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Licinii
The gens Licinia was a celebrated plebeian family at ancient Rome, which appears from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times, and which eventually obtained the imperial dignity. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Licinius Calvus Stolo, who, as tribune of the plebs from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of any of the annual magistrates, until the patricians acquiesced to the passage of the ''lex Licinia Sextia'', or Licinian Rogations. This law, named for Licinius and his colleague, Lucius Sextius, opened the consulship for the first time to the plebeians. Licinius himself was subsequently elected consul in 364 and 361 BC, and from this time, the Licinii became one of the most illustrious gentes in the Republic.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, p. 782 (" Licinia Gens"). Origin The nomen ''Licinius'' is derived from the cognomen ''Licinus'', or "upturned", found in a number of Roman gentes.Chase, p. 109. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaius Licinius Stolo
Gaius Licinius Stolo, along with Lucius Sextius, was one of the two tribunes of ancient Rome who opened the consulship to the plebeians. A member of the plebeian '' Licinia gens'', Stolo was tribune from 376 BC to 367 BC, during which he passed the ''lex Licinia Sextia'' restoring the consulship, requiring a plebeian consul seat, limiting the amount of public land that one person could hold, and regulating debts. He also passed a law stipulating that the ''Sibylline Books'' should be overseen by ''decemviri'', of whom half would be plebeians in order to prevent any falsification in favor of the patricians. The patricians opposed these laws, though they finally were passed. Licinius was then elected consul for 361 BC (). He was later charged with violating his own laws concerning the ownership of land and was forced to pay a heavy fine. Although Livy describes the activities of Gaius Licinius in great detail, it is likely that his description is not accurate; much of it is su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribune Of The Plebs
Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune () was the first office of the Roman Republic, Roman state that was open to the plebs, plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power of the Roman Senate and Roman magistrate, magistrates. These tribunes had the power to convene and preside over the ''Plebeian Council, Concilium Plebis'' (people's assembly); to summon the senate; to propose legislation; and to intervene on behalf of plebeians in legal matters; but the most significant power was to veto the actions of the Roman consul, consuls and other magistrates, thus protecting the interests of the plebeians as a class. The tribunes of the plebs were typically found seated on Tribune bench, special benches set up for them in the Roman Forum. The tribunes were sacrosanct, meaning that any assault on their person was punishable by death. In Roman Empire, imperial times, the powers of the tribunate were granted to ... [...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] |
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in 753 BC through the reign of Augustus in Livy's own lifetime. He was on good terms with members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was a friend of Augustus. Livy encouraged Augustus’s young grandnephew, the future emperor Claudius, to take up the writing of history. Life Livy was born in Patavium in northern Italy, now modern Padua, probably in 59 BC. At the time of his birth, his home city of Patavium was the second wealthiest on the Italian peninsula, and the largest in the province of Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy). Cisalpine Gaul was merged into Italy proper during his lifetime and its inhabitants were given Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. In his works, Livy often expressed his deep affection and pride for Patavium, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Esquiline Hill
The Esquiline Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is that the hill was named after the abundance of ( Italian oaks) growing there. Another view is that, during Rome's infancy, the Capitolium, the Palatinum, and the northern fringes of the Caelian were the most-populated areas of the city, whose inhabitants were considered ("in-towners"); those who inhabited the external regions – Aurelian, Oppius, Cispius, Fagutal – were considered ("suburbanites"). History The Esquiline Hill includes three prominent spurs, which are sometimes called "hills" as well: *Cispian (''Cispius'') – northern spur * Oppian (''Oppius'') – southern spur *Fagutal (''Fagutalis'') – western spur Rising above the valley in which was later built the Colosseum, the Esquiline was a fashionable residential district. According to Livy, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freedman
A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self-purchase. A fugitive slave is a person who escaped enslavement by fleeing. Ancient Rome Rome differed from Greek city-states in allowing freed slaves to become plebeian citizens. The act of freeing a slave was called ''manumissio'', from ''manus'', "hand" (in the sense of holding or possessing something), and ''missio'', the act of releasing. After manumission, a slave who had belonged to a Roman citizen enjoyed not only passive freedom from ownership, but active political freedom ''(libertas)'', including the right to vote. A slave who had acquired ''libertas'' was known as a ''libertus'' ("freed person", feminine ''liberta'') in relation to his former master, who was called his or her patron ''( patronus)''. As a social class, fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agnomen
An ''agnomen'' (; : ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the ''cognomen'' had been initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, and so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between similarly-named persons. However, as the ''agnomen'' was an additional and optional component in a Roman name, not all Romans had an ''agnomen''. Pseudo-Probus uses the hero of the Punic Wars, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, as an example: Marius Victorinus further elucidates: Africanus, Creticus and the likes are also known as victory titles. For example, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus earned his from the capture of Corioli. Etymology Latin ''agnōmen'' (also spelled ) comes from ''ad'' "to" and ''nōmen'' "name". Caligula As a minimum, a Roman ''agnomen'' is a name attached to an individual's full titulature after birth and formal naming by the family. True Roman nicknames, fully replacing the individual's name in usage, are rare. One s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aulus (praenomen)
Aulus ( , ), feminine Aula, is a Latin '' praenomen'', or personal name, which was common throughout Roman history from the earliest times to the end of the Western Empire in the fifth century. An alternative pronunciation leads to the variant spellings Olus, ''Ollus'' and ''Olla''. Aulus was widely used by both patrician and plebeian ''gentes''. The name gave rise to the patronymic ''gens Aulia'', and perhaps also to ''gens Avilia'' and the ''cognomen Avitus''. The name was usually abbreviated A., but occasionally Av. or Avl.''Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology''George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897) For most of Roman history, Aulus was one of the ten most common praenomina, being less common than '' Titus'', the sixth most common praenomen, and comparable in frequency to '' Gnaeus'', '' Spurius'', and '' Sextus''. Origin and meaning The 4th century epitome ''De Praenominibus'' (''Conce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gnaeus (praenomen)
Gnaeus ( , ), feminine Gnaea, is a Latin ''praenomen'', or personal name, which was common throughout the period of the Roman Republic, and well into imperial times. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic '' gens Naevia''. The name was regularly abbreviated Cn., based on the archaic spelling, Cnaeus, dating from the period before the letters "C" and "G" were differentiated. For most of Roman history, Gnaeus was one of the ten most common praenomina, being less common than ''Titus'', the sixth most common praenomen, and comparable in frequency to '' Aulus'', ''Spurius'', and '' Sextus''. Although the name was used by a minority of families at Rome, it was favored by a number of prominent ''gentes'', including the Cornelii, Domitii, Manlii, and Servilii. The name gradually became less common in imperial times. Origin and meaning According to Festus, the praenomen Gnaeus originally referred to a birthmark, which was ''naevus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sextus (praenomen)
''Sextus'' (), feminine Sexta, is a Latin ''praenomen'', or personal name, which was common throughout all periods of Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic ''gentes Sextia'' and '' Sextilia''. The name was regularly abbreviated Sex., but occasionally is found abbreviated S. (usually used for the praenomen ''Spurius''), or Sext.''Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology'' ''Sextus'' was about the tenth most-common praenomen for most of Roman history, although it became slightly more common in imperial times, as other praenomina declined in popularity. Many families did not use it, but it was widespread amongst all social classes, and was favored by some families. The name survived the collapse of Roman civil institutions in the 5th and 6th centuries, and has continued in use into modern times. Origin and meaning of the name ''Sextus'' is the Latin word for ''sixth'', and it falls into a class of similar praenom ... [...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] |
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] |
