain more favorable peace terms from him. Their embassy arrived at the modest house of Dentat, and the Samnites were surprised to see how the famous commander himself was baking turnips on the hearth. They offered him as much gold as he saw fit. But Mark replied that he preferred to eat from earthenware and rule over those who had gold. Such virtue, especially demonstrated by a “new man,” could not but arouse envy, and Dentat was accused of embezzling money. Then he pulled out a wooden sacrificial cup, and swore that this was his only war booty. Dentat's virtue was so well known that no one dared to doubt his oath. And with the money raised from the sale of his war booty, Dentatus built a new water supply system in Rome. Poets glorified his selflessness. They sang of the one “whom no one has mastered either with sword or with gold.”
The second time Dentatus was elected consul, when a terrible danger loomed over Rome from the Epirus king Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus, hoping to acquire new possessions in Italy, responded to the call of the enemies of Rome and landed on the Apennine Peninsula. He defeated the Romans twice in fierce battles, but lost so many soldiers that it almost devalued his victories. The Romans did not even think of giving up. Desperate to defeat them completely, Pyrrhus went to Sicily for a long time, but after a few years he returned to Italy. The Romans, well remembering their previous defeats, chose Marcus Curius Dentatus to fight him. Before being sent to war, Dentatus carried out, as was customary, a new recruitment into the army. The fear of the Feast was so great that many refused to join the army. Then, for the first time in Roman history, the consul confiscated the property of those who refused as punishment and arranged a public sale of it. The meeting of the two armies took place near the city of Malaventa. Pyrrhus was in a hurry to defeat the Romans until an army led by the second consul approached. The Romans saw the enemy, and Curius realized that they would not have to wait for help. The sacrifices before the battle were favorable, and he decided to join the fight. The Romans attacked the enemy suddenly. They crushed Pyrrhus' warriors and forced him to retreat to the plain, where the decisive battle took place. True, as had happened before, in the place where Pyrrhus threw his war elephants against the Romans, the Romans began to retreat, but Dentatus called in reserves and ordered the elephants to be pelted with spears. Under the blows of the spears, the elephants turned and attacked their own warriors. The army of Pyrrhus was defeated, and the king of Epirus ingloriously left Italy. In memory of this victory, the city of Malavent, whose name included the word “male” - “bad”, was renamed Benevent, from the word “bene” - “good”. Thus, Marcus Curius Dentatus added to his virtue the glory of the victor who expelled from Italy the powerful, at that time the most terrible enemy of Rome.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru