The
gens Fabia was one of the most ancient
patrician families at
Rome. The
gens played a prominent part in history soon after the establishment of the
Republic, and three brothers were invested with seven successive
consulships, from 485 to 479 BC, thereby cementing the high repute of the family. The house derived its greatest lustre from the patriotic courage and tragic fate of the 306 Fabii in the
Battle of the Cremera, 477 BC. But the Fabii were not distinguished as warriors alone; several members of the gens were also important in the history of
Roman literature and the arts.