Digitius

1. An Italian, who served as a marine (socius navalis) under the great P. Corn. Scipio Africanus. After the taking of New Carthage in B. C. 210, Sex. Digitius and Q. Trebellius were rewarded by Scipio with the corona muralis, for the two men disputed as to which of them had first scaled the walls of the place. (Liv. 26.48.) It must be supposed that Digitius was further rewarded for his bravery with the Roman franchise; for his son, or perhaps he himself, is mentioned as praetor in B. C. 194.

2. It is uncertain whether he is a son of the Digitius who served in Spain under Scipio, or whether he is identical with him, though the former is more probable. He was praetor in B. C. 194, and obtained southern Spain as his province. After the departure of M. Cato, several of the Spanish tribes again revolted, and Digitius had to fight many battles against them, in most of which he was so unsuccessful, that at the termination of his office his forces were reduced to half of their original number. In B. C. 190 he was appointed legate by the consul L. Corn. Scipio Asiaticus ; and, conjointly with two others, he was commissioned to collect a fleet at Brundusium from all parts of the coast. In B. C. 174 he was one of the ambassadors sent to Macedonia, and in the year following he was sent to Apulia to purchase provisions for the fleet and the army. (Liv. 35.1, 2, 37.4, 41.22, 42.27; Oros. 4.22, where he is erroneously called Publius.) The military tribune, Sex. Digitius, who is mentioned by Livy (43.11) about the same time, is probably a son of our Sex. Digitius. [L.S]