Gnaeus Genucius Augurinus
Gnaeus Genucius Augurinus (died 396 BC) came from the ancient plebian gens Genucia and was a high magistrate of the early Roman Republic.[1]
According to the Fasti Capitolini, Genucius' father and grandfather bore the praenomen Marcus.[2] According to the opinion of the historian Frederick Münzer, who here follows Theodor Mommsen, the editor of the Fasti Capitolini forged the cognomen Augurinus, which was not mentioned by Livy, since it could only have been added to representatives of the Genucii after one of them, Gaius Genucius, had been among the first plebian augurs in 300 BC.
Genucius was first in 399 BC, consular tribune. Three years later, in 396 BC, he held the consular tribunate for the second time.[3] Together with his colleague Lucius Titinius Pansa Saccus, he is said to have gone to war as commander-in-chief of a Roman army against the Falisci and Capenates. Due to their rashness, the two high military leaders were ambushed, and in the ensuing battle Genucius, who was fighting in the front ranks, was killed. Titinius gathered his forces on a hill, but did not dare to climb back down to the plain and renew the battle.[4] It is possible that the depiction of Genucius' death is a duplicate of the death of Lucius Genucius Aventinensis, who died in 362 BC. He is said to have fallen as a consul in the fight against the Hernici. Genucius could be identical to the homonym mistakenly referred to as tribune by Gaius Gracchus in a speech to the people.[5]