Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen''

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, a patrician ''

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 ...

'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia.

Republican era

Publius Clodius Pulcher

During the Late Republic, the spelling ''Clodius'' is most prominently associated with Publius Clodius Pulcher, a

popularis Optimates (; Latin for "best ones", ) and populares (; Latin for "supporters of the people", ) are labels applied to politicians, political groups, traditions, strategies, or ideologies in the late Roman Republic. There is "heated academic dis ...

politician who gave up his patrician status through an order in order to qualify for the office of tribune of the ''plebs''. Clodius positioned himself as a champion of the urban ''

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizenship, Roman citizens who were not Patrician (ancient Rome), patricians, as determined by the capite censi, census, or in other words "commoners". Both ...

'', supporting free grain for the poor and the right of association in guilds ('' collegia''); because of this individual's ideology, ''Clodius'' has often been taken as a more "plebeian" spelling and a gesture of political solidarity. Clodius's two elder brothers, the Appius Claudius Pulcher who was consul in 54 BC and the C. Claudius Pulcher who was praetor in 56 BC, conducted more conventional political careers and are referred to in contemporary sources with the traditional spelling. The view that ''Clodius'' represents a plebeian or politicized form has been questioned by Clodius's chief modern-era biographer. In ''The Patrician Tribune'', W. Jeffrey Tatum points out that the spelling is also associated with Clodius's sisters and that "the political explanation … is almost certainly wrong." A plebeian branch of the ''gens'', the Claudii Marcelli, retained the supposedly patrician spelling, while there is some

inscriptional In typography, the Vox-ATypI classification makes it possible to classify typefaces into general classes. Devised by Maximilien Vox in 1954, it was adopted in 1962 by the Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI) and in 1967 as a British Sta ...

evidence that the ''-o-'' form may also have been used on occasion by close male relatives of the "patrician tribune" Clodius. Tatum argues that the use of ''-o-'' by the "chic"

Clodia Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen'' Claudius, a patrician ''gens'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia. Rep ...

was a fashionable affectation, and that Clodius, whose perhaps inordinately loving relationship with his sister was the subject of much gossip and insinuation, was imitating his stylish sibling. The linguistic variation of ''o'' for ''au'' was characteristic of the Umbrian language, of which Sabine was a branch. Forms using ''o'' were considered archaic or rustic in the 50s BC, and the use of ''Clodius'' would have been either a whimsical gesture of pastoral fantasy, or a trendy assertion of

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

authenticity.

Other Clodii of the Republic

In addition to Clodius, Clodii from the Republican era include: * Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus, presumably a "Clodius" before his adoption * Clodius Aesopus, a tragic actor in the 50s BC who may have been a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

of one of the Clodii Pulchri. * Claudia, daughter of Clodius Pulcher and Fulvia, the first wife of emperor Augustus. *

, sister of Publius Clodius Pulcher, sometimes identified in Catullus' poems as " Lesbia". Women of the Claudii Marcelli branch were often called "Clodia" in the late Republic.

Imperial era

People using the name ''Clodius'' during the period of the Roman Empire include: * Gaius Clodius Licinus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 4. *

Gaius Clodius Vestalis Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius P ...

, possible builder of the Via Clodia *

Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus (died AD 66), Roman senator, who lived in the 1st century AD. Notable for his principled opposition to the emperor Nero and his interest in Stoicism, he was the husband of Arria, who was the daughter of A. Caecina ...

, senator and philosopher during the reign of Nero *

Lucius Clodius Macer Lucius Clodius Macer was a ''legatus'' of the Roman Empire in Africa in the time of Nero. He revolted in May 68, cutting off the food supply of Rome, possibly at the instigation of Calvia Crispinilla. Although encouraged by Galba, Macer raised ...

, a '' legatus'' who revolted against Nero *

Publius Clodius Quirinalis Publius may refer to: Roman name * Publius (praenomen) * Ancient Romans with the name: ** Publius Valerius Publicola (died 503 BC), Roman consul, co-founder of the Republic **Publius Clodius Pulcher (c. 93 BC – 52 BC), Republican politician * ...

, from

Arelate Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

in Gaul, teacher of

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

in time of Nero * Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus, commonly known as Clodius Albinus, rival emperor 196-197 * Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus, known as Pupienus, co-emperor 238 * Titus Clodius Pupienus Pulcher Maximus, son of emperor Pupienus and suffect consul c. 235

Clodii Celsini

The Clodii Celsini continued to practice the traditional religions of antiquity in the face of Christian hegemony through at least the 4th century, when Clodius Celsinus Adelphius (see below)

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

.Bernice M. Kaczynski, "Faltonia Betitia Proba: A Virgilian Cento in Praise of Christ," in ''Women Writing Latin'' (Routledge, 2002), vol. 1, p. 13
online.
/ref> Members of this branch include: *

Quintus Fabius Clodius Agrippianus Celsinus Quintus Fabius Clodius Agrippianus Celsinus (c. 210 - after 249) was proconsul of Caria in 249. He was the son of Clodius Celsinus (born c. 185) and his wife Fabia Fuscinella (born c. 190), paternal grandson of Marcus Clodius Macrinus Hermogenianus ...

, proconsul of Caria in 249 and the son of Clodius Celsinus (b. ''ca.'' 185); see for other members of the family. * Clodius Celsinus Adelphius, '' praefectus urbi'' in 351. * Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius, consul 379

References

Selected bibliography

*Tatum, W. Jeffrey. ''The Patrician Tribune: P. Clodius Pulcher''. Studies in the History of Greece and Rome series. University of North Carolina Press, 1999. Limited previe
online.
Hardcover .