The gens Accoleia, also spelled Acoleia, Acculeia, and Aculeia, was a minor

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 gro ...

family at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

during the latter part of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. Most of what is known of this

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

comes from various coins and inscriptions.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, p. 6 ("Accoleia Gens").

Origin and meaning

The origin of the nomen is uncertain, but the gens apparently shared its name with one of the thirty

curiae Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

, or wards, which formed divisions of the three Romulean tribes, suggesting that the family might have been of great antiquity, although if so it was exceedingly obscure. One tradition states that the curiae were named after the Sabine women carried off in the time of

Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...

. Of the few whose names are known, several correspond with particular neighborhoods of Rome, although this does not establish whether the wards were originally named after historical or mythological personages. One such person,

Acca Larentia Acca Larentia or Acca Larentina was a mythical woman, later a goddess of fertility, in Roman mythology whose festival, the Larentalia, was celebrated on December 23. Myths Foster mother In one mythological tradition (that of Licinius Macer, ...

, was the foster-mother of Romulus and Remus, suggesting that perhaps ''Acculeia'' was a nomen derived from ''Acca''. This might account for the fact that the curia Acculeia carried out a sacrifice in honor of

Angerona In Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion, Angerona or Angeronia was an old Roman goddess, whose name and functions are variously explained. She is sometimes identified with the goddess Feronia (mythology), Feronia. Description According to a ...

, the tutelary goddess of Rome itself, during the

Angeronalia The Divalia was a Roman festival held on December 21, in honour of the goddess Angerona In Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion, Angerona or Angeronia was an old Roman goddess, whose name and functions are variously explained. She is somet ...

. A denarius issued by Publius Accoleius Lariscolus, pictured above, may represent the worship of Acca Larentia, although the figure has also been identified as that of

Diana Nemorensis Diana Nemorensis ("Diana of Nemi"), also known as " Diana of the Wood", was an Italic form of the goddess who became Hellenised during the fourth century BC and conflated with Artemis. Her sanctuary is on the northern shore of Lake Nemi bene ...

, depicted as a

triple goddess A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...

. Perhaps less romantically, the nomen could be derived from the noun ''aculeus'', meaning a "thorn" or "needle", or the corresponding adjective, with the additional meaning of "sharp".

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Accoleii were ''

Lucius Lucius is a masculine given name derived from Lucius (Latin ; ), abbreviated L., one of the small group of common Latin forenames () found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius probably derives from Latin word ( gen. ), meaning "light" (<

'' and '' Publius''. The family used a few other names, including '' Marcus'' and ''

Quintus Quintus is a male given name derived from ''Quintus (praenomen), Quintus'', a common Latin language, Latin forename (''praenomen'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Quintus derives from Latin word ''quintus'', meaning "fifth". Quintus is ...

''. All were among the most common names throughout Roman history.

Branches and cognomina

All of the

cognomina 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 hereditar ...

borne by members of this gens appear to have been personal surnames, such as ''Lariscolus'', ''Euhermerus'', and ''Abascantus''.

Members

* Lucius Accoleius M. f., named in an inscription from Rome. * Lucius Acculeius, named in an inscription from Nemus Dianae in

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whic ...

. * Marcus Accoleius M. f., an

aedile Aedile ( , , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public orde ...

, mentioned in an inscription from Nemus Dianae. * Marcus Acculeius M. f., named in an inscription from

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

as a friend of Gaius Julius Rhoemetalces, King of Odrysian Thrace from AD 38 to 46. * Quintus Accoleius Q. l. A .. a freedman buried at Aricia in Latium. * Lucius Acculeius Abascantus, a soldier stationed at Rome, serving in the century of Gnaeus Pompeius Pelas, in AD 70. * Publius Acculeius Apolaustus, probably a freedman, buried at Acelum in

Venetia and Histria Venetia et Histria (Latin: ''Regio X Venetia et Histria'') was an administrative subdivision in the northeast of Roman Italy. It was originally created by Augustus as the tenth ''regio'' in 7 AD alongside the nine other ''regiones''. The region h ...

, with a monument dedicated by his wife, Acculeia Zosime.. * Aculeia Bacchis, the wife of Publius Pomponius Diophanes, according to a funerary inscription from

Emerita Augusta Augusta Emerita, also called Emerita Augusta, was a Roman '' colonia'' founded in 25 BC in present day Mérida, Spain. The city was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus to resettle Emeriti soldiers from the veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars ...

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

. * Publius Acculeius Euhemerus, named in an inscription from Ostia, dating to AD 172. * Publius Accoleius Lariscolus, ''

triumvir monetalis The ''triumvir monetalis'' ( ''tresviri'' or ''triumviri monetales'', also called the , abbreviated IIIVIR A. A. A. F. F.) was a moneyer during the Roman Republic and the Empire, who oversaw the minting of coins. In that role, he would be respon ...

'' in 43 BC, perhaps the same person named in a dedicatory inscription to Bellona at

Lanuvium Lanuvium, modern Lanuvio, is an ancient city of Latium vetus, some southeast of Rome, a little southwest of the Via Appia. Situated on an isolated hill projecting south from the main mass of the Alban Hills, Lanuvium commanded an extensive view ...

. * Acculeius Mystes, dedicated a tomb at Rome for his son, Publius Acculeius Ulpianus.. * Lucius Acculeius L. l. Salvius, a freedman buried at Rome.. * Publius Acculeius Ulpianus, the son of Acculeius Mystes, who built a tomb for Ulpianus at Rome. * Acculeia Zosime, probably a freedwoman, dedicated a tomb at Acelum to her husband, Publius Acculeius Apolaustus.

References

Bibliography

Marcus Terentius Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...

, ''De Lingua Latina'' (On the Latin Language). * ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'',

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). *

Theodor Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; ; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th ce ...

''et alii'', ''

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present). * ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' is an English language encyclopedia first published in 1842. The second, improved and enlarged, edition appeared in 1848, and there were many revised editions up to 1890. The encyclopedia covered law ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown, and Company, Boston (1859). * Wilhelm Henzen, ''Ephemeris Epigraphica: Corporis Inscriptionum Latinarum Supplementum'' (Journal of Inscriptions: Supplement to the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, abbreviated ''EE''), Institute of Roman Archaeology, Rome (1872–1913). * René Cagnat ''et alii'', ''

L'Année épigraphique ''L'Année épigraphique'' (''The Epigraphic Year'', standard abbreviation ''AE'') is a French publication on epigraphy (i.e the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing). It was set up by René Cagnat, as holder of the chair of 'Epigraphy a ...

'' (The Year in Epigraphy, abbreviated ''AE''), Presses Universitaires de France (1888–present). * D.P. Simpson, ''Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary'', Macmillan Publishing Company, New York (1963). * John C. Traupman, ''The New College Latin & English Dictionary'', Bantam Books, New York (1995). * Giulia D'Angelo and Alberto Martín Esquivel
"P. Accoleius Lariscolus (RRC 486/1)"
in ''Annali dell' Istituto Italiano di Numismatica'', vol. 58 (2012), pp. 139–160. * Alberto Martín Esquivel and Giulia D'Angelo
"Un cuño romano republicano de P. Accoleius Lariscolus"
in ''Nvmisma. Revista de estudios numismáticos'', 258. Año LXIV (2014), pp. 51-59. {{DEFAULTSORT:Accoleia gens Roman gentes

Origin and meaning

Praenomina

Branches and cognomina

Members

See also

References

Bibliography