Cincinnatus Cincinnatus represents one of the most noble of Roman characheristics-loyalty to the republic. In 458 BC, when a Roman army was attacked and surrounded, the Senate sent a messenger to Cincinnatus, who was working with his fields, that he had been appointed dictator to deal with the situation. He immediately dropped his plow and picked up his sword. He took command of a rescue force and defeated the mountain tribesmen within two weeks. He then resigned and went back to his fields. Image: Ancient Rome, by Daniel Cohen, illustrated by Higgins Bond, p. 13.