The Horatii

  By Rider, 23 July 2007; Revised
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During the reign of Tullus Hostilius, war broke loose with Alba Longa. Just before one battle, the lord of Alba Longa, Mettius, offered Tullus Hostilius the chance to end the war peacefully and only with a few lives lost. Both cities, Rome and Alba Longa, had three brothers, aged the same and equal in their skills. Their duel, as was decided, would decide the war.

 

The Duel

The Romans, the Horatii brothers, fought the Curatii brothers of Alba Longa. Soon after they began fighting, all but a single Roman were injured. Soon, the brothers of the Romans were killed. The last brother started running away from the Curatii. The three followed, but, due to their different injuries, they each ran at different speeds.

Soon, the first Alba Longan fell to the blade of the Horatii brother. The second reached the Roman and soon laid in dirt too. The third of the Curatii fell the same way, although the Horatii cried out that the first two were sacrifices to his brothers and the third would now be for the war, and Rome may rule over Alba Longa. The third was soon dead.

 

The Oath of the Horatii by Jaques-Louis David
The Oath of the Horatii by Jaques-Louis David

Horatii sister

The sister of the Horatii brothers had been engaged to one of the Curatii. When he saw the cape of the fallen soon-to-be-husband, she started crying. Her brother killed the sister because of that saying that the same fate would come to every Roman who would weep for the enemy.

The Senate found the actions of the last Horatii disgusting and he was sent to the courts. He was sentenced to be whipped to death. After that, his father pleaded and said that the daughter had been killed justly. And on the cries and pleas of the father, the people released the last son. The father sacrificed for their decision and had the last son walk under the creature.