Battle of Imbrinium
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| Battle of Imbrinium | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Samnite War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Roman Republic | Samnites | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Lucius Papirius Cursor Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | nearly 20,000 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Imbrinium was fought in 325 BC during the Second Samnite War between the Roman Republic, led by the magister equitum, Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus (acting without the permission of the dictator Lucius Papirius Cursor) and the Samnites near Imbrinium, a city in Samnium.[1]
In 325 BC, Lucius Papirius Cursor, a distinguished soldier, was appointed dictator for the purpose of continuing the war against the Samnites after the consul Lucius Furius Camillus fell ill that same year. Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus was appointed as his magister equitum. The other consul for that year, Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva, was preoccupied with a campaign against the Vestini.[2]
After consulting with keeper of the sacred chickens, Cursor decided to leave for Rome in order take the auspices before battle, ordering Rullianus to maintain the army's position while he was gone. After reports from his scouts claiming that the Samnites were unprepared for battle, Rullianus decided to go against his orders to not attack while Cursor was away, and he engaged the enemy anyway.[3][4]