Neither Appian nor any other surviving ancient source provides a specific identity, first name (praenomen), or precise reason for the proscription of this particular Menenius.

Historians are left with an anonymous entry in the historical record due to several structural realities of the surviving texts:

1. Missing Identity and Status

• The Name: He is recorded simply as "Menenius". While the Menenia gens was historically a proud patrician family dating back to the dawn of the Roman Republic (famous for Agrippa Menenius Lanatus), the family had faded into political obscurity by the 1st century BC. 
• Senatorial vs. Equestrian: Because Appian does not explicitly specify his rank, modern prosopographical studies (such as François Hinard’s authoritative work on Roman proscriptions) leave it unclear whether this Menenius was a senator or a wealthy equestrian (eques). 

2. Missing Motive for Proscription

Appian does not give a personalized grievance for Menenius. Instead, Menenius falls under the general umbrella of the Triumviral edict. The Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus) proscribed individuals for three blanket reasons, any of which could apply to him: 

• Wealth and Property: The Triumvirs desperately needed to fund their massive armies for the upcoming war against Caesar's assassins. Many wealthy Romans were put on the lists purely so the state could seize and auction off their estates. 
• Republican Sympathies: Anyone suspected of harboring anti-Caesarian or pro-Senate leanings was targeted. 
• The Target Location: The fact that Menenius immediately fled to Sicily is highly telling. Sicily was controlled by Sextus Pompey, who had turned the island into a safe haven for those fleeing the Triumvirs. Menenius may have already had political or personal ties to the Pompeian faction.

3. Literary Purpose of the Story

Appian's primary goal in this section of Book 4 was not to provide a meticulous political breakdown of every victim, but rather to construct a moral and rhetorical anthology of human behavior under duress. He categorized his stories by theme: wives who betrayed husbands, sons who saved fathers, and slaves who showed ultimate loyalty to their masters. Menenius is included purely to serve as a backdrop for the heroic self-sacrifice of his slave. 

Would you like to examine other individuals from Appian's list whose specific political offenses and identities are detailed extensively, such as Cicero or Salvius?