Numa

Family: Roman · Role: king and legislator · First appears: Comparison of Numa with Lycurgus

Life events

Numa accepted a kingdom without desiring it, rising from private life to become king.(Comparison of Numa with Lycurgus · 📍 Rome)
- “Numa accepted and Lycurgus resigned a kingdom; Numa received without desiring it, Lycurgus had it and gave it up;”
Numa established peace and justice among Rome’s violent and fiery people through persuasion.(Comparison of Numa with Lycurgus · 📍 Rome)
- “Numa's muse was a gentle and loving inspiration, fitting him well to turn and soothe his people into peace and justice out of their violent and fiery tempers;”
Numa’s death ended his peace policy, and war burst forth across Italy.(Comparison of Numa with Lycurgus · 📍 Italy)
- “But Numa's whole design and aim, the continuance of peace and good-will, on his death vanished with him; no sooner did he expire his last breath than the gates of Janus's temple flew wide open, and, as if war had, indeed, been kept and caged up within those walls, it rushed forth to fill all Italy with blood and slaughter;”

with Lycurgus (Contrasted fellow legislators with similar aims and differing virtues.) “In general, it seems that both aimed at the same design and intent, which was to bring their people to moderation and frugality; but, of other virtues, the one set his affection most on fortitude, and the other on justice;”

mentor: Pythagoras “those authors who affirm that king Numa was pupil to Pythagoras”

Extracted from the original text of Plutarch's Lives. Made with Rho MD.