Gaius Plautius Proculus was the first member of the gens Plautia to achieve consular rank.

Little is known of his life before becoming consul with Gaius Fabius Ambustus in 358 BC, although there is some archaeological evidence that his family came from Privernum.[1] At the same time Gaius Sulpicius Peticus was made consul to deal with a Gaulish threat. The two consuls led their armies against other opponents, Fabius against the Etruscans and Plautius against raids made by the Privernates and the Hernici. Although Fabius suffered a defeat in Etruria, Plautius was successful over his opponents, and after a second defeat in the following year, Privernum entered an alliance with Rome.[2]

In 356 BC, Plautius was appointed Magister Equitum to the first plebeian Dictator, Gaius Marcius Rutilus. Nicola Terrenato interprets this as a signal that the Plautii were at the forefront of the plebeian push for more power, pointing out evidence that "it is not hard to see a political partnership between" Plautius and Rutilus.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Nicola Terrenato, "Private Vis, Public Virtus: Family agendas during the early Roman expansion", in Roman Republican Colonization New Perspectives from Archaeology and Ancient History, edited by Tesse D. Stek and Jeremia Pelgrom (Rome: Papers of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, 2014), pp. 48f
  2. 1 2 Terrenato, "Private Vis", p. 49
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