The gens Quinctia, sometimes written Quintia, was a patrician 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 ...

. Throughout the history 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 ...

, its members often held the highest offices of the state, and it produced some men of importance even during the imperial period. For the first forty years after the expulsion of the kings the Quinctii are not mentioned, and the first of the gens who obtained the consulship was Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus in 471 BC; but from that year their name constantly appears in the

Fasti consulares In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...

.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. III, pp. 633, 634 (" Quintia Gens"). As with other patrician families, in later times there were also

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 ...

Quinctii. Some of these may have been the descendants of

freedmen 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), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

of the gens, or of patrician Quinctii who had voluntarily gone over to the plebs. There may also have been unrelated persons who happened to share the same nomen.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

relates that it was the custom in the Quinctia gens for even the women not to wear any ornaments of gold.

Origin

The Quinctia gens was one of the Alban houses removed to Rome by

Tullus Hostilius Tullus Hostilius (r. 672–640 BC) was the legendary third king of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius. Unlike his predecessor, Tullus was known as a warlike king who according to the Roman Historian Livy, believ ...

, and enrolled by him among the patricians. It was consequently one of the ''minores gentes''. The nomen Quinctius is a patronymic surname based on the

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bi ...

Quintus Quintus is a male given name derived from '' Quintus'', a common Latin forename (''praenomen'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Quintus derives from Latin word ''quintus'', meaning "fifth". Quintus is an English masculine given name and ...

,'' which must have belonged to an ancestor of the gens. The spelling ''Quintius'' is common in later times, but ''Quinctius'' is the ancient and more correct form, which occurs on coins and in the Fasti Capitolini.

Praenomina

The main praenomina used by the Quinctii were '' Lucius'' and ''

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

''. The family also used the names '' Caeso, Gnaeus'', and ''Quintus''. All were very common throughout Roman history, except Caeso, which initially was principally borne among the patrician Fabii.

Ernst Badian Ernst Badian (8 August 1925 – 1 February 2011) was an Austrian-born classical scholar who served as a professor at Harvard University from 1971 to 1998. Early life and education Badian was born in Vienna in 1925 and in 1938 fled the Nazis wit ...

therefore suggests that the use of Caeso may reflect an old family connection between the Fabii and the Quinctii.Badian, "Family and Early Career", p. 105. Other praenomina were used by the plebeian Quinctii, such as '' Decimus'', ''

'', or '' Publius''.

Branches and cognomina

The three great patrician families of the Quinctia gens bore the

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 ...

''Capitolinus, Cincinnatus'', and ''Flamininus''. Besides these we find Quinctii with the surnames ''Atta, Claudus, Crispinus, Hirpinus, Scapula'', and ''Trogus''. A few members of the gens bore no cognomen. The only surname that occurs on coins is that of ''Crispinus Sulpicianus'', which is found on coins struck in the time of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

. The cognomen Flamininus is also implied on a denarius. The eldest branches of the gens, those that bore the surnames ''Capitolinus'' and ''Cincinnatus'', may have sprung from two brothers, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, six times consul, and

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus ( – ) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue—particularly civic virtue—by the time of the late Republic. Cincinnatus was ...

, twice

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

, two of the greatest men of their age. The Fasti show that both men were the son and grandson of Lucius, and the two were well acquainted with one another. The cognomen ''Capitolinus'' is derived from the '' Mons Capitolinus'', or Capitoline Hill, one of the famous seven hills of Rome. The

agnomen An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the ''cognomen'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between simila ...

''Barbatus'' of this family means "bearded".Chase, pp. 109, 110. The surname ''Cincinnatus'' refers to someone with fine, curly hair, as does the agnomen ''Crispinus'', which belonged to the later Capitolini. A few of the Quinctii bear both the surnames ''Cincinnatus'' and ''Capitolinus'', and men of both families also bore the cognomen ''Pennus'' (sometimes found as ''Poenus''). According to Isidore, this surname had the meaning of "sharp": "''pennum antiqui acutum dicebant''." Alternately the name could be connected with ''penna'', a feather, or wing. ''Claudus'' appeared in the beginning of the third century, but was rapidly replaced by ''Flamininus'', which derived from '' flamen'', and also gave rise to the '' gens Flaminia''. This cognomen was likely adopted by the descendants of Lucius Quinctius, who was

Flamen Dialis In ancient Roman religion, the was the high priest of Jupiter. The term ''Dialis'' is related to ''Diespiter'', an Old Latin form of the name ''Jupiter''. There were 15 '' flamines'', of whom three were ''flamines maiores'', serving the thre ...

during the third quarter of the third century BC. The family remained prominent over the next century; their most famous member was

Titus Quinctius Flamininus Titus Quinctius Flamininus (c. 228 – 174 BC) was a Roman politician and general instrumental in the Roman conquest of Greece. Family background Flamininus belonged to the minor patrician ''gens'' Quinctia. The family had a glorious place ...

, who defeated

Philip V of Macedon Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...

in 197 BC.

