Aquillia (gens)

Denarius of Manius Aquillius, 65 BC. On the obverse is Virtus. The reverse depicts the consul Manius Aquillius raising an allegory of Sicily, an allusion to his victory in the Second Servile War.

The gens Aquillia or Aquilia was a family at Rome with both patrician and plebeian branches. This gens was of great antiquity. Two of the Aquillii are mentioned among the Roman nobles who conspired to bring back the Tarquins, and a member of the house, Gaius Aquillius Tuscus, was consul in 487 BC.^[1]^[2]

Origin

The nomen Aquilius or Aquillius is probably derived from aquila, an eagle. On coins and inscriptions the name is almost always written Aquillius, but in manuscripts generally with a single l. The oldest branch of the family bore the cognomen Tuscus, suggesting that the gens may have been of Etruscan origin, although the nomen of the gens is indisputably Latin, and the name Tuscus could have been acquired in other ways.^[3] This cognomen is nonetheless dubious as only found in late sources; Robert Broughton mentions that it could have also been Sabinus.^[4]

From the imagery of their coins, it seems that the Aquillii had a special devotion for Sol, a rare occurrence under the Republic.

Praenomina

The oldest families of the Aquillii bore the praenomina Gaius, Lucius, and Marcus, which were the three most common names at all periods of Roman history. However, one family, which rose to considerable prominence in the final century of the Republic, preferred the less-common praenomen Manius.^[5]

Branches and cognomina

Denarius of Augustus and Lucius Aquillius Florus, 19 BC. Augustus is portrayed on the obverse. The flower on the reverse alludes to Florus' name.

The cognomina of the Aquillii under the Republic are Corvus, Crassus, Florus, Gallus, and Tuscus.^[6]

Tuscus, the oldest surname of the gens, means "Etruscan", and this branch of the family was certainly patrician. Corvus refers to a raven. This surname is more famous from the gens Valeria. The Aquillii Flori first appear during the First Punic War, although they must have existed since the fourth century BC, and flourished at least until the time of Augustus. Their name simply means "flower". Gallus may refer to a cock, or to a Gaul, even though the Galli were from Lanuvium.^[7] Crassus, a surname common in many gentes, may be translated as "thick," "dull," "simple," or "crude."^[8] The last cognomen to appear was Felix, meaning "lucky".

In the last century of the Republic, two Aquillii who reached the consulship are not recorded with a cognomen, but they belonged to the Flori, since this cognomen is found on coins and inscriptions of their descendants.

Members

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

Aquillii Tusci

Gaius Aquillius Tuscus, consul in 487 BC, carried on war against the Hernici, and received an Ovation.^[9]

Aquillii Corvi

Lucius Aquillius Corvus, tribunus militum consulari potestate in 388 BC.^[10]

Aquillii Flori

Denarius of Augustus and Lucius Aquillius Florus, 19 BC. Sol is portrayed on the obverse. The reverse shows a quadriga carrying a modius, a reference to corn distributions made by Augustus.

Gaius Aquillius Florus, grandfather of the consul of 259 BC.
Marcus Aquillius Florus, father of the consul of 259 BC.
Gaius Aquillius M. f. C. n. Florus, consul in 259 BC, the sixth year of the First Punic War. He was sent in Sicily, where he stayed as proconsul the following year. He celebrated a triumph at his return to Rome.^[11]
Manius Aquillius M'. f. M'. n., praetor by 132 BC, consul in 129, and proconsul in Asia until 126, which he organised as province.^[12]
Manius Aquillius M'. f. M'. n., triumvir monetalis in 109 or 108 BC, praetor by 104, legate in Gaul in 103, consul and proconsul in Sicily in 101-99, where he defeated the revolted slaves of Salvius Tryphon. Ambassador in Bythinia in 89, he was then captured and put to death by Mithradates in 88 BC.^[13]^[14]
Manius Aquillius M'. f. M'. n., senator and juror in the trial of Oppianicus in 74 BC^[15]^[16]
Manius Aquillius M'. f. M'. n, triumvir monetalis in 65 BC.^[17]^[18]^{[lower-roman 1]}
Aquillius Florus, a supporter Marcus Antonius. Caught by Octavian, he committed suicide after his son was executed before him.^[19]
Aquillius Florus, supported Marcus Antonius alongside his father, with whom he was killed by Octavian.^[19]
Lucius Aquillius M'. f. M'. n. Florus, quaestor in Asia in the late Republic, where he repaired the roads built by his ancestor, the consul of 129 BC.^[20]^[21]
Lucius Aquillius L. f. M'. n. Florus, triumvir monetalis in 19 BC.^[22]^[23]

