140:, Pontius was confused as to what should become of the Roman army which had surrendered to him. He sent a letter to his father, the Samnite statesman Herennius Pontius, and the reply was that he should free them all, and therefore make Rome an ally. Pontius did not like this idea, and sent another letter to his father, saying so. Herennius, in a seemingly hypocritical manner, told his son to execute the entire army, saying that it would destroy the threat of Rome for a long time. Pontius knew that the number of Romans were simply too large to have them all executed, so he sent for his father in person, and asked him if there was a middle road. Herennius advised his son not to take that road, as it would not only humiliate the Romans, but leave them with the means to carry out revenge.
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The Romans fell for his trap, and found themselves cornered by the
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Rome's revenge was swift, and ended up with the
Samnites being soundly defeated, and Pontius being executed years after the battle.
263:. The Joan Palevsky imprint in classical literature (1. paperback printing ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press.
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Pontius ended up ignoring his father's advice and forcing the Romans to walk under a yoke composed of Roman
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Gaius
Pontius was a Meddix, a Samnite position similar to a Roman
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A Lucanian fresco of the Battle of the
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190:From Barbarians to New Men
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216:by Theodor Mommsen
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