Gaius Atilius Regulus

Gaius Atilius Regulus (killed 225 BC at Telamon in battle) was one of the two Roman consuls who fought a Celtic invasion of Italy in 225 BC-224 BC; he however was killed in battle and beheaded. Regulus came from a prominent family of consuls for four generations; the family originally hailed from southern Italy.

Regulus was a younger son of the Roman hero Marcus Atilius Regulus, the consul captured during the First Punic War, and grandson of another Marcus Atilius Regulus. His elder brother was Roman consul for the year 227 BC, together with Publius Valerius Flaccus, and consul suffectus for 217 BC replacing Gaius Flaminius and later censor. An uncle of the same name was also twice consul during the First Punic War.

Regulus's father Marcus Atilius Regulus died by 250 BC, by a manner debated subsequently by historians (most now believe Roman accounts of his barbaric death to be propaganda). His mother Marcia allegedly tortured two Punic prisoners to death in revenge. According to Livy, etc., the hostage consul had at least two surviving sons and one surviving daughter when he returned to Carthage.

He was elected consul in 225 BC as the plebeian consul with the patrician Lucius Aemilius Papus, and was sent to quell a revolt in Sardinia which he quickly accomplished. He then returned to the Italian mainland to fight the Gauls, and fell in the Battle of Telamon.

The consul had been sent to Sardinia, from where he returned with his legions. After hearing stories about the Celtic (or Gaulish) invasion of Etruria, the consul returned hastily to engage in battle. Since Roman consuls of this era desired triumphs, Atilius decided to engage the Gauls on his own. By being the first to engage in battle, he hoped to get the larger share of the credit of the victory. However, his plans went awry when the Roman cavalry encountered the more experienced Celtic cavalry and was cut to pieces.

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