Cincinnatus was a roman
hero who was instrumental in saving the early Republic In 458 BC, Rome was in danger of being destroyed by the Aequi, a neighbouring Italian tribe. To defeat this threat, the Senate voted to appoint Cmcmnatus as dictator, a temporar)' office vested with unlimited powers A deputation was sent to his small farm, which was the smallest landholding allowed to qualify for citizenship. The senators found Cmcmnatus at work tending his crops He was told of the Senate's decision and was saluted as dictator. However, the plebeians, the ordinary people, feared that Cincinnatus might abuse his position Their fears proved groundless and, after the defeat of the Aequi, they voted Cincinnatus a golden wreath at the end of his sixty days of office He then returned to his fields and was remembered as the perfect example of a virtuous and dutiful Roman citizen
c1ncinattus, one of the most modest of Roman heroes and a model of Roman integrity After 60 days in office, he quietly returned to his farm (Iui'stiwtion from shiriib;IROM uvy, 1885)
appearance of a typical CENTAUR, with the body and legs of a horse, and the arms and head of a man
His unusual parentage explains why Chiron was so wise, unlike other Centaurs, for he was learned in music, medicine, hunting and warfare He was a fnend of APOLl O and the tutor to several Greek heroes such as ACHILLES, ASCLEPIUS and JASON He lived in a cave on Mount Pelion in Thessaly, and when he died ZEUS set him in the sky as the constellation Centaurus.
Chiron was the son of Philyra, daughter of OCEANOS, and the Titan CRONOS, who had adopted the form of a horse to hide from his wife RHEA his passion for Philyra, which is why Chiron had the undertake, but only on condition that he was unarmed. Like the GORGONS, Cerberus was so dreadful to behold that anyone who looked upon him was turned to stone. He was brother to the Hydra and the Chimaera.
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