ABSTRACT
Quintus Fabius Maximus was born into the patrician Fabii gens, or clan, in about 275 B.C. Although the Fabii traced their ancestry back to a mythic origin, to Hercules, their actual origin is obscure. However, they became an important family group with a distinguished history in Roman affairs. Fabius was the great-grandson of Fabius Rullianus (fl. c. 325-290 B.C.), the first of the Fabii to append the title Maximus to his surname and the most famous of Fabius’s forbears.
