Your American History Reference Guide!
- Publius Claudius Pulcher

HistoryMania Information Site on Publius Claudius Pulcher American History American History Search        American History Browse welcome to our free resource site for all enthusiasts!

Publius Claudius Pulcher

Publius Claudius Pulcher (of the Claudii family) was a Roman general. He was the son of the famous Roman politician Appius Claudius Caecus. He was the first of the Claudii to be given the cognomen "Pulcher" ("handsome").

He was curulian aedile in 253 BC and consul in 249. As consul he was given command of the Roman fleet during the First Punic War. He lost the Battle of Drepana against the Carthaginians, supposedly because he ignored a bad omen when some chickens refused to eat. According to Suetonius and Cicero, Claudius threw them into the sea, ut biberent, quando esse nollent ("so that they might drink, since they refused to eat"). He was recalled to Rome and ordered to appoint a dictator; his nomination of his subordinate Marcus Claudius Glicia was overruled. He was tried for incompetence and impiety and was fined, and died soon afterwards, possibly by suicide.

The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the
GNU Free Documentation License. How to see transparent copy
Search | Browse | Contact | Legal info