Tullus Hostilius
3rd King of Rome
673-641BC
Daniel Young
Coming to Power
Numa Pompilius was the king of Rome
prior to Tullus.
 Tullus was the grandson of Hostius
Hostilius who was a Roman hero and
served under Romulus.
 Tullus Hostilius came to power in 673 BC.
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Early Years & Military Ventures
Tullus Hostilius focused more on the
military than his predecessor Numa.
 At some point early in his reign, Tullus
declared war on Alba Longa for raiding
Roman cattle.
 Livy wrote the following
quote about Tullus “In his
view, Rome had been
allowed to lapse into
senility, and his one object
was to find cause for a new
Livy Titus
military adventure.”
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The Horatii
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Instead of fighting a brutal
war, the Romans and Albans
came to an agreement.
Three Alban triplets, the
Curiatii were to battle a set of
Roman triplets, the Horatii.
The Curiatii killed two of the
Horatii, but all three Albans
were injured.
The last Horatii, Horatius
managed to lure them into a
forest, where he killed them
off one by one.
The Romans and Albans were
at peace again.
The Oath of the Horatii
His Final Alban War
The Albans later deserted the Romans in
a battle against Fidenae and Veii.
 As such, Tullus laid siege to Alba Longa,
captured it, and destroyed it. He then
moved all of their citizens to Rome.
 Tullus had the Alban leader, Mettius
Fufetius torn to pieces by tying his limbs
to horses, similar to being drawn and
quartered.

Death
While planning another campaign Tullus
fell ill.
 This coupled with a plague that had
befallen Rome, caused Tullus to turn to
religion for salvation.
 However legend states that he incorrectly
performed a sacrifice to Jupiter, and as
such was struck by lighting and burned
with his palace.
 Tullus Hostilius’ reign ended in 641 BC.
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Other Facts
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The word Hostile, meaning
not friendly, warm, or
generous; not hospitable,
is derived from Tullus’
surname, Hostilius.
His line survived at least
into the Republic, as
several senators had his
surname as well.
It is said that Tullus built
the Curia Hostilia, or the
meeting place of the
senate.
Curia Hostilia
Works Cited
Brush, Peter C. Ecce Romani I. Third ed. Upper Saddle river, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 2000. 109.
 David, Jacques-Louis. Oath of the Horatii. 1784. Louvre, Paris.
 Heaton, Chris. "Kings of Rome." UNRV History The Roman Empire.
2003-2008. UNRV. 15 Oct. 2008
<http://www.unrv.com/empire/kings-of-rome.php>.
 Joe, Jimmy. "Tales of Rome." Timeless Myths. 09 Oct. 2000. 15
Oct. 2008
<http://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/rome.html#tullus>.
 Kate. <http://flickr.com/photos/86456439@N00/272231910>
[Photo of inside of the Curia Hostilia]. 16 Oct. 2006. Rome.
 Roman Historian. Livy Titus. ClipArt.com. Rome After the Kings.
1997. About.com. 17 Oct. 2008
<http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/a/12tablet
s.htm>.
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