Members

Quinctii Capitolini et Crispini

* Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, consul in 471, 468, 465, 446, 443, and 439 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, consul in 421 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, ''

consular tribune A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called "Conflict of the Or ...

'' in 405 BC. * Titus Quinctius (T. f. L. n. Cincinnatus) Capitolinus, ''tribunus militum consulari potestate'' in 385 BC, and

magister equitum The , in English Master of the Horse or Master of the Cavalry, was a Roman magistrate appointed as lieutenant to a dictator. His nominal function was to serve as commander of the Roman cavalry in time of war, but just as a dictator could be nomi ...

in the same year to the dictator

Aulus Cornelius Cossus __NOTOC__ Aulus Cornelius Cossus was a Roman general from the early Republic. He is most famous for being the second Roman, after Romulus, to be awarded the ''spolia opima,'' Rome's highest military honor, for killing the commander of an enemy arm ...

. * Gnaeus Quinctius Capitolinus, one of the first two Curule aediles elected in 366 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. Pennus Capitolinus Crispinus,

in 361 BC, and consul in 354 and 351. * Gnaeus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Capitolinus, dictator '' clavi figendi causa'' in 331 BC. * Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Crispinus, praetor in 209 BC, then consul in 208 with Marcus Claudius Marcellus, during 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 ...

; wounded near

Tarentum Tarentum may refer to: * Taranto, Apulia, Italy, on the site of the ancient Roman city of Tarentum (formerly the Greek colony of Taras) **See also History of Taranto * Tarentum (Campus Martius), also Terentum, an area in or on the edge of the Camp ...

, and died at the close of the year. * Lucius Quinctius Crispinus, praetor in 186 BC, was assigned

Hither Spain Hispania Citerior (English: "Hither Iberia", or "Nearer Iberia") was a Roman province in Hispania during the Roman Republic. It was on the eastern coast of Iberia down to the town of Cartago Nova, today's Cartagena in the autonomous community of ...

as his province. * Titus Quinctius T. f. Crispinus Sulpicianus, consul in 9 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Crispinus Valerianus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 2, and a member of the

Arval Brethren In ancient Roman religion, the Arval Brethren ( la, Fratres Arvales, "Brothers of the Fields") or Arval Brothers were a body of priests who offered annual sacrifices to the Lares and gods to guarantee good harvests. Inscriptions provide eviden ...

from at least AD 14 to after 21.

Quinctii Cincinnati

* Lucius Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, consul in 460 BC, and dictator in 458 and 439. * Caeso Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, son of the dictator, died in exile. * Lucius Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 438, 425, and 420 BC, and magister equitum in 437. * Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus Pennus, consul in 431 and 428 BC, and consular tribune in 426. * Quintus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 415 and 405 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Cincinnatus Capitolinus, consular tribune in 388 and 384 BC, and dictator in 380. * Lucius Quinctius (L. f. L. n.) Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 386, 385, and 377 BC. * Gaius Quinctius Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 377 BC. * Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 369 BC. * Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus Capitolinus, consular tribune in 368 BC, and magister equitum in 367.

Quinctii Claudi et Flaminini

* Lucius Quinctius Cn. f. T. n. (Claudus), a military tribune in 326 BC under Quintus Publilius Philo. He was probably the son of Gnaeus Quinctius Capitolinus, dictator in 331, and the father of Caeso Quinctius Claudus, consul in 271. * Caeso Quinctius L. f. Cn. n. Claudus, consul in 271 BC. * Lucius Quinctius K. f. L. n. (Claudus), Flamen Dialis during the third quarter of the third century BC. He was probably a son of Caeso Quinctius Claudus, consul in 271. * Titus Quinctius L. f. K. n. Flamininus, son of Lucius Quinctius, the Flamen Dialis, and father of Titus and Lucius Quinctius Flamininus, the consuls of 198 and 192 BC. * Caeso Quinctius L. f. K. n. Flamininus, one of the duumviri ordered to contract for the building of the temple of Concordia, in 217 BC. * Quinctius L. f. K. n. Claudus Flamininus, praetor in 208 BC, sent to

, where he stayed as propraetor until 205. He was either the third son of Lucius Quinctius, the Flamen Dialis, or the same man as Caeso Quinctius Flamininus, the duumvir of 217. * Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Flamininus, consul in 198 BC, and censor in 189; defeated

at the Battle of Cynoscephalae. * Lucius Quinctius T. f. L. n. Flamininus, a general under his elder brother, Titus, during the war against Philip, and consul in 192 BC. He was created

augur An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying i ...

in 212 BC. * Caeso Quinctius K. f. L. f. Flamininus, praetor ''peregrinus'' in 177 BC. He was the likely son of Caeso Quinctius Flamininus, the duumvir of 217. * Titus Quinctius T. f. Flamininus, ambassador to Cotys, the King of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

, in 167 BC; elected augur the same year. * Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, consul in 150 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, consul in 123 BC. * Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, ''

triumvir monetalis The ''triumvir monetalis'' ( ''tresviri'' or ''triumviri monetales'', also called the , abbreviated IIIVIR A. A. A. F. F.) was a moneyer during the Roman Republic and the Empire, who oversaw the minting of coins. In that role, he would be respons ...

