Micro-post #116: The truth behind the legend of Cincinnatus (from Reddit)

So a couple days ago while reading Reddit, someone had posted in r/ancienthistory a link about how benevolent the Roman dictator Cincinnatus was when asked to rule Rome. It's a legend you sometimes hear when people discuss the American Founding Fathers, specifically with why George Washington decided to not just plop down and become King-for-Life instead of ending after his two terms as president. On the face of it, it's pretty inspirational since it's about a guy who could've been a long-term tyrant but chose to returm to his farm. One glaring problem, though, is that Cincinnatus was like pretty much every other Roman patrician who ever lived: he royally sucked major ass.

Fortunately, the folks at r/ancienthistory weren't having this and shut that shit down immediately. The real story is actually a lot more interesting than the myth, if because of how it follows the pattern of history almost always being weirder and worse than what you've been told:

Cincinnatus Leaves the Plough to Dictate Laws to Rome, Juan Antonio Ribera (c. 1806)

Reminder: I'm currently on my last of the 2025 Summer Sabbaticals and if anything is "off" about this posts, I'll fix it when I come back. - AB