MAELIUS, SPURIUS

died 439 BC wealthy Roman plebeian who allegedly tried to buy popular support with the aim of making himself king. During the severe famine of 440439, he bought up a large store of grain and sold it at a low price to the people of Rome. This led Lucius Minucius, the patrician praefectus annonae (president of the market), to accuse Maelius of seeking to take over the government. Shortly thereafter, Maelius was killedsupposedly by a man named Gaius Servilius Ahalaand his house razed.