Petillia gens

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Monument of Quintus Petilius Secundus, a soldier stationed in Germania Inferior during the first century. Xanten legionary secundus gravestone.jpg
Monument of Quintus Petilius Secundus, a soldier stationed in Germania Inferior during the first century.

The gens Petillia or Petilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens first appear in history at the beginning of the second century BC, and the first to obtain the consulship was Quintus Petillius Spurinus in 176 BC. [1]

Contents

Origin

The nomen Petillius, also spelled Petilius, Petelius, and Petellius, is almost certainly derived from the cognomen Petilus, meaning "slender", and belongs to a class of gentilicia formed using the typically diminutive suffixes -illius and -ellius. [2] The name is regularly confused with that of the Poetelii , an older plebeian family that occurs from the time of the Decemvirs down to the period of the Samnite Wars, but they do not appear to have been the same. [1]

Branches and cognomina

The only surnames of the Petillii in the time of the Republic were Capitolinus and Spurinus, of which only the former occurs on coins. A number of Petillii are found without cognomina. [1]

Spurinus, belonging to one of the earliest Petillii appearing in history, appears to be connected with the Etruscan gentile Spurina, hinting at an Etruscan origin of the gens, or perhaps a maternal ancestor of the Petillii. [3] An alternative explanation might be as a diminutive of the praenomen Spurius , which the Etruscan scholar Wilhelm Deecke discussed in connection with similar Etruscan names. Although Deecke noted the use of the praenomen Spurie by the Etruscans, the orthography used in Greek transliterations argued in favour of a Latin origin. [4]

The cognomen Capitolinus is said to have been bestowed upon one of the Petillii who was caretaker of the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in the time of Augustus. However, Capitolinus was a relatively common surname, typically signifying someone who lived on the Capitol. [5] Coins this family depicts the Temple of Jupiter on the reverse, while the obverses depict either a head of Jupiter, or an eagle, as a symbol of Jupiter. [1] [6]