'' in 126 BC. He was probably the son of the consul of 123.

Others

* Decimus Quinctius, a man of obscure birth, but great military reputation, commanded the Roman fleet at Tarentum in 210 BC, during the Second Punic War, and was slain in a naval engagement that year. * Titus Quinctius Trogus, accused by the quaestor Marcus Sergius. *

Titus Quinctius Atta Titus Quinctius Atta (died 77 BC) was a Roman comedy writer, and, like Titinius Titinius was an ancient Roman soldier. He was a centurion in the army of Gaius Cassius Longinus at the battle of Phillipi. After the battle was over, he was sent by Cas ...

, a Roman comic poet, who died in 78 BC. *

Publius Quinctius 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 * ...

, defended by

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 ...

in his first major oration, ''Pro Quinctio'', in 81 BC. * Lucius Quinctius, praetor in 67 BC, an opponent of the constitution of

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had ...

, and a rival of Lucius Licinius Lucullus. * Titus Quinctius Scapula, a partisan of Gnaeus Pompeius during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. * Quinctius Hirpinus, a friend of the poet

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 ' ...

. * Gaius Quinctius Atticus, consul ''suffectus'' in November and December in AD 69. * Publius Quinctius Scapula, mentioned by

as an instance of sudden death.Pliny the Elder, vii. 53, s. 54.

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 ...

, '' Cato Maior de Senectute'', ''

Epistulae ad Atticum ''Epistulae ad Atticum'' (Latin for "Letters to Atticus") is a collection of letters from Roman politician and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero to his close friend Titus Pomponius Atticus. The letters in this collection, together with Cicero's othe ...

'', ''

Pro Quinctio ''Pro Quinctio'' was a defence speech delivered by Marcus Tullius Cicero in 81 BC, on behalf of Publius Quinctius. It is noteworthy as the earliest of Cicero's published speeches to survive. Background The speech is a private legal case, centred ...

''. *

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

, ''

Bibliotheca Historica ''Bibliotheca historica'' ( grc, Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, ) is a work of universal history by Diodorus Siculus. It consisted of forty books, which were divided into three sections. The first six books are geographical in theme, ...

'' (Library of History). * Marcus Terentius Varro, ''De Lingua Latina'' (On the Latin Language). * Quintus Horatius Flaccus (

), ''

Carmen Saeculare The ''Carmen Saeculare'' (Latin for "Secular Hymn" or "Song of the Ages") is a hymn in Sapphic meter written by the Roman poet Horace. It was commissioned by the Roman emperor Augustus in 17 BC. The hymn was sung by a chorus of twenty-seven maid ...

'', '' Epistulae''. * 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 ...

''. * Valerius Maximus, ''

Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium ''Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri IX'' ("nine books of memorable deeds and sayings", also known as ''De factis dictisque memorabilibus'' or ''Facta et dicta memorabilia'') by Valerius Maximus (c. 20 BC – c. AD 50) was written arou ...

'' (Memorable Facts and Sayings). * Gaius Plinius Secundus (

), '' Historia Naturalis'' (Natural History). * Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator, ''Chronica''. *

Isidorus Hispalensis Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of t ...

, '' Origines''. *

Joannes Zonaras Joannes or John Zonaras ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης Ζωναρᾶς ; 1070 – 1140) was a Byzantine Greek historian, chronicler and theologian who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held th ...

, ''Epitome Historiarum'' (Epitome of History). * Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, ''Doctrina Numorum Veterum'' (The Study of Ancient Coins, 1792–1798). * Barthold Georg Niebuhr, ''The History of Rome'', Julius Charles Hare and Connop Thirlwall, trans., John Smith, Cambridge (1828). * ''

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). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897). *

Friedrich Münzer Friedrich Münzer (22 April 1868 – 20 October 1942) was a German classical scholar noted for the development of prosopography, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome connected to political struggles. He d ...

, ''Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families'', translated by Thérèse Ridley, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 (originally published in 1920). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952). * Martha W. Hoffman Lewis, ''The Official Priests of Rome under the Julio-Claudians'', American Academy, Rome (1955). * D.P. Simpson, ''Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary'', Macmillan Publishing Company, New York (1963). *Ernst Badian,
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, ''

The Journal of Roman Studies The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those intereste ...

'', Vol. 61 (1971), pp. 102–111. * Michael Crawford, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', Cambridge University Press (1974, 2001). * Ronald Syme, ''The Augustan Aristocracy'', ''Clarendon Press'', Oxford (1986). * Jörg Rüpke, Anne Glock, David Richardson (translator), ''Fasti Sacerdotum: A Prosopography of Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Religious Officials in the City of Rome, 300 BC to AD 499'', Oxford University Press, 2008. {{Authority control Roman gentes Alba Longa