DENTATUS, MANIUS CURIUS, Roman general, con queror of the Samnites and Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was born of humble parents, and was possibly of Sabine origin. In ego B.C., when consul with P. Cornelius Rufinus, he gained a decisive vic tory over the Samnites, which put an end to a war that had lasted fifty years. He also reduced the revolted Sabines to submission; a large portion of their territory was distributed among the Roman citizens, and the most important towns received the citizenship without the right of voting for magistrates (civitas sine suffragio). With the proceeds of the spoils Dentatus cut a channel to carry off the waters of Lake Velinus, so as to drain the valley of Reate. In 275, after Pyrrhus had returned from Sicily to Italy, Dentatus (again consul) took the field against him and defeated him completely near Beneventum. Dentatus was consul for the third time in 274, when he finally crushed the Lucanians and Samnites. As censor in 272 he began to build an aqueduct to carry the waters of the Anio into the city, but died (2 7o) be fore its completion. Dentatus was looked upon as a model of old Roman simplicity and frugality.
Livy, epitome, ii.—i4; Polybius ii. 19 ; Eutropius ii. 9, 14; Florus i. 18 ; Val. Max. iv. 3, 5, vi. 3, 4 ; Cicero, De senectute, 16 ; Juvenal xi. 78 ; Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 25.