The gens Bellicia was an aristocratic

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

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, which flourished during the first and second centuries. The Bellicii rose to prominence from

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...

, attaining

senatorial A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the eld ...

status with Gaius Bellicius Natalis, who was appointed

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 ...

''suffectus'' in AD 68.

Origin

The nomen ''Bellicius'', spelt ''Vellicius'' in several inscriptions of Lucius Bellicius Sollers, belongs to a class of formed from

cognomina A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "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 here ...

ending in '. The root, ''Bellicus'', means "fierce" or "warlike", being one of an abundant type of surname originally derived from the character of the bearer.

Branches and cognomina

The earliest Bellicii appearing in history bore the cognomen ''Natalis'', a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

adjective referring to the circumstances of one's birth or nativity, although the circumstance through which this became their surname is unknown. ''Sollers'', belonging to a soldier of the early second century, denoted someone thought particularly skilled or clever. The names of subsequent generations of this family probably indicate their descent from other distinguished families of the era, as well as several illustrious families of 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 ...

. Of particular note are ''Flaccus'', a common surname originally bestowed on someone with large or floppy ears, borne by prominent branches of the

Fulvii The gens Fulvia, originally Foulvia, was one of the most illustrious plebeian families at ancient Rome. Members of this gens first came to prominence during the middle Republic; the first to attain the consulship was Lucius Fulvius Curvus in 322 B ...

and

Valerii The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of the ...

, and ''Torquatus'', famous from the

Manlia gens The gens Manlia () was one of the oldest and noblest Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician houses at Ancient Rome, Rome, from the earliest days of the Roman Republic, Republic until imperial times. The first of the gens to obtain the Roman consul, ...

, who acquired it as the result of a legendary combat between Titus Manlius Imperiosus and a giant

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, whose

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

Manlius claimed as a token of his victory. The surname was borne for centuries by the Manlii, and later by a branch of the

Junii The gens Junia was one of the most celebrated families of ancient Rome. The gens may originally have been patrician (ancient Rome), patrician, and was already prominent in the last days of the Roman Kingdom, Roman monarchy. Lucius Junius Brutu ...

who were descended from them.

Members

* Gaius Bellicius Natalis, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 68. * Gaius Bellicius C. f. Natalis Gavidius Tebanianus, son of Gaius Bellicius Natalis, the consul of 68, was consul ''suffectus'' in AD 87, serving from the Kalends of May to the Kalends of September. * Tiberius Claudius Tib. f. Augustanus Lucius Bellicius Sollers, a distinguished soldier, had been prefect of the

ala Gallica Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, Seydun ...

military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone to ...

with the

Legio II Augusta Legio II Augusta ( Second Legion "Augustus'") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army that was founded during the late Roman republic. Its emblems were the Capricornus, Pegasus, and Mars. It may have taken the name "''Augusta''" from a victory or ...

, and prefect of a

cohors A cohort (from the Latin ''cohors'', plural ''cohortes'', see wikt:cohors for full inflection table) was a standard tactical military unit of a Roman legion. Although the standard size changed with time and situation, it was generally composed ...

of the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

, and had been awarded ''

dona militaria As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry and likewise a range of punishments for military transgressions. Decorations, awards and victory titles Crowns *Grass crown � ...

'' for service in Germany. Later adlected into the Senate, advanced to

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...

, and consul ''suffectus'' prior to AD 118. * Bellicius Tebanianus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 118. * Gaius Bellicius C. f. C. n. Flaccus Torquatus Tebanianus, son of Gaius Bellicius Tebanianus, the consul of 87, was consul ''suffectus'' in AD 124. * Gaius Bellicius C. f. C. n. Flaccus Torquatus, son of Gaius Bellicius Flaccus Tebanianus, the consul of 124, was consul in AD 143. * Gaius Bellicius C. f. C. n. Calpurnius Torquatus, the son of Tebanianus, and brother of Flaccus Torquatus, the consul of 143, was consul in AD 148.''

Fasti Ostienses The ''Fasti Ostienses'' are a calendar of Roman magistrates and significant events from 49 BC to AD 175, found at Ostia, the principal seaport of Rome. Together with similar inscriptions, such as the ''Fasti Capitolini'' and ''Fasti Triumphal ...

'', , .

References

{{reflist

Bibliography

* 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 ...

''. * 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). *

Theodor Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th cent ...

''et alii'', ''

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present). * René Cagnat ''et alii'', ''

L'Année épigraphique ''L'Année épigraphique'' (''The Epigraphic Year'', standard abbreviation ''AE'') is a French publication on epigraphy (i.e the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing). It was set up by René Cagnat, as holder of the chair of 'Epigraphy an ...

'' (The Year in Epigraphy, abbreviated ''AE''), Presses Universitaires de France (1888–present). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII, pp. 103–184 (1897). * James H. Oliver
"The Senatorial but Not Imperial Relatives of Calpurnia Arria"
in

American Journal of Archaeology The ''American Journal of Archaeology'' (AJA), the peer-reviewed journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, has been published since 1897 (continuing the ''American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts'' founded by t ...

, vol. 55 (1951). * Paul A. Gallivan
"Some Comments on the ''Fasti'' for the Reign of Nero"
in ''

Classical Quarterly The Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, aimed at developing classical study and promoting its importance in education. Constitution The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are de ...

'', vol. 24, pp. 290–311 (1974)
"The ''Fasti'' for A.D. 70–96"
in ''Classical Quarterly'', vol. 31, pp. 186–220 (1981). * John C. Traupman, ''The New College Latin & English Dictionary'', Bantam Books, New York (1995). Roman gentes Gallia Narbonensis

Origin

Branches and cognomina

Members

See also

References

Bibliography