4 – Ancus Marcius (640? – 616 BC?)
There is a suggestion that Ancus was the grandson of Numa, but again, there is no way of determining whether or not that is fact or fiction. Ancus was chosen because the powerbrokers of Rome believed he was the man to bring peace and stability back to the kingdom. As a result, Rome’s neighbors believed the new King could be bullied, so an ancient tribe named the Old Latins tried their luck by trespassing on Roman land. Initially, Ancus wanted a peaceful resolution and demanded payment for the damage. The Latins treated the Roman Embassy with contempt, and an angry Ancus declared war.
He marched from Rome with a large army and took the Latin town of Politorium. The residents of the town were relocated to Aventine Hill in Rome. When the Latins tried to repopulate the empty town, Ancus returned and destroyed it. He also marched to the towns of Ficana and Tellenae. The Romans conquered both towns, sacked them and ultimately destroyed them.
Ancus was not yet satisfied and moved on to the heavily fortified town of Medullia. After several battles outside the town, the Romans emerged victoriously and the King returned home with the spoils of war. More Latins were moved to Aventine Hill. By now, Ancus was intent on establishing Rome’s power, so he expanded the kingdom by adding Janiculum and connecting it to the city of Rome via a bridge across the Tiber. There is also a suggestion that he built the Mamertine Prison, the first jail in Roman history.
Ancus further extended Roman territory by founding the port of Ostia and defeating the Veientes tribe to add the Silva Maesia to his growing list of conquests. He supposedly died in 616 BC as a well-respected leader. Once again, historians are not 100% sure whether Ancus existed. As is the case with Tullus, there are records of Ancus family, the Marcii, in Roman history. One of his descendants became a consul in 357 BC for example.