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23-521: The nomen Licinius is derived from the cognomen Licinus , or "upturned", found in a number of Roman gentes. Licinus may have been an ancient praenomen , but few examples of its use as such are known. The name seems to be identical with the Etruscan Lecne , which frequently occurs on Etruscan sepulchral monuments. Some scholars have seen evidence of an Etruscan origin for the Licinii in

46-593: A member of a Roman gens , and in its later form, as an indicator of status, the nomen continued to be used for several decades after the collapse of Imperial authority in the west. The last datable example of a nomen gentilicium belongs to a Julia Rogatiana, who died at Volubilis in AD 655. In the east, nomina such as Flavius continued until the early 8th century; Flavius Basilius was Pagarch of Aphrodito in Egypt in 710. Lanuvium Lanuvium , modern Lanuvio ,

69-529: A person who was bald, and it was the cognomen of the earliest family of the Licinii to distinguish itself under the Republic. The first of this family bore the agnomen Esquilinus , probably because he lived on the Esquiline Hill . Stolo , a surname given to the most famous of the family, may be derived from the stola , a long outer garment or cloak, or might also refer to a branch, or sucker. Although

92-625: A priest, one of a number of cognomina derived from occupations. Nomen gentilicium The nomen gentilicium (or simply nomen ) 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 gens (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expanded its frontiers and non-Roman peoples were progressively granted citizenship and concomitant nomen ,

115-412: A very early time, so the fact that it had an Etruscan equivalent does not definitely show that the gens was of Etruscan derivation. The chief praenomina used by the Licinii were Publius , Gaius , Lucius , and Marcus , all of which were very common throughout Roman history. The family occasionally used Sextus , and there is at least one instance of Gnaeus during the first century BC. Aulus

138-548: Is an ancient city of Latium vetus , some 32 kilometres (20 mi) 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 over the low country between it and the sea. According to legend, Lanuvium was founded by Diomedes , or by one Lanoios, an exile from Troy . The first documented traces of

161-493: Is not altogether certain whether it originated with his father, or with the triumvir, in which case it was retroactively applied to the previous generation. Lucullus , the cognomen of a branch of the Licinii, which first occurs in history towards the end of the Second Punic War , is probably derived from lucus , a grove, or perhaps a diminutive of the praenomen Lucius . The surname does not appear on any coins of

184-521: The nomina of important families in this manner during imperial times. In the 4th century, Aurelius was surpassed in number by Flavius , and other names became quite common, including Valerius , Claudius , Fabius , Julius and Junius . Those names no longer had any utility in indicating one's patrilineal ancestry and became largely perfunctory. They could be changed to indicate rank or status, and even abbreviated, much as praenomina had been. Both in its original form, identifying an individual as

207-419: The city's chief magistrate and municipal council kept the titles of dictator and senatus respectively. In the 11th c. the city became known as Civita Lavinia , a result of the confusion between it and ancient Lavinium . Lanuvium was especially noted for its rich and much venerated temple of Juno Sospes (Livy 8.14; Cic. Nat. D. 1.83; Fin. 2.63), from which Octavian borrowed money in 31 BC, and

230-406: The elder" and "Julia the younger"). The nomen gentilicium , or "gentile name" designated a Roman citizen as a member of a gens . A gens , which may be translated as "race", "family", or "clan", constituted an extended Roman family, all of whom shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. Particularly in the early Roman Republic , the gens functioned as a state within

253-485: The family of the Licinii Calvi afterward vanished into obscurity, the surname Calvus was later borne by the celebrated orator and poet Gaius Licinius Macer , who lived in the first century BC. His cognomen Macer , designated someone who was lean. Another family of the Licinii bore the cognomen Varus , which means "crooked, bent," or "knock-kneed." The Licinii Vari were already distinguished, when their surname

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276-416: The gens are personal surnames, rather than family-names; these include Archias, Caecina, Damasippus, Imbrex, Lartius, Lenticula, Nepos, Proculus, Regulus, Rufinus, Squillus , and Tegula . The only cognomina which occur on coins are Crassus, Macer, Murena, Nerva , and Stolo . A few Licinii are known without a surname; most of these in later times were freedmen . The surname Calvus was originally given to