Aquillii Galli

Lucius Aquillius Gallus, praetor in 176 BC, obtained Sicily for his province.^[24]^[25]
Gaius Aquillius Gallus, praetor in 66 BC, an early jurist, and pupil of Quintus Mucius Scaevola.^[26]
Publius Aquillius Gallus, tribune of the plebs in 55 BC, he tried to oppose the Lex Trebonia, granting a proconsulship of five years to Crassus and Pompey.^[27]
Lucius Aquillius C. f. Florus Turcianus Gallus, a senator under Augustus. His name indicates a possible alliance between the Aquillii Flori and Galli.^[28]

Aquillii Nigri

Aquillius Niger, a writer referred to by Suetonius for a statement respecting the death of the consul Hirtius.^[29]
Quintus Aquillius Niger, consul in AD 117.

Others

Denarius of Manius Aquillius, 109-108 BC. On the obverse is the head of Sol, while the reverse depicts Luna driving a biga with stars around.

Aquillius, a tribune of the plebs author of the Lex Aquillia, possibly dated from 286 BC.^[30]
Publius Aquillius, tribune of the plebs in 211 BC, although the date is disputed.^[31]^[32]
Publius Aquillius, legate in 210 BC.^[33]
Aquillia, reportedly engaged to marry Quintus Tullius Cicero circa 44 BC.^[34]
Marcus Aquillius Crassus, praetor in 43 BC, sent by the Senate to oppose Octavianus, and later proscribed. Perhaps the same as Acilius, also proscribed, whose escape is related by Appian.^[35]^[36]
Marcus Aquillius Julianus, consul in AD 38.^[37]^[38]
Gaius Aquillius Proculus, consul suffectus for July and August, AD 90.^[39]
Marcus Aquillius Regulus, one of the delatores, or informers, in the time of Nero, and again under Domitian.
Marcus Aquillius M. f. Felix, primipile of the XI Legion Claudia in 193, he was ordered by Didius Julianus to murder Septimius Severus, but defected to him instead. He was rewarded by several senior positions in the administration of Severus.^[40]^[41]^[42]
Aquillius Severus, a minor poet from Hispania during the time of Valentinian I.^[43]

Medallion signifying the possession(s) of Gaius Aquillus Proculus, Centurion of the Leg VIII Augusta, Valkhof Museum, Nijmegen

References

↑ Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita ii. 4.
↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.
↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 20 (note 1).
↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.
↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.
↑ Wiseman, New Men, p. 185.
↑ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, pp. 19, 20 (note 1).
↑ Broughton, vol. I, pp. 98, 99.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, pp. 206, 207.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, pp. 498, 504, 506, 507, 509.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, pp. 559, 564, 570, 571, 577; vol. II, pp. 2-4 (note 10), 34, 35, 43.
↑ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 314.
↑ Cicero, Pro Cluentio, 27. Corrupted as "Marcus" in the manuscript.
↑ Broughton, vol. II, p. 488.
↑ Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 412.
↑ Hersh & Walker, "The Mesagne Hoard", Table 2.
1 2 Cassius Dio, li. 2 § 4.
↑ IGRP 1659.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 475.
↑ Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum v. 142, 143, vi. 94-99.
↑ Roman Imperial Coinage, vol. I, p. 63.
↑ Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita xli. 18, 19.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 400.
↑ Broughton, vol. II, p. 152.
↑ Broughton, vol. II, p. 216.
↑ Taylor, Voting Districts, pp. 192, 193.
↑ Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, De Vita Caesarum Augustus 11.
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 186 (note 1).
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 273.
↑ Sablayrolles, Libertinus miles, pp. 11, 12 (note 15).
↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 281.
↑ Marcus Tullius Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum xiv. 13, 17.
↑ Appianus, Bellum Civile iii. 93, 94, iv. 39.
↑ Broughton, vol. II, p. 338.
↑ Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus, Roman History lix. 9.
↑ Sextus Julius Frontinus, De Aquaeductu 13.
↑ Fasti Ostienses
↑ Historia Augusta, Didius Julianus, 5 § 8; Septimius Severus, 5 § 9.
↑ Oliver, "M. Aquilius Felix", pp. 311-319.
↑ Sablayrolles, Libertinus miles, p. 78 (note 39), p. 130 (note 227).
↑ Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, De Viris Illustribus c. 3.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "article name needed". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Footnotes

↑ Initially, Crawford dated this moneyer from 71 BC, and supposed that he was the same as the senator mentioned in 74. However, Walker and Hersh placed him later, in 65. Thus, the moneyer was most likely the son of the senator, as moneyers were typically young men in their 20s, whereas the senator would have been at least 39 by this time. He was possibly the same as the supporter of Antony.

