Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, Roman general, a member of one of the most important families of the plebeian
Fulvius gens.
When
praetor (
193 BC) he served with distinction in
Spain, and as consul in
159 he completely broke the power of the
Aetolian League. On his return to
Rome, Nobilior celebrated a triumph (of which full details are given by
Livy) remarkable for the magnificence of the spoils exhibited. On his Aetolian campaign he was accompanied by the poet
Ennius, who made the capture of
Ambracia, at which he was present, the subject of one of his plays. For this Nobilior was strongly opposed by
Cato the Censor, on the ground that he had compromised his dignity as a Roman general.
He restored the temple of
Hercules and the
Muses in the
Circus Flaminius, placed in it a list of
Fasti drawn up by himself, and endeavoured to make the
Roman calendar more generally known. He was a great enthusiast for Greek art and culture, and introduced many of its masterpieces into Rome, amongst them the picture of the Muses by
Zeuxis from Ambracia.
Fulvius Nobilior, Marcus
Nobilior, Marcus