Claudius Caecus, Appius
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Claudius Caecus, Appius: (fl. late 4th /early 3rd Centuries BC). Roman politician, military leader, writer. He received the epithet Caecus (= “blind”) when he lost his sight sometime in his middle age. He held a number of important offices including the censorship in 312 BC, a very rare occurrence for someone who had not previously been a consul. This office was normally held for a period of 18 months but Claudius retained it for a period of some four years. During his censorship he built the Appian aqueduct to supply fresh water to the city of Rome. He also began the construction on the first length of the Via Appia (Appian Way), which connected Rome with the city of Capua. He eventually did hold two consulships, in 307 BC and 296 BC. During this last term, he campaigned against the Etruscans and Samnites. By the time of the Pyrrhic War, Claudius was in his old age and blind. That, however, did not prevent him from having the ability to convince the senate to reject the offer of peace made by Pyrrhus. Besides his political and military accomplishments, Claudius was also the earliest Roman writer mentioned in history. It is known that he composed a poem which was known to Cicero, and well as a legal treatise entitled De Usurpationibus. He was the brother of Appius Claudius Caudex and the father of Publius Claudius Pulcher.