The name is also shared by several modern personages.
(move below to Lacus Curtius[?])?
In Roman mythology, Curtius was Marcus Curtius. In 445 BC, lightning struck near the Forum Romanum. The hole it created was called the Lacus Curtius[?]. An oracle claimed the hole, which severely disrupted the business at the Forum, could be closed by the most precious thing Rome had. Curtius, dressed in full armor and riding a fine horse, jumped into the hole, which then disappeared.
Livy VII, 6.
Alternately, the Lacus was named after Mettius Curtius, a Sabine horseman who rode into or fell into it while fighting against Romulus.
Still another version has it that Caius Curtius, a consul of 445 BC, consecrated the site after the lightning strike.
Curtius is a crater on the Moon.
Search Encyclopedia
|
Featured Article
|