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27-463: The Basilica Aemilia was first built in 179 BC by the censors M. Aemilius Lepidus and M. Fulvius Nobilior. In the following centuries it was actively maintained and improved by the Aemilia gens . The first complete reconstruction took place in the years between 55 BC and 34 BC, which incorporated into the building the series of shops, the tabernae novae , that stood in front of the basilica. The building

54-652: A cognomen were awarded another exclusive name, the agnomen . For example, Publius Cornelius Scipio received the agnomen Africanus after his victory over the Carthaginian general Hannibal at Zama, Africa ( Africanus here means "of Africa" in the sense that his fame derives from Africa, rather than being born in Africa, which would have been Afer ); and the same procedure occurred in the names of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (conqueror of Numidia) and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus . In contrast to

81-563: A century and a half, from the time of the Samnite Wars down to the early second century BC. Their surname, Papus , like Mamercus , appears to be of Oscan origin. The name Aemilius Papus occurs again in the time of the emperor Hadrian , but properly speaking these appear to have belonged to the Messia gens, and probably claimed descent from the more illustrious Aemilii through a female line. Barbula , or "little beard", occurs as

108-539: A century earlier. An obscure family of uncertain date seems to have used Caeso . The daughters of the Aemilii are known to have used the numerical praenomina Prima , Secunda , and Tertia , although these were frequently treated as cognomina, and placed at the end of the name. The oldest stirps of the Aemilii bore the surname Mamercus , together with its diminutive, Mamercinus ; these appear somewhat interchangeably in early generations. This family flourished from

135-553: A shorthand for Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Caesar for Gaius Julius Caesar . The term "cognomen" (sometimes pluralized "cognomens") has come into use as an English noun used outside the context of Ancient Rome. According to the 2012 edition of the Random House Dictionary , cognomen can mean a "surname" or "any name, especially a nickname". The basic sense in English is "how one is well known". For example Alfred

162-691: A surname, Paullus appeared in many families down to the latest period of the Empire, but none were more famous than the Aemilii Paulli. This family was descended from Marcus Aemilius Paullus, consul in 302 BC, and vanished with the death of Lucius Aemilius Paullus , the conqueror of Macedonia , in 160 BC. His sons, though grown, were adopted into the families of the Fabii Maximi and the Cornelii Scipiones. The Aemilii Lepidi revived

189-514: The Pompilii , Pomponii , Calpurnii , and Pinarii . A variation of this account stated that Mamercus was the son of Pythagoras , who was sometimes said to have taught Numa. However, as Livy observed, this was not possible, as Pythagoras was not born until more than a century after Numa's death, and was still living in the early days of the Republic. This Mamercus is said to have received

216-650: The Aemilii and the Pinarii, although the Aemilii continued to use it as a praenomen. A surname of the later Aemilii, Regillus , seems to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum , better known as the ancestral home of the Claudia gens , and perhaps alludes to the Sabine origin of the Aemilii. The roots of the Aemilia gens was also connected to the very founding of Rome through the claim that it descended from Aemilia,

243-690: The Great . (This is more similar to the Roman use of agnomen than their use of cognomen.) Catalan cognom and Italian cognome , derived from the Latin cognomen , mean "family name". Maltese kunjom is derived from the Italian version and retains the same meaning. The term "cognomen" can also be applied to cultures with a clan structure and naming conventions comparable to those of Ancient Rome; thus, hereditary "cognomina" have been described as in use among

270-477: The daughter of Aeneas and Lavinia . The Aemilii regularly used the praenomina Lucius , Manius , Marcus , and Quintus , and occasionally Mamercus . The Aemilii Mamercini also used Tiberius and Gaius , while the Aemilii Lepidi, who had a particular fondness for old and unusual names, used Paullus , presumably with reference to the family of the Aemilii Paulli, which had died out nearly

297-534: The earliest period to the time of the Samnite Wars . Several other important families, with the surnames Papus, Barbula, Paullus , and Lepidus , date from this period, and were probably descended from the Mamercini. The most illustrious of the family was undoubtedly Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus , three times dictator in the second half of the fifth century BC. The Aemilii Papi occur in history for about

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324-463: The first century AD. In the final decades of the Republic, they revived a number of names originally belonging to older stirpes of the Aemilian gens, including Mamercus as a praenomen, Regillus as a cognomen, and Paullus as both. The last generations were related by marriage to the imperial family . The Aemilii Scauri flourished from the beginning of the second century BC to the beginning of

