250px, Tullus Hostilius defeating the army of Veii_and_

Veii_and_Fidenae,_modern_fresco.">Fidenae.html"_;"title="Veii_and_Fidenae">Veii_and_Fidenae,_modern_fresco. The_gens_Hostilia_was_an_ancient_family_at_Ancient_Rome.html" "title="Fidenae,_modern_fresco..html" ;"title="Fidenae.html" ;"title="Veii and Fidenae">Veii and Fidenae, modern fresco.">Fidenae.html" ;"title="Veii and Fidenae">Veii and Fidenae, modern fresco. The gens Hostilia was an ancient family at Ancient Rome">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 ...

, which traced its origin to the time of Romulus. The most famous member of the gens was Tullus Hostilius, the third King of Rome; however, all of the Hostilii known from the time of the Roman Republic, Republic were plebs, plebeians. Several of the Hostilii were distinguished