Curtius Mettus

Curtius, Mettus or Mettius, according to one tradition, was a Sabine general who rode into a marsh to avoid the Roman troops. Another story represents him as a Roman patrician who sacrificed himself for the good of his country. In 362, the story goes, a thunderbolt fell into the Forum, and caused a chasm. The soothsayers declared that it could only be closed by sacrificing what was dearest to Rome. Curtius said that her citizens were Rome's dearest possession, and then mounted and fully armed he sprang into the gulf, which closed over him.