Marcus Atilius Regulus had already served as consul and fought other Italian enemies before commanding at Ecnomus. After later victories in Africa, he was defeated and captured near Tunis. Roman tradition says he advised the Senate to reject Carthaginian peace terms, honored his parole by returning, and then suffered an elaborate execution. Polybius omits the torture story, while another source hostile to Carthage implies that Regulus died naturally. His reputation as a civic exemplar therefore extends beyond the secure evidence.
Notable Point · 1:22:27-1:27:17
Regulus becomes a disputed model of Roman civic virtue
Regulus's military career and alleged return from parole became a Roman moral story, but ancient sources disagree about his famous torture and death.