Marcus Furius Camillus, fatalis dux

Book excerpt: Marcus Furius Camillus is the dominant figure in our traditional history of the Roman Republic in the early fourth century. He has been featured in histories of Rome since the Renaissance, but currently is viewed with great scepticism, some even questioning his very existence. What is notably absent, however, is any reference to a system of historical method: how one distinguishes fact from fiction. This is the first modern monograph on Camillus, and it grapples head-on with this problem. The results are unexpected.