351-407: The first century AD. Their surname, Scaurus , referred to the appearance of the feet or ankles; Chase suggests "swollen ankles". The cognomina Regillus and Buca apparently belonged to short-lived families. Regillus appears to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum, perhaps alluding to the Sabine origin of the gens. The Aemilii Regilli flourished for about two generations, beginning at

378-688: The honorary cognomina adopted by successful generals, most cognomina were based on a physical or personality quirk; for example, Rufus meaning " red-haired " or Scaevola meaning " left-handed ". Some cognomina were hereditary (such as Caesar among a branch of the Julii , Brutus and Silanus among the Junii , or Pilius and Metellus among the Caecilii ): others tended to be individual. And some names appear to have been used both as praenomen , agnomen , or non-hereditary cognomen . For instance, Vopiscus

405-464: 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 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 those who already bore

432-405: The name of Aemilius because of the persuasiveness of his language ( δι᾽ αἱμυλίαν λόγου ), although such a derivation is certainly false etymology . A more likely derivation is from aemulus , "a rival". According to a different legend, the Aemilii were descended from Aemylos, a son of Ascanius , four hundred years before the time of Numa Pompilius. Still another version relates that the gens

459-517: The name toward the end of the Republic, when it was fashionable for younger branches of aristocratic families to revive the surnames of older, more illustrious stirpes. The cognomen Lepidus belongs to a class of surnames derived from the habits of the habits of the bearer, and evidently referred to someone with a pleasant demeanor. The Aemilii Lepidi appear only a generation after the Aemilii Paulli, beginning with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 285 BC, and produced many illustrious statesmen down to

486-561: The only references to them contain no surname. Some of these may have been descended from freedmen , and been plebeians . Aemilii with a variety of surnames are found in imperial times. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Smith, William , ed. (1870). "Aemilia gens". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . Cognomen A cognomen ( Latin: [kɔŋˈnoːmɛn] ; pl. : cognomina ; from co- "together with" and (g)nomen "name")

513-414: The surname of one branch of the Aemilii, which appears in history for about a century beginning in the time of the Samnite Wars, and accounting for several consulships. Paullus , occasionally found as Paulus , was an old praenomen, meaning "little". As a praenomen, its masculine form had fallen into disuse at Rome, although the feminine form, Paulla , in various orthographies, was very common. As

540-474: The time of the Second Punic War. Buca , probably the same as Bucca , referred to someone with prominent cheeks, or perhaps someone known for shouting or wailing. The Aemilii Buci are known chiefly from coins, and seem to have flourished toward the end of the Republic. As with other prominent gentes of the Republic, there were some Aemilii whose relationship to the major families is unclear, as

567-701: Was associated with three major roads (the Via Aemilia , the Via Aemilia Scauri , and the Via Aemilia in Hirpinis  [ it ] ), an administrative region of Italy, and the Basilica Aemilia at Rome. Several stories were told of the foundation of the Aemilii, of which the most familiar was that their ancestor, Mamercus, was the son of Numa Pompilius. In the late Republic, several other gentes claimed descent from Numa, including

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594-405: Was descended from Amulius , the wicked uncle of Romulus and Remus , who deposed his brother Numitor to become king of Alba Longa . In the late Republic, a number of minor families claimed descent from the figures of Rome's legendary past, including through otherwise unknown sons of Numa. Modern historians dismiss these as late inventions, but the claim of the Aemilii was much older, and there

621-590: Was destroyed by a fire in 14 BC and was rebuilt by Augustus . A last restoration happened after a fire in AD 410, following the sacking of the town by the Visigoths of Alaric. This article about an Ancient Roman building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an Italian building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Aemilia gens The gens Aemilia , originally written Aimilia ,

648-584: Was no corresponding need to demonstrate the antiquity of a gens that was already prominent at the beginning of the Republic. In any case, the Aemilii, like Numa, were almost certainly of Sabine origin. The praenomen Mamercus is derived from Mamers , a god worshipped by the Sabelli of central and southern Italy, and usually regarded as the Sabellic form of Mars . At Rome, this name, and its diminutive, Mamercinus , were known primarily as cognomina of

675-461: Was one of the greatest patrician families at ancient Rome . The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius , the second King of Rome . Its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to imperial times . The Aemilii were almost certainly one of the gentes maiores , the most important of the patrician families. Their name

702-438: 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 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. Because of

729-499: Was used as both praenomen and cognomen in the Julii Caesares; likewise Nero among the early imperial Claudii , several of whom used the traditional hereditary Claudian cognomen as a praenomen. The upper-class usually used the cognomen to refer to one another. In present academic context, many prominent ancient Romans are referred to by only their cognomen ; for example, Cicero (from cicer " chickpea ") serves as

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