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Annia Gens
The gens Annia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Livy mentions a Lucius Annius, praetor of the Roman colony of Setia, in 340 BC, and other Annii are mentioned at Rome during this period. Members of this gens held various positions of authority from the time of the Second Punic War, and Titus Annius Luscus attained the consulship in 153 BC. In the second century AD, the Annii gained the Empire itself; Marcus Aurelius was descended from this family. Origin The Annii claimed a descent from the goddess Anna Perenna, the sister of Dido, portrayed on the coins of Gaius Annius Luscus. The nomen ''Annius'' was classified by Chase as one of Picentine origin, while the first of the Annii appearing in history (in 340 BC) was praetor of Setia, originally a Volscian town, captured by the Romans in 382 BC. Both the Picentes and the Volsci spoke Umbrian languages, so it may be that Annius was a member of an old Volscian family, rather than one of the Latin colonists, on whose b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plebeian
In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the group and the term are unclear, but may be related to the Greek, ''plēthos'', meaning masses. In Latin, the word is a singular collective noun, and its genitive is . Plebeians were not a monolithic social class. In ancient Rome In the annalistic tradition of Livy and Dionysius, the distinction between patricians and plebeians was as old as Rome itself, instituted by Romulus' appointment of the first hundred senators, whose descendants became the patriciate. Modern hypotheses date the distinction "anywhere from the regal period to the late fifth century" BC. The 19th-century historian Barthold Georg Niebuhr believed plebeians were possibly foreigners immigrating from other parts of Italy. This hypothesis, that plebeians were racial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nomen Gentilicium
The (; or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by Patrilineality, patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expanded its frontiers and non-Roman peoples were progressively granted citizenship and concomitant , the latter lost its value in indicating patrilineal ancestry. For men, the was the middle of the ("three names"), after the and before the . Naming conventions for women in ancient Rome, For women, the was often the only name used until the late Republic. For example, three members of gens Julia, gens ''Julia'' were Julius Caesar, Gaius ''Julius'' Caesar and his sisters Julia Major (sister of Caesar), ''Julia'' Major and Julia Minor (sister of Caesar), ''Julia'' Minor ("Julia the elder" and "Julia the younger"). History The ''nomen gentilicium'', or "gentile name" designated a Roman citizen as a member of a ''gens''. A '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary ''cognomina'' were used to augment the second name, the ''nomen gentilicium'' (the Surname, family name, or clan name), in order to identify a particular branch within a family or family within a clan. The term has also taken on other contemporary meanings. Roman names Because of the limited nature of the Latin ''praenomen'', the ''cognomen'' developed to distinguish branches of the family from one another, and occasionally, to highlight an individual's achievement, typically in warfare. One example of this is Pompey, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, whose cognomen ''Magnus'' was earned after his military victories under Sulla's dictatorship. The ''cognomen'' was a form of distinguishing people who accomplished important feats, and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire following the War of Actium. During this period, Rome's control expanded from the city's immediate surroundings to hegemony over the entire Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean world. Roman society at the time was primarily a cultural mix of Latins (Italic tribe), Latin and Etruscan civilization, Etruscan societies, as well as of Sabine, Oscan, and Greek cultural elements, which is especially visible in the Ancient Roman religion and List of Roman deities, its pantheon. Its political organisation developed at around the same time as direct democracy in Ancient Greece, with collective and annual magistracies, overseen by Roman Senate, a senate. There were annual elections, but the republican system was an elective olig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claudia Gens
The gens Claudia (), sometimes written Clodia, was one of the most prominent patrician (ancient Rome), patrician houses at ancient Rome. The gens traced its origin to the earliest days of the Roman Republic. The first of the Claudii to obtain the Roman consul, consulship was Appius Claudius Sabinus Regillensis, in 495 BC, and from that time its members frequently held the highest offices of the state, both under the Republic and in Roman Empire, imperial times.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, p. 762 ("s:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology/Claudia gens, Claudia Gens"). Plebeian Claudii are found fairly early in Rome's history. Some may have been descended from members of the family who had passed over to the plebeians, while others were probably the descendants of freedman, freedmen of the gens. In the later Republic, Publius Clodius Pulcher, one of its patrician members voluntarily converted to plebeian status and adopted the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Appius (praenomen)
Appius (), feminine Appia, is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, usually abbreviated Ap. or sometimes App., and best known as a result of its extensive use by the patrician '' gens Claudia''. The praenomen also gave rise to the patronymic '' gens Appia''.George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897)''Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology'' Origin and meaning As with many praenomina, there is no satisfactory explanation of the meaning of Appius. The origin of the name has been obscured by the fact that it is chiefly known from its association with gens Claudia, and was borne by no other major figures in Roman history. Titus Livius relates the story of how, in the early days of the Roman Republic, a wealthy Sabine by the name of ''Attius Clausus'' emigrated to Rome from the town of Cures, together with his family and retainers, and was admitted to the patriciate. He subsequently Latinized his name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaius (praenomen)