299-483: The gens. A family of the Licinii bore the surname Murena (sometimes, but erroneously, written Muraena ), referring to the sea-fish known as the murry or lamprey, a prized delicacy since ancient times. This family came from the city of Lanuvium , to the southeast of Rome, and was said to have acquired its name because one of its members had a great liking for lampreys, and built tanks for them. The same surname occurring in other families might be said to be derived from

322-419: The latter lost its value in indicating patrilineal ancestry. For men, the nomen was the middle of the tria nomina ("three names"), after the praenomen and before the cognomen . For women , the nomen was often the only name used until the late Republic. For example, three members of gens Julia were Gaius Julius Caesar and his sisters Julia Major and Julia Minor ("Julia

345-492: The possessions of which extended as far as the coast of the Mediterranean . It possessed many other temples repaired by Antoninus Pius , who was born close by (S. H. A. Ant. Pius 1), as was Commodus . One prominent native of Lanuvium was Lucius Licinius Murena (consul of 62 BC), whom Cicero defended in late 63 BC. Others include the actor Roscius (Cic. Div. 36), the political agitator Titus Annius Milo , who

368-472: The settlement date from the 9th century BC and by the 6th century BC it was part of the Latin League . The city warred against Rome at the battles of Aricia (504 BC) and Lake Regillus (496 BC), as well as in 383 and 341 BC, mostly with negative outcomes. Rome conquered Lanuvium in 338 BC; at first, its inhabitants did not enjoy the right of Roman citizenship , but acquired it later. In imperial times

391-522: The state, observing its own sacred rites and establishing private laws, which were binding on its members although not on the community as a whole. Although the other peoples of Italy also possessed nomina (plural of nomen ), the distinction between Romans and the non-Roman peoples of Italy disappeared as various communities were granted the Roman franchise and, after the Social War (91–87 BC) , that

414-426: The tradition that Etruscan players were first brought to Rome to take part in the theatrical performances ( ludi scaenici ) in the consulship of Gaius Licinius Calvus, BC 364. This could, however, be coincidental, as Livy explains that the games were instituted this year in order to palliate the anger of the gods. In fact, the name of Licinius appears to have been spread throughout both Latium and Etruria from

437-419: The type of shellfish known as murex , from which a valuable dye was extracted. Of the other surnames of the Licinii might be mentioned Nerva , the surname of a family of the Licinii that flourished from the time of the Second Punic War until the early Empire, derived from nervus , "sinewy"; Geta , perhaps the name of a Thracian people, to whom one of the Licinii might have been compared; and Sacerdos ,

460-503: Was convicted for the murder of Clodius (Cic. Mil. 27) and Publius Sulpicius Quirinius , consul of 12 BC and later legate of Syria. Remains of the ancient theatre and of the city walls exist in the modern town, and above it is an area surrounded by a portico , in opus reticulatum , upon the north side of which is a rectangular building in opus quadratum , probably connected with the temple of Juno where archaic decorative terracottas artifacts have been found. The acropolis of

483-521: Was extended to most of Italy. Possession of the nomen gentilicium then identified a man as a Roman citizen. The nomen was an essential element of Roman nomenclature throughout Roman history, but its usefulness as a distinguishing element declined precipitously following the Constitutio Antoniniana , which effectively granted the nomen "Aurelius" to vast numbers of newly-enfranchised citizens. Countless other "new Romans" acquired

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506-490: Was replaced by that of Crassus. This was a common surname, which could mean "dull, thick," or "solid," and may have been adopted because of the contrast between this meaning and that of Varus . The surname Dives , meaning "rich" or "wealthy," was borne by some of the Licinii Crassi. It was most famous as the surname of Marcus Licinius Crassus , the triumvir, and has been ascribed to his father and brothers, but it

529-556: Was used by the Licinii Nervae. As in other Roman families, the women of the Licinii generally did not have formal praenomina, but were referred to simply as Licinia ; if further distinction were needed, they would be described using various personal or family cognomina. The family-names of the Licinii are Calvus (with the agnomina Esquilinus and Stolo ), Crassus (with the agnomen Dives ), Geta, Lucullus, Macer, Murena, Nerva, Sacerdos , and Varus . The other cognomina of

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