Tarquinius Priscus, Lucius

(Tarquin the Elder), according to Roman tradition, the fifth king of Rome, who reigned from 616/615 B.C. to 578/577 B.C. Tarquinius is said to have sponsored a vast building program with projects including the Forum, the Cloaca Maxima, the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and the Circus Maximus. He is also credited with success in wars against the Sabines and the Latins and with the introduction in Rome of many Etruscan cults and customs.