Gaius (), feminine Gaia, is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, and was one of the most common names throughout Roman history.Chase, pp. 174–176. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Gavia. The name was regularly abbreviated C., based on the original spelling, Caius, which dates from the period before the letters "C" and "G" were differentiated. Inverted, Ɔ. stood for the feminine, Gaia.''Liber de Praenominibus''.Quintilian, ''Institutes'', i. 7. § 28. Throughout Roman history, Gaius was generally the second-most common praenomen, following only '' Lucius''. Although many prominent families did not use it at all, it was so widely distributed amongst all social classes that ''Gaius'' became a generic name for any man, and ''Gaia'' for any woman. A familiar Roman wedding ceremony included the words, spoken by the bride, ''ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia'' ("as you are Gaius, I am Gaia"), to which the bridegroom replied, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucius (praenomen)
Lucius ( , ) is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was one of the most common names throughout Roman history.Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", pp. 156, 157. The feminine form is ''Lucia'' ( , ).Varro, ''De Lingua Latina'', ix. 60. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes '' Lucia'' and '' Lucilia''. It was regularly abbreviated L. Throughout Roman history, Lucius was the most common praenomen, used slightly more than ''Gaius'' and somewhat more than '' Marcus''. Although a number of prominent families rarely or never used it,Mommsen, ''Römische Forschungen'', pp. 15–17. it was amongst the most frequently given names in countless others. The name survived the collapse of the Western Empire in the fifth century, and has continued into modern times. Origin and meaning In the treatise ''De Praenominibus'' (Concerning Praenomina), of uncertain authorship, Lucius is said to have been derived from ''lux'', l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marcus (praenomen)
Marcus (), feminine Marca or Marcia, is a Latin '' praenomen'', or personal name, which was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic '' gens Marcia'', as well as the ''cognomen Marcellus''. It was regularly abbreviated M.''Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology''''Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft''Mika Kajava, ''Roman Female Praenomina: Studies in the Nomenclature of Roman Women'' (1994) At all periods of Roman history, Marcus was the third-most popular praenomen, trailing only '' Lucius'' and '' Gaius''. Although many prominent families did not use it, it was a favorite of countless others. The name survived the Roman Empire and has continued to be used, in various forms, into modern times. Origin and meaning of the name The praenomen Marcus is generally thought to be derived from the name of the god Mars. It has been proposed that it wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titus (praenomen)
Titus ( , ), feminine Tita or Titia, is a Latin ''praenomen'', or personal name, and was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. For most of Roman history, Titus was the sixth most common praenomen, following '' Lucius, Gaius, Marcus, Publius'', and ''Quintus''. While not used by every family, it was widely used by all social classes including both patricians and plebeians and was a favorite of many families and gave rise to the patronymic '' gens Titia''. It was regularly abbreviated T. The name survived the Roman Empire, and has continued to be used, in various forms, into modern times. Origin and meaning The original meaning of Titus is obscure, but it was widely believed to have come to Rome during the time of Romulus, the founder and first king of Rome. Early in his reign, a war with the Sabines ended with the migration of a great many Sabine families to Rome, and Titus Tatius, king of the Sabine town of Cures, becoming co-regent with Romulus. Titus would th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praenomen
The praenomen (; plural: praenomina) was a first name chosen by the parents of a Ancient Rome, Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy. The praenomen would then be formally conferred a second time when girls married, or when boys assumed the ''toga virilis'' upon reaching manhood. Although it was the oldest of the ''tria nomina'' commonly used in Roman naming conventions, by the late republic, most praenomina were so common that most people were called by their praenomina only by family or close friends. For this reason, although they continued to be used, praenomina gradually disappeared from public records during imperial times. Although both men and women received praenomina, women's praenomina were frequently ignored, and they were gradually abandoned by many Roman families, though they continued to be used in some families and in the countryside. Backg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latins (Italic Tribe)
The Latins (), sometimes known as the Latials or Latians, were an Italic peoples, Italic tribe that included the early inhabitants of the city of Rome (see Roman people). From about 1000 BC, the Latins inhabited the small region known to the Romans as Old Latium (in Latin ''Latium vetus''), the area in the Italian Peninsula between the river Tiber and the promontory of Mount Circeo southeast of Rome. Following the Roman expansion, the Latins spread into the Latium adiectum, inhabited by Osco-Umbrian languages, Osco-Umbrian peoples. Their language, Latin, belonged to the Italic languages, Italic branch of Indo-European. Speakers of Italic languages are assumed to have migrated into the Italian Peninsula during the late Bronze Age (1200–900 BC). The material culture of the Latins, known as the Latial culture, was a distinctive subset of the proto-Villanovan culture that appeared in parts of the Italian peninsula in the first half of the 12th century BC. The Latins mai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
