The gens Istacidia was an obscure Roman family at Pompeii. No members of this gens are mentioned by ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions. Numerius Istacidius Cilix was one of the municipal duumvirs of Pompeii around the beginning of the first century. The Istacidii were apparently the residents of the famous "Villa of the Mysteries", and a large sepulchre found along the bay road contains several tombs for members of this family. [1] [2]
The Istacidii were most likely of Campanian origin, as all of the inscriptions of this family are from Pompeii, [3] and one of them bore the surname Campanus, one of a class of surnames derived from place names, and usually indicating a person's place of origin. [4]
The main praenomina of the Istacidii were Numerius and Lucius , accounting for all of the Istacidii whose praenomina are known, except for one instance of Marcus , found in a filiation. Lucius and Marcus were among the most common of all Roman names at all periods of history, while Numerius was much more distinctive; while not actually rare, it was typical in families of Oscan origin.
The inscriptions of the Istacidii at Pompeii suggest that they constituted a single family, together with their freedmen. Several inscriptions of this gens do not include a cognomen, and none of the surnames of this gens appear to have been hereditary. Cilix, a surname originally applied to someone from Cilicia, gives the appearance of the type of name belonging to a freedman, and indicating his place of origin; but as it belonged to one of the duumviri, it may instead have stemmed from his trading connections. [2]
The gens Minatia was a minor plebeian family at Rome. The gens was probably of Sabine origin, as its nomen is derived from the Oscan praenomen Minatus, and the first of the family to appear in Roman history bore the surname Sabinus. Many Minatii are known from inscriptions.
The gens Opetreia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are known to have held any important magistracies, but a number of them are found in inscriptions.
The gens Bellia, also written Billia and Bilia, was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are mentioned in history, but several are known from inscriptions.
The gens Saturia was an obscure plebeian family of equestrian rank at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are first mentioned in the time of Cicero, and a number of them had distinguished military careers, but none of them attained any of the higher offices of the Roman State.
The gens Seccia, Secia, or Siccia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens occur in history, but a number are known from inscriptions. The best known members include Lucius Siccius Dentatus, who won martial fame in the fifth century BC, and Gaius Secius Campanus suffect consul under Domitian.
The gens Seppia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens appear in history, but many are known from inscriptions.
The gens Sepunia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are mentioned by ancient writers, but several were municipal officers of towns in Latium, Samnium, and Campania, and others are known from inscriptions.
The gens Servia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
The gens Balonia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
The gens Staia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned by ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions. The most illustrious of the Staii was Lucius Staius Murcus, governor of Syria in 44 BC, and a military commander of some ability who served under several leading figures of the period.
The gens Suedia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned by ancient historians, but others are known from inscriptions.
The gens Suettia or Suetia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in the time of Cicero, but none of them achieved any of the higher offices of the Roman state.
The gens Spedia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but many are known from inscriptions, and several were locally important, serving as duumvirs at Antinum in Samnium, Pompeii in Campania, and Sarmizegetusa in Dacia.
The gens Tampia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are first mentioned in history during the time of Nero, but few achieved any distinction in the Roman state. The nomen Tampius is easily confused with that of Ampius. The most illustrious of the Tampii was Lucius Tampius Flavianus, who held the consulship twice during the latter half of the first century.
The gens Tiburtia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Hardly any members of this gens are mentioned in history, but a large number are known from inscriptions.
The gens Turcia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens appear in history, but a number are known from inscriptions, which indicate that the Turcii first came to prominence in the time of Augustus. After a period of relative unimportance, they repeatedly attained the highest offices of the Roman state from the third to the fifth century, holding several consulships.
The gens Turia, occasionally written Turria, was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Several members of this gens are mentioned by Roman writers, although none of them ever obtained the consulship. Lucius Turius, who stood for the consulship in the late Republic, was praetor in 75 BC.
The gens Tutoria was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens are mentioned by Roman writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
The gens Umbricia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Only a few members of this gens are mentioned by Roman writers, but they had achieved senatorial rank by the second century. The most famous of the Umbricii are probably the haruspex Gaius Umbricius Melior, who served the emperors of the middle first century, and Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, a merchant of Pompeii whose fish sauces were widely distributed. Quintus Umbricius Proculus was a second-century governor of Hispania Citerior. Many other Umbricii are known from inscriptions.
The gens Varena or Varenia, rarely Vorena, was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Only a few members of this gens are mentioned in Roman literature, but many others are known from inscriptions. Several of the Vareni held minor magistracies at Rome or in other towns during imperial times, including Lucius Varenus Lucullus, who was a military tribune and pontifex during the first century, and Quintus Varenus Ingenuus, who served as aedile and quaestor. Vorena, a woman of this family during the second or third century, seems to have been a Vestal Virgin.
