The gens Cluentia was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
family of the late
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
. The
gens
In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...
first appears during the
Social War, in which
Lucius Cluentius was general of the
Pompeii
Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...
an forces. The most famous family of the name lived at
Larinum
In Roman times, ''Larinum'' (today Larino) was a thriving and large settlement of ancient origin, located in the hills of the hinterland at an altitude of about 400 m, not far (about 26 km) from the coast of the Adriatic Sea, of considerable imp ...
, where they and their cousins, the
Aurii, fell victim to the machinations of
Oppianicus, exposed by
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
in his oration, ''
Pro Cluentio
''Pro Cluentio'' is a speech by the Roman orator Cicero given in defense of a man named Aulus Cluentius Habitus Minor, addressed to the judge Gaius Aquilius Gallus.
Cluentius, from Larinum in Samnium, was accused in 69 BC by his mother Sassia ...
''.
[''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', pp. 806, 807 ("Cluentia", "Lucius Cluentius", "Aulus Cluentius Habitus".]
Origin
The Cluentii were probably of
Oscan
Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene.
Oscan was spoken by a number of t ...
origin. Both Pompeii and Larinum, the towns with which the family was associated, were located within Oscan territory. Lucius Cluentius and the Pompeiian forces he commanded during the Social War fought against the Roman army under
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
, so the Cluentii may not have gained
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...
until the conclusion of the war.
Branches and cognomina
The only
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...
associated with the Cluentii is ''Habitus'', also found as ''Abitus'' and ''Avitus''. ''Habitus'' might refer to a person's manner of dress, style, or bearing; ''Avitus'' is derived from an adjective, meaning "grandfatherly, ancestral," and thus might indicate the senior branch of a family.
Members
*
Lucius Cluentius, called Aulus Cluentius by
Eutropius, was one of the Italian generals during the Social War. He commanded the Pompeiian troops against
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
, and was at first victorious, but was subsequently defeated and slain.
* Aulus Cluentius Habitus, a respected citizen of Larinum, who died in 88 BC, leaving a widow, Sassia, a son and a daughter.
[Cicero, ''Pro Cluentio'', 5.]
* Cluentia, sister of the elder Aulus Cluentius Habitus, married
Statius Albius Oppianicus, by whom she was allegedly poisoned. Oppianicus subsequently married Cluentius' widow, Sassia.
*
Aulus Cluentius A. f. Habitus, accused his stepfather, Oppianicus, of attempting to poison him. Oppianicus was convicted in 74 B.C., allegedly because the judge had been bribed. Eight years later, Cicero defended Cluentius on a similar charge made by Oppianicus' son.
[Cicero, ''Pro Cluentio'', ''passim'', ''In Verrem'', i. 10, 13–61, ''Pro Caecina'', 10.]
* Cluentia A. f., sister of the younger Aulus Cluentius Habitus, married her cousin,
Aulus Aurius Melinus. Her mother, Sassia, persuaded him to divorce her, and his death was procured by Cluentia's stepfather, Oppianicus.
See also
*
List of Roman gentes
The gens (plural gentes) was a Roman family, of Italic or Etruscan origins, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same '' nomen'' and claimed descent from a common ancestor. It was an important social and legal structure in earl ...
References
{{reflist
Bibliography
*
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
, ''
In Verrem
"''In Verrem''" ("Against Verres") is a series of speeches made by Cicero in 70 BC, during the corruption and extortion trial of Gaius Verres, the former governor of Sicily. The speeches, which were concurrent with Cicero's election to the aedil ...
'', ''
Pro Caecina
The ''Pro Caecina'' is a public speech made by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of his friend Aulus Caecina sometime between 71 BC and 69 BC. The speech was delivered in the third hearing of a lawsuit where Caecina averred that he had been unlawfu ...
'', ''
Pro Cluentio
''Pro Cluentio'' is a speech by the Roman orator Cicero given in defense of a man named Aulus Cluentius Habitus Minor, addressed to the judge Gaius Aquilius Gallus.
Cluentius, from Larinum in Samnium, was accused in 69 BC by his mother Sassia ...
''.
* Appianus Alexandrinus (
Appian
Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.
He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...
), ''Bellum Civile'' (The Civil War).
*
Eutropius, ''Breviarium Historiae Romanae'' (Abridgement of the History of Rome).
* ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...
'',
William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to:
Academics
* William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic
* William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...
, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849).
* D.P. Simpson, ''Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary'', Macmillan Publishing Company, New York (1963).
Roman gentes