The gens Atilia, sometimes written Atillia, was a

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

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

, which rose to prominence at the beginning of the fourth century BC. The first member 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 ...

to attain the

consulship The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

was

Marcus Atilius Regulus Marcus Atilius Regulus () was a Roman statesman and general who was a consul of the Roman Republic in 267 BC and 256 BC. Much of his career was spent fighting the Carthaginians during the first Punic War. In 256 BC, he and Lucius ...

, in 335 BC. The Atilii continued to hold the highest offices of the state throughout the history 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 ...

, and well into imperial times.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, p. 405 ("

Atilia Gens The gens Atilia, sometimes written Atillia, was a plebs, plebeian family at ancient Rome, which rose to prominence at the beginning of the fourth century BC. The first member of this gens to attain the Roman consul, consulship was Marcus Atilius ...

").

Origin

Chase classifies the nomen ''Atilius'' with a small group of gentilicia probably formed from

praenomina 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 ...

ending in ' using the suffix ', a morphology common in names of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

origin.Chase, p. 125. The root might then be a praenomen ''Atius'', otherwise unknown, although there was a

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

praenomen ''Attius''.

Praenomina

The Atilii favored the praenomina '' Lucius'', '' Marcus'', and ''

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD) *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist * Gaius Acilius * Gaius Antonius * Gaius Antonius Hybrida * Gaius Asinius Gal ...

'', the three most common names throughout Roman history, to which they sometimes added '' Aulus'' and '' Sextus''. Under the Empire, some of the Atilii bore the praenomen ''

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

''.

Branches and cognomina

Under the Republic, 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 ...

of the Atilii included ''Bulbus'', ''Calatinus'', ''Luscus'', ''Priscus'', ''Regulus'', ''Nomentanus'', and ''Serranus''. Of these, only ''Regulus'' and ''Serranus'' appear to constitute a distinct family, with the Serrani being descended from the Reguli. The only cognomina found on coins are ''Saranus'', which appears to be the same as ''Serranus'', and ''Nomentanus''.Crawford, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', pp. 254, 255. ''Luscus'', the first surname associated with the Atilii appearing in history, was a common name originally describing someone with poor eyesight, belonging to a large class of cognomina derived from the physical characteristics of individuals. This is the surname as given in

Dionysius The name Dionysius (; ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; ) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus, parallel ...

, although some sources amend it to ''Longus'', originally referring to someone particularly tall. It has been argued that Lucius Atilius Luscus, one of the first

consular tribune A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called "Conflict of the Or ...

s elected in 444 BC, was a patrician, since the first plebeians were elected to that office in 400; and most if not all of the ancient patrician gentes possessed plebeian branches, which frequently came to eclipse the fame of their patrician forebears. However, the lists of consular tribunes from both 444 and 422 contain names that are otherwise regarded as plebeian, and according to tradition the office was created with the intention that its members should be elected from either order, so in all probability Luscus, like all of the other Atilii, was plebeian. ''Priscus'', a personal cognomen belonging to one of the early Atilii, usually translates as "elder", and probably served to distinguish its bearer from younger Atilii of his era. ''Bulbus'', an onion, belongs to a class of surnames derived from everyday objects, although the circumstances by which such cognomina were acquired by individuals is seldom known. The name is comparable to ''Caepio'', a cognomen with much the same meaning. The Atilii Reguli were the most illustrious of their gens. The surname ''Regulus'' is a diminutive of ''Rex'', a king.Chase, p. 112. This family rose to prominence in the time of the

Samnite Wars The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe. ...

, and continued down to the interval between the First and

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

s, at which time it was supplanted by that of ''Serranus'' or ''Saranus''. The Atilii Serrani continued down to the time of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, before fading into obscurity. ''Calatinus'', also found as ''Caiatinus'', the surname of

Aulus Atilius Calatinus Aulus Atilius Caiatinus (or Calatinus; 258–241 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who achieved prominence for his military activities during the First Punic War against Carthage. As consul in 258 BC, he enjoyed several successes in Sicily, ...

, a hero of the First Punic War, probably refers either to the town of Cales in

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

, or to the neighboring town of Caia. One of the Atilii Reguli had previously obtained the surname ''Calenus'', in consequence of a battle fought at Cales in 335 BC. Likewise, ''Nomentanus'', the name of one of the Atilii during the late Republic, is derived from the

Nomentum Mentana is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located north-east of Rome and has a population of about 23,000. History Mentana is a town ...

, an ancient city of

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 ...

, although his particular connection with that town is unknown.

Members

* Lucius Atilius Luscus, one of the first

s, elected in 444 BC. In consequence of a defect in the auspices, he and his colleagues resigned, and consuls were appointed in their stead. * Lucius Atilius L. f. L. n. Priscus, consular tribune in 399 and 396 BC. * Lucius Atilius,

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 pow ...

in 311 BC. * Aulus Atilius A. f. C. n. Calatinus,

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

in 258 and 254 BC, and

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

in 249. * Gaius Atilius A. f. A. n. Bulbus, consul in 245 and 235 BC. * Lucius Atilius,

quaestor A quaestor ( , ; ; "investigator") was a public official in ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officia ...

in 216 BC, slain at the

Battle of Cannae The Battle of Cannae (; ) was a key engagement of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage, Carthage, fought on 2 August 216 BC near the ancient village of Cannae in Apulia, southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and ...

