The gens Catia was a

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

family at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

from the time of the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

to the 3rd century AD. The

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

achieved little importance during the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, but held several consulships in imperial times.

Origin

The Catii may have been of

Vestini () were an Italic tribe who occupied the area of the modern Abruzzo (central Italy), included between the Gran Sasso and the northern bank of the Aterno river. Their main centres were ''Pitinum ''(near modern L'Aquila), ''Aufinum ''(Ofena), ''Pe ...

an origin; Gaius Catius, who served under

Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

, is said to have belonged to this ancient race.Cicero, ''Epistulae ad Familiares'', x. 23. However, members of the family were already at Rome by the time of the

, when Quintus Catius was plebeian aedile.Livy, xxvii. 6, 43, xxviii. 45. The philosopher

Catius Catius ( fl. c. 50s–40s BC) was an Epicurean philosopher, identified ethnically as an Insubrian Celt from Gallia Transpadana. Epicurean works by Amafinius, Rabirius, and Catius were the earliest philosophical treatises written in Latin. Catiu ...

was an Insuber, a native of

Gallia Transpadana Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts (Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was con ...

, and may have been a freedman of the gens, or perhaps his name arose by coincidence.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, p. 634 ("Catius"). The nomen ''Catius'' itself may perhaps be related to a Roman divinity of that name, invoked for the purpose of granting children thoughtfulness and prudence. The nomen ''Cattius'', found in imperial times, may be a variation.

Members

* Quintus Catius, plebeian aedile in 210 BC, he served in the

. * Gaius Catius, '' tribunus militum'' in the army of

, in 43 BC. *

, an Epicurean philosopher, thought to have been an Insubrian Gaul; he may have been a freedman of the gens. * Catia, mentioned by the poet

Horatius Horatius may refer to: People Roman era * several ancient Roman men of the '' gens Horatia'', including: ** Quintus Horatius Flaccus, the poet known in English as Horace ** one of the Horatii, three members of the ''gens Horatia'' who fought to the ...

. *

Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (, c. 26 – c. 101 AD) was a Roman senator, orator and epic poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His only surviving work is the 17-book ''Punica'', an epic poem about the Second Punic War and the l ...

, an epic poet, and

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in AD 68, at the end of Nero's reign.''PIR'', vol. I, p. 321.Grainger, pp. 7–11. * Catius Crispus, mentioned by the elder

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

. * Tiberius Catius Caesius Fronto, the son or adopted son of Silius Italicus, he was consul ''suffectus ex Kal. Sept.'' in AD 96, shortly before the assassination of the emperor

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

; he is supposed to be the same as the orator Catius Fronto, a contemporary of

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

, who defended

Marius Priscus Marius may refer to: People *Gaius Marius (157 BC-86 BC), Roman statesman, seven times consul. Arts and entertainment * Marius (play), ''Marius'' (play), a 1929 play by Marcel Pagnol * Marius (short story), "Marius" (short story), a 1957 story ...

, Gaius Julius Bassus, and Varenus Rufus. * Catius Lepidus, a friend of the younger Pliny. * Catius Marcellus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 153. *

Publius Catius Sabinus Publius Catius Sabinus (fl. 3rd century AD) was a Roman military officer and senator who was appointed consul twice. Biography Catius Sabinus was a member of the third century '' gens Catia'', which has been speculated to have originated in either ...

, consul in AD 216, during the reign of

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...

; this was his second consulship, but the year of his first is not known.Mennen, pp. 69, 93–95, 133. *

Sextus Catius Clementinus Priscillianus Sextus Catius Clementinus Priscillianus (fl. 3rd century AD) was a Roman military officer and senator who was appointed consul in AD 230. Biography Catius Clementinus was a member of the third century '' gens Catia'', and it has been speculated t ...

, consul in AD 230, under

Severus Alexander Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself was ...

. * Gaius Catius Clemens, possibly a brother of Priscillianus, was consul ''suffectus'', probably around AD 235. *

Lucius Catius Celer Lucius Catius Celer (fl. 3rd century AD) was a Roman military officer and senator who was appointed suffect consul around AD 241. Biography Catius Celer was a member of the third century '' gens Catia'', and it has been speculated that he may h ...

, possibly a brother of Priscillianus, was an imperial legate in the time of

Gordian III Gordian III ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus; 20 January 225 – February 244) was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole emperor up to that point (until Valentinian II in 375). Gordian was the son of Anton ...

. He had previously been consul ''suffectus'', probably around AD 241. * Catia Clementina, according to an inscription, the wife of Iallius Bassus, and mother of Iallia Clementina.''PIR'', vol. i. p. 323.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

Marcus Tullius Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

, '' Epistulae ad Familiares''. * Quintus Horatius Flaccus (

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

), '' Satirae'' (Satires). * Titus Livius (

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

), ''

History of Rome The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced m ...

''. * Lucius Annaeus Seneca (

Seneca the Elder Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Elder (; c. 54 BC – c. 39 AD), also known as Seneca the Rhetorician, was a Roman writer, born of a wealthy equestrian family of Corduba, Hispania. He wrote a collection of reminiscences about the Roman schools of rheto ...

), ''Suasoriae'' (Rhetorical Exercises). * Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (

Quintilian Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (; 35 – 100 AD) was a Roman educator and rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilia ...

), ''

Institutio Oratoria ''Institutio Oratoria'' (English: Institutes of Oratory) is a twelve-volume textbook on the theory and practice of rhetoric by Roman rhetorician Quintilian. It was published around year 95 AD. The work deals also with the foundational education ...

'' (Institutes of Oratory). * Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...

), '' Epistulae'' (Letters). * ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). *

Paul von Rohden Paul von Rohden (12 December 1862, Barmen – 28 February 1939, Pieterlen) was a German-Swiss schoolteacher and historian known for his research in the field of prosopography. He was the son of theologian Ludwig von Rohden (1815–1889) and the bro ...

Elimar Klebs Elimar Klebs (15 October 1852 – 16 May 1918) was a German historian of ancient history. He was the brother of botanist Georg Klebs. Biography Klebs was born in Braunsberg (Braniewo), Prussia. He studied in Berlin under Theodor Mommsen a ...

, &

Hermann Dessau Hermann Dessau (6 April 1856, Frankfurt am Main – 12 April 1931, Berlin) was a German ancient historian and epigrapher. He is noted for a key work of textual criticism published in 1889 on the ''Historia Augusta'', which uncovered reasons to ...

, ''

Prosopographia Imperii Romani The ', abbreviated ''PIR'', is a collective historical work to establish the prosopography of high-profile people from the Roman empire. The time period covered extends from the Battle of Actium in 31 BC to the reign of Diocletian. The final volum ...

'' (The Prosopography of the Roman Empire, abbreviated ''PIR''), Berlin (1898). * John D. Grainger, ''Nerva and the Roman Succession Crisis, A.D. 96-99'', Psychology Press (2004). * Inge Mennen, ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193–284'', Brill (2011). {{DEFAULTSORT:Catia (gens) Roman gentes

Origin

Members

Footnotes

See also

References

Bibliography