Coriolanus and Attius were put in command of the Volscian war effort. In his raids into Roman territory, Coriolanus gave strict orders that patricians' property was to remain unharmed, while plebeians' property was legitimate prey. Naturally this led to further tension between the classes in Rome: the patricians blamed the plebeians for exiling Coriolanus and the plebeians suspected some sort of conspiracy between the patricians and Coriolanus.

As Coriolanus approached nearer to Rome, an embassy was sent offering to repeal his banishment if he would stop the war, but Coriolanus refused to betray his new allies and said he would only stop the war if the territory surrendered by the Volscians after defeats in previous wars was returned to them. He gave the Romans thirty days to consider his offer and withdrew to harry the territory of Rome's allies.

When the thirty days was up, the Romans sent another embassy saying they would trust to Coriolanus' discretion to make suitable arrangements between the Romans and Volscians after the Volscian forces went back home. Coriolanus replied that the Romans were in no position to lay down terms, but his previous offer would still stand for another three days.

In desperation, the Senate sent another deputation, this time of priests, but again Coriolanus adamantly stuck to his position. Led by Valeria, the sister of Publicola, the women of Rome went to Coriolanus' house, where his mother and wife still lived, to beg them to intercede with him.

The women set out for Coriolanus' camp. At first he was going to refuse to even see the women until someone pointed out that his mother and wife were among them.

The pleas and reproaches of his mother at this family reunion were too much for Coriolanus to bear and he agreed to withdraw the Volscian troops. It is not known what happened to him afterwards. Some say that a Volscian mob, angered by what they saw as his treachery, killed him, others say that he lived to a ripe old age in exile.

When the women arrived back in Rome, they were promised all sorts of rewards but they refused them, asking only that a temple dedicated to Women's Fortune be erected.

The above article was originally published on suite101.com in two parts at [www.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_biographies/112216] on 22 November 2004 and at [www.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_biographies/112219] on 6 December 2004.
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Primary Sources:

Plutarch's Life of Coriolanus

Plutarch's Comparison of Coriolanus and Alcibiades

Livy's account of Coriolanus can be seen in sections 2:33 to 2:40.

Secondary Source:

Jona Lendering's essay on Coriolanus