. * Marcus Atilius, duumvir in 216 BC, with Gaius Atilius, dedicated the temple of Concordia, which Lucius Manlius Vulso, the praetor of 218, had vowed.Livy, xxiii. 21. * Gaius Atilius, duumvir in 216 BC with Marcus Atilius. * Lucius Atilius, commander of the Roman garrison in

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural center on the Ion ...

, escaped with his troops by sea, when the town was surrendered to

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

in 215 BC. * Lucius Atilius,

praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...

in 197 BC, obtained

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

as his province. * Lucius Atilius, sent to

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki; , ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long, in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census). Its main industries ...

by Lucius Aemilius Paullus to demand the surrender of

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

in 168 BC. * Lucius Atilius, a jurist, who probably lived in the middle of the second century BC * Marcus Atilius, a comic poet during the second century BC, quoted by Cicero and

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 ...

. * Lucius Atilius Nomentanus, ''

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 141 BC. In 120, he served on the staff of Quintus Mucius Scaevola, praetor in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. * Atilius, a freedman, built an amphitheatre at

Fidenae Fidenae () was an ancient town of Latium, situated about 8 km north of Rome on the '' Via Salaria''. Its inhabitants were known as Fidenates. As the Tiber was the border between Etruria and Latium, the left-bank settlement of Fidenae represent ...

in the reign of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

, which collapsed, killing between twenty and fifty thousand spectators. * Atilius Vergilio, a standard-bearer who deserted

Galba Galba ( ; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for 7 months from 8 June AD 68 to 15 January 69. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne follow ...

in AD 69. * Titus Atilius Rufus, a man of consular rank, was governor of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, early in the reign of

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

. He died in AD 84, just before the return of

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the m ...

from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. * Marcus Atilius Postumus Bradua,

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military ...

of Asia under Domitian.Birley, ''The Roman government of Britain'', p. 112. * Atilius Crescens, a friend of the younger Pliny. * Marcus Atilius Metilius Bradua, consul in AD 108. * Marcus Atilius M. f. Metilius Bradua Caucidius Tertullus … Bassus,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

under

Antoninus Pius Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...

. * Atilia M. f. Caucidia Tertulla, daughter of the consul Marcus Atilius Metilius Bradua and Caucidia Tertulla. * Gaius Atilius Serranus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 120. * Titus Atilius Rufus Titianus, consul in AD 127. * Titus Atilius Maximus, consul ''suffectus'' around AD 130. * Atilius Fortunatianus, a

grammarian, probably not later than the fourth century.

Atilii Reguli et Serrani

Michel Ghislain Stapleaux - Marcus Atilius Regulus

* Marcus Atilius (M. f.) Regulus, surnamed ''Calenus'', consul in 335 BC, with his colleague, Marcus Valerius Corvus, conquered

Cales Cales was an ancient city of Campania, in today's ''comune'' of Calvi Risorta in southern Italy, belonging originally to the Aurunci/ Ausoni, on the Via Latina. The Romans captured it in 335 BC and established a colony with Latin rights of ...

. * Marcus Atilius M. f. M. n. Regulus, consul in 294 BC, triumphed over the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...

. * Marcus Atilius M. f. L. n. Regulus, consul in 267 and consul ''suffectus'' in 256 BC, captured during the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...

. * Gaius Atilius M. f. M. n. Regulus, surnamed ''Serranus'', consul in 257 and 250 BC. * Marcus Atilius M. f. M. n. Regulus, consul in 227 and 217 BC, and censor in 214. * Marcus Atilius (M. f. M. n) Regulus, perhaps praetor in 212 BC, though the position may have instead been held by a Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. * Gaius Atilius M. f. M. n. Regulus, consul in 225 BC, slain at the Battle of Telamon. * Gaius Atilius (C. f. M. n.) Serranus, praetor in 218 BC. * Gaius Atilius (C. f. C. n.) Serranus, praetor in 185 BC. * Aulus Atilius (C. f. C. n.) Serranus, consul in 170 BC. * Marcus Atilius (C. f. C. n.) Serranus, praetor in 174 BC, was assigned to

, and given the command of the war in Corsica. * Marcus Atilius (M. f. C. n.) Serranus, praetor in

Hispania Ulterior Hispania Ulterior (English: "Further Hispania", or occasionally "Thither Hispania") was a Roman province located in Hispania (on the Iberian Peninsula) during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of moder ...

in 152 BC, defeated the

Lusitani The Lusitanians were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people living in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula, in present-day central Portugal and Extremadura and Castilla y Leon of Spain. It is uncertain whether the Lusitanians ...

, and took their principal city, Oxthracae. * Marcus Atilius (M. f. M. n.) Serranus, ''triumvir monetalis'' in 151 BC, probably the son of Marcus Atilius Serranus, the praetor of 152. His coins bear the inscription ''Saran.'' * Sextus Atilius M. f. C. n. Serranus, consul in 136 BC. * Gaius Atilius Serranus, consul in 106 BC, took up arms against Saturninus in 100. * Atilius Serranus, one of the distinguished men slain by order of Marius and Cinna, when they entered Rome at the close of 87 BC. * Sextus Atilius Serranus Gavianus,

in 57 BC. * Atilius Serranus Domesticus, mentioned by Cicero in 54 BC.Cicero, ''Epistulae ad Quintum Fratrem'', iii. 8. § 5. * Atilia, first wife of Cato the Younger

References

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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 i ...

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History of Rome The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced m ...

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Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...

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