Bibliography

Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus (Cassius Dio), Roman History.
Titus Livius (Livy), History of Rome.
René Cagnat et al., Inscriptiones Graecae ad res Romanas Pertinentes (abbreviated IGRP), Paris (1911-1927)
C. H. V. Sutherland, Roman Imperial Coinage, volume 1 : Augustus–Vitellius (31 BC–69 AD), London, 1923 (revised 1984).
James H. Oliver, "M. Aquilius Felix", in The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 67, No. 4 (1946), pp. 311-319.
T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952–1986).
Lily Ross Taylor, The Voting Districts of the Roman Republic, University of Michigan Press (1960).
T. P. Wiseman, New Men in the Roman Senate, 139 BC - AD 14, Oxford University Press (1971).
Michael Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge University Press (1974, 2001).
Charles Hersh and Alan Walker, "The Mesagne Hoard", in Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), Vol. 29 (1984), pp. 103-134.
Robert Sablayrolles, Libertinus miles. Les cohortes de vigiles, Publications de l'École Française de Rome, (1996).

External links

Media related to Gens Aquilia at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita ii. 4.

[2] Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.

[3] Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.

[4] Broughton, vol. I, p. 20 (note 1).

[5] Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.

[6] Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.

[7] Wiseman, New Men, p. 185.

[8] Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, Editor.

[9] Broughton, vol. I, pp. 19, 20 (note 1).

[10] Broughton, vol. I, pp. 98, 99.

[11] Broughton, vol. I, pp. 206, 207.

[12] Broughton, vol. I, pp. 498, 504, 506, 507, 509.

[13] Broughton, vol. I, pp. 559, 564, 570, 571, 577; vol. II, pp. 2-4 (note 10), 34, 35, 43.

[14] Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 314.

[15] Cicero, Pro Cluentio, 27. Corrupted as "Marcus" in the manuscript.

[16] Broughton, vol. II, p. 488.

[17] Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, p. 412.

[18] Hersh & Walker, "The Mesagne Hoard", Table 2.

[Dio,_li._2-20] 1 2 Cassius Dio, li. 2 § 4.

[21] IGRP 1659.

[22] Broughton, vol. I, p. 475.

[23] Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum v. 142, 143, vi. 94-99.

[24] Roman Imperial Coinage, vol. I, p. 63.

[25] Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita xli. 18, 19.

[26] Broughton, vol. I, p. 400.

[27] Broughton, vol. II, p. 152.

[28] Broughton, vol. II, p. 216.

[29] Taylor, Voting Districts, pp. 192, 193.

[30] Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, De Vita Caesarum Augustus 11.

[31] Broughton, vol. I, p. 186 (note 1).

[32] Broughton, vol. I, p. 273.

[33] Sablayrolles, Libertinus miles, pp. 11, 12 (note 15).

[34] Broughton, vol. I, p. 281.

[35] Marcus Tullius Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum xiv. 13, 17.

[36] Appianus, Bellum Civile iii. 93, 94, iv. 39.

[37] Broughton, vol. II, p. 338.

[38] Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus, Roman History lix. 9.

[39] Sextus Julius Frontinus, De Aquaeductu 13.

[40] Fasti Ostienses

[41] Historia Augusta, Didius Julianus, 5 § 8; Septimius Severus, 5 § 9.

[42] Oliver, "M. Aquilius Felix", pp. 311-319.

[43] Sablayrolles, Libertinus miles, p. 78 (note 39), p. 130 (note 227).

[44] Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, De Viris Illustribus c. 3.

[19] Initially, Crawford dated this moneyer from 71 BC, and supposed that he was the same as the senator mentioned in 74. However, Walker and Hersh placed him later, in 65. Thus, the moneyer was most likely the son of the senator, as moneyers were typically young men in their 20s, whereas the senator would have been at least 39 by this time. He was possibly the same as the supporter of Antony.