Titus Pullo
| Titus Pullo | |
|---|---|
 A page 118 of Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico with description of actions of T. Pulfio & L. Varenus | |
| Allegiance | Julius Caesar, later Pompey |
| Rank | Centurion |
| Unit |
Legio XI Claudia Legio XXIV Vixtrix Rapax |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Pharsalus |
Titus Pullo[1] was one of the two Roman centurions of the 11th Legion (Legio XI Claudia) mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The other soldier mentioned was Lucius Vorenus; they appear in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book 5, Chapter 44. Pullo and Vorenus were fierce rivals for promotion to primus pilus, the most senior centurion in a legion. Both distinguished themselves in 54 BC when the Nervii attacked the legion under Quintus Cicero in their winter quarters in Nervian territory. In an effort to outdo Vorenus, Pullo charged out of the fortified camp and attacked the enemy, but was soon wounded and surrounded. Vorenus followed and engaged his attackers in hand-to-hand combat, killing one and driving the rest back, but lost his footing and was himself soon surrounded. Pullo in turn rescued Vorenus, and after killing several of the enemy, the pair returned to camp amid applause from their comrades.[2]
In the Civil War of 49 BC, Pullo was assigned to the XXIV Victrix Rapax, a new Italian legion commanded by the legate Gaius Antonius. In 48 BC, Antonius was blockaded on an island and forced to surrender; Pullo was apparently responsible for most of his soldiers switching sides to fight for Pompey. Later that year, he is recorded bravely defending Pompey's camp in Greece from Caesar's attack shortly before the Battle of Pharsalus.[3]
Fictional depictions
- Titus Pullo is one of the principal characters in the HBO/BBC/RAI original television series Rome. Unlike the historical Pullo, the fictional Pullo is a member of the 13th Legion (Legio XIII Gemina), an ally of Caesar, and particularly of Octavian.
- Pullo is a minor character in Caesar, a book in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.
- Pullo appears in the Legion tetralogy of the Videssos Cycle by Harry Turtledove.
- Pullo is the main character of the historical fiction series Marching with Caesar by R.W. Peake.
- Pullo is a main character in Michael Livingston's 2015 historical fantasy novel The Shards of Heaven.[4][5]
References
- ↑ His nomen is given as Pulfio, Puleio, Pullio, Pulcio or Pulcia in various manuscripts.
- ↑ Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 5.44
- ↑ Dio Cassius, Roman History 41.40; Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili 3.67
- ↑ "The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Review: The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston". Kirkus Reviews. September 3, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
External links
- Ross Cowan, 'The Real Pullo and Vorenus'