Pescennia gens

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The gens Pescennia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are first mentioned in the time of Cicero, but it was not until imperial times that they came to prominence. The Pescennii were of equestrian rank. The most illustrious of the family was Gaius Pescennius Niger, an able general, who was proclaimed emperor in AD 193, only to be defeated and put to death by Septimius Severus the following year. [1]

Contents

Origin

The nomen Pescennius is one of several similar gentilicia formed with the suffix -ennius, which was more typical of Oscan names than of Latin. It is derived from an Oscan praenomen, Pescennus or Perscennus, cognate with the Latin adjective praecandus, referring to someone whose hair was greying or prematurely grey. [2] [3]

Praenomina

The Pescennii used a variety of praenomina, of which the most important were Lucius , Quintus , and Marcus , Gaius , and Publius , all of which were very common throughout Roman history. Some of the Pescennii bore other names, including Sextus , Titus , or Gnaeus , which were also common praenomina. A less common name borne by one of the family was Statius , an Oscan praenomen that was little used at Rome, but more frequent in rural Italy.

Members

This list includes abbreviated praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation.

Undated Pescennii

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Or seviri, usually a college of six priests, of whom the most famous were the Sodales Augustales at Rome, although those were typically chosen from among the leading citizens, and would not normally have included freedmen. In this case the college is not specifically identified.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. II, pp. 1201, 1202 ("Gaius Pescennius Niger").
  2. ↑ Chase, pp. 127, 128.
  3. ↑ CIL XIV, 3103.
  4. 1 2 CIL I, 2947.
  5. ↑ Cicero, Epistulae ad Familiares, xiv. 4.
  6. ↑ CIL XI, 6961.
  7. ↑ CIL III, 300.
  8. 1 2 CIL XI, 3614.
  9. ↑ CIL III, 6178.
  10. ↑ Cassius Dio, lxxii. 8, lxxiii. 13, 14, lxxiv. 6–8.
  11. ↑ Aelius Spartianus, "The Life of Didius Julianus", 5, "The Life of Septimius Severus", 6–9, "The Life of Pescennius Niger".
  12. ↑ Aurelius Victor, De Caesaribus, 20, Epitome de Caesaribus, 20.
  13. ↑ Eutropius, viii. 10.
  14. 1 2 PIR, vol. III, p. 24.
  15. ↑ CIL VI, 2099, CIL VI, 2101.
  16. ↑ Julius Capitolinus, "The Life of Clodius Albinus", 7–9.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aelius Spartianus, "The Life of Septimius Severus", 13.
  18. ↑ Herodian, iii. p. 115.
  19. ↑ Lactantius, Institutiones Divinae, i. 21.
  20. 1 2 AE 1902, 10.
  21. ↑ CIL VI, 1982.
  22. ↑ CIL VI, 1056.
  23. 1 2 CIL VI, 1057.
  24. ↑ Julius Capitolinus, "The Lives of Maximus and Balbinus", 5.
  25. ↑ CIL VIII, 9610.
  26. ↑ CIL XI, 6957.
  27. 1 2 CIL XIV, 1456.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CIL VIII, 870.
  29. ↑ CIL IX, 551.
  30. 1 2 3 CIL VI, 23962.
  31. 1 2 CIL VIII, 12022.
  32. ↑ CIL IX, 2629.
  33. ↑ AE 1992, 598.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 AE 1990, 279.
  35. ↑ NSA, 1982, 119.
  36. ↑ CIL XI, 2379.
  37. ↑ CIL III, 14204.
  38. ↑ CIL VIII, 25437.
  39. ↑ CIL IX, 4875.
  40. 1 2 3 ILGN, 32.
  41. ↑ AE 1940, 25.
  42. ↑ CIL X, 4888.
  43. 1 2 3 4 CIL VI, 23966.
  44. ↑ CIL XI, 6700,454,1, CIL XI, 6700,454b.
  45. ↑ CIL VI, 22217.
  46. 1 2 3 4 CIL VI, 23964, CIL VI, 24732.
  47. ↑ ILAlg i. 1808, 1855.
  48. 1 2 AE 1940, 17.
  49. ↑ CIL XII, 5047.
  50. ↑ ILAlg, i. 2062.
  51. 1 2 CIL VIII, 5831.
  52. ↑ AE 1983, 199.
  53. ↑ CIL X, 2838.
  54. ↑ CIL X, 8056.
  55. ↑ CIL XI, 6126.
  56. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 3. 8754.
  57. ↑ AE 2005, 306.
  58. ↑ CIL XIII, 10009,192.
  59. ↑ CIL XI, 6758.
  60. ↑ CIL XV, 7265.
  61. ↑ CIL X, 4280.
  62. 1 2 NSA, 1917, 303.
  63. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 1. 1554.
  64. 1 2 CIL IX, 1879.
  65. 1 2 CIL VIII, 12017.
  66. ↑ CIL VI, 36073.
  67. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 1. 1555.
  68. ↑ CIL VIII, 22922.
  69. ↑ AE 1964, 200.
  70. ↑ CIL VI, 36072.
  71. ↑ ILAlg, i. 2649.
  72. ↑ BCTH, 1904, 207.
  73. ↑ CIL XXMMMCMLXV, {{{2}}}.
  74. ↑ CIL VI, 23961.
  75. 1 2 3 CIL IX, 4861.
  76. 1 2 CIL V, 3138.
  77. ↑ CIL VI, 11167.
  78. ↑ CIL XI, 6871.
  79. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 3. 9939.
  80. ↑ AttiAcLinc, 1901, 163-310.
  81. 1 2 CIL X, 4975.
  82. ↑ CIL VI, 36074.
  83. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 2. 6721.
  84. ↑ CIL VIII, 20387.
  85. ↑ CIL III, 9710.
  86. ↑ CIL VIII, 12018.
  87. ↑ AE 2004, 1685.
  88. ↑ ILAlg, i. 2625.
  89. ↑ CIL X, 3917.
  90. ↑ CIL IX, 2718.
  91. ↑ AE 1942/43, 15.
  92. ↑ CIL VI, 32480.
  93. ↑ CIL VIII, 6910.
  94. ↑ ILAlg, ii. 2. 5726.
  95. ↑ CIL VIII, 2568.
  96. ↑ AE 1968, 571.

Bibliography

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