Battle of the Anio River (361 BC)

Skirmishing began over possession of the bridge that crossed the river, but it yielded no results as both sides were evenly matched. It continued on until a large Gaul came to the bridge, demanding that the Romans send their bravest man to fight him so that the standoff could be resolved.^[3] The Romans did not respond to his requests until Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus approached the dictator and volunteered himself. He confronted the Gaul, who was much larger and more well-armed than he. Manlius managed to parry all of the Gaul's strokes. He exploited the Gaul's size and snuck between his sword and body, leaving himself unexposed and delivering a decisive blow to his groin and stomach, killing his enemy and therefore deciding the result of the battle.^[4]

Manlius was given the honorary cognomen Torquatus, meaning "adorned with a neck chain or collar," a reference to Celtic torques necklace which was borne by the Gaul Manlius killed.^[5][6] The Gauls retreated east from the bridge to the town of Tibur, where they formed a military alliance with the Tiburtes, who provided them with supplies. From there, they entered Campania.^[7]