Members

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

Undated Petillii

See also

Footnotes

  1. There were two men named Quintus Petillius among the tribunes of 187, and Valerius Antias reports that they acted in concert in accusing Scipio, having been induced to do so by Cato the Censor. According to other sources, the accusation was brought by Gaius Minucius Augurinus, or by Marcus Naevius, one of the tribunes of 184.
  2. Livy reports that two stone chests bearing the name of Numa Pompilius were discovered by workmen on the land of Lucius Petillius, a scribe and a friend of the praetor. One was said to contain the king's body, but was completely empty. The other contained a number of books on philosophy and religious rites. The praetor examined the books, and concluded that they would damage public confidence in the state religion, so he ordered them burnt, and Lucius compensated for the confiscation of his property.
  3. Petitius in some editions of Tacitus.
  4. Here the filiation refers to his master's cognomen, Tiro.
  5. The unusual filiation, Volsoni f. probably indicates that her father bore Vulso as a surname, rather than giving his praenomen. Vulso is best known as a cognomen of the ancient Manlia gens.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 212 ("Petillia or Petilia Gens").
  2. Chase, p. 124.
  3. Chase, p. 114.
  4. Deecke, pp. 327–329.
  5. Chase, pp. 113, 114.
  6. 1 2 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 605 ("Petillius Capitolinus").
  7. Livy, xxxviii. 50, 54, 56, xl. 29, xli. 14–18.
  8. Valerius Maximus, i. 1. § 12; 5 § 9, ii. 7. § 15.
  9. Pliny the Elder, xiii. 14. s. 27.
  10. Plutarch, "The Life of Numa", 22.
  11. 1 2 Aurelius Victor, De Viris Illustribus, 49.
  12. Augustine, De Civitate Dei, vii. 34.
  13. Obsequens, 64.
  14. Fasti Capitolini, AE 1927, 101.
  15. 1 2 Broughton, vol. I, p. 369, 370 (note 4), 376 (Marcus Naevius), 384, 400.
  16. Livy, xxxviii. 50, 54, 56.
  17. Livy, xl. 29.
  18. Livy, xliv. 27, 32.
  19. Appian, Macedonica, xvi. 1.
  20. Broughton, vol. I, p. 430.
  21. AE 2001, 1741.
  22. CIL VI, 37045.
  23. Cicero, In Verrem, ii. 29.
  24. Cicero, Pro Milone, 16.
  25. Scholiast on Horace, Satirae, i. 4. 94.
  26. CIL XI, 3303.
  27. Tacitus, Annales, iv. 66–68.
  28. CIL XI, 2383.
  29. AE 1992, 95.
  30. AE 1993, 200.
  31. CIL IV, 2508.
  32. AE 1967, 355, CIL XI, 1834.
  33. Tacitus, Annales, xiv. 32, Historiae, iii. 59, 78, 79, iv. 71, 86, Agricola, 8, 17.
  34. Fasti Ostienses, CIL XIV, 244.
  35. Gallivan, "The Fasti for A.D. 70–96".
  36. CIL VI, 40890.
  37. CIL VI, 15599.
  38. CIL VI, 975.
  39. CIL VI, 21656.
  40. 1 2 CIL VIII, 18065
  41. CIL XI, 1924.
  42. AE 1933, 95.
  43. AE 1997, 403.
  44. CIL VI, 1057.
  45. AE 1986, 619.
  46. CIL IX, 1507.
  47. 1 2 3 4 CIL VI, 23983.
  48. CIL IX, 4866.
  49. 1 2 CIL V, 3005.
  50. CIL XI, 3508.
  51. CIL II, 1566.
  52. CIL XIV, 3367.
  53. CIL VI, 16608.
  54. CIL X, 6173.
  55. ERLara, 146.
  56. CIL VI, 23975.
  57. CIL III, 8885.
  58. CIL XI, 2110.
  59. CIL VI, 19735.
  60. CIL III, 3322.
  61. CIL XI, 6700.
  62. CAG, 11-01, p. 550.
  63. CIL XI, 1420.
  64. AE 2004, 533.
  65. AE 2005, 601.
  66. CIL VI, 2957.
  67. AE 1993, 587a.
  68. 1 2 CIL VI, 23976.
  69. 1 2 CIL IX, 4763.
  70. CIL III, 5526.
  71. 1 2 CIL III, 2066.
  72. 1 2 CIL VI, 6981.
  73. CIL VI, 28900.
  74. CIA, 30.
  75. CIL IX, 1480.
  76. CIL VI, 36076.
  77. CIL IX, 5614.
  78. CIL XI, 2384.
  79. 1 2 3 4 CIL XI, 498.
  80. ILJug, i. 28.
  81. ILAlg, ii. 2, 6722.
  82. CIL VI, 2652.
  83. 1 2 3 CIL VI, 23984.
  84. AE 1976, 118.
  85. CIL XI, 7402.
  86. ILJug, ii. 861.
  87. 1 2 CIL V, 1330.
  88. CIL VI, 23985.
  89. CIL IX, 1924.
  90. 1 2 IMS, vi. 139.
  91. 1 2 3 4 5 6 CIL V, 6896.
  92. CIL III, 10535.
  93. AE 1975, 19.
  94. CIL X, 4283.
  95. CIL VI, 24608.
  96. 1 2 3 CIL, II-V. 513.
  97. 1 2 CIL XI, 4704.
  98. 1 2 CIL V, 58.
  99. 1 2 3 CIL X, 4976.
  100. CIL VI, 38727a.
  101. CIL VI, 33620.
  102. 1 2 CIL VI, 23978.
  103. CIL XI, 3529.
  104. CIL IX, 5416.
  105. CIL VIII, 20801.
  106. 1 2 3 CIL VI, 29712.
  107. CIL XIV, 1794.
  108. ILAlg, ii. 2, 6723.
  109. ILAlg, 02-02, 6448.
  110. CIL XI, 6853.
  111. CIL VI, 24191.
  112. AE 1983, 360.
  113. CIL VI, 14067.
  114. 1 2 CIL XI, 4284.
  115. CIL V, 1331.
  116. CIL X, 3474.
  117. 1 2 Silvestrini, Le Tribù Romane, p. 165.
  118. CIL XI, 1131.
  119. CIL II, 2282.
  120. CIL III, 14322,10.
  121. ILAlg, 02-01, 01556.
  122. AE 1972, 513.
  123. InscrAqu, i. 642.
  124. AE 1998, 127.
  125. AE 1906, 19.
  126. 1 2 CIL XI, 513
  127. CIL XI, 2380.
  128. CIL VI, 36866.
  129. CIL VI, 5742.
  130. 1 2 CIL IX, 5032.
  131. CIL XI, 2382.
  132. 1 2 Kurilić, 27.
  133. AE 1977, 174.
  134. CIL XV, 8394.
  135. CIL VI, 32031.
  136. AE 1999, 712.
  137. CIL V, 1052.
  138. ILAlg, 02-01, 03935.
  139. AE 2013, 1944.
  140. AE 1960, 213f.
  141. AE 1997, 1627b.
  142. CIL IX, 5584.
  143. CIL III, 13302.
  144. AE 1997, 1637c.
  145. CIL V, 6412.
  146. CIL VIII, 3173.
  147. CIL XI, 2382.
  148. CIL III, 3102.
  149. CIL IX, 307.
  150. CIL VI, 16399.
  151. CIL XIII, 8079.
  152. AE 1983, 262.
  153. CIL V, 6824.
  154. CIL VI, 23979.
  155. CIL VI, 8330.
  156. CIL VI, 23980.
  157. ILJug, iii. 1298.
  158. CIL VI, 23981.
  159. CIL V, 4753.
  160. ILAlg, ii. 3, 8680.
  161. CIL V, 748.
  162. InscrAqu, ii. 2526.
  163. BCTH 1930/31, 133.
  164. CIL III, 1510.
  165. CIL VIII, 312.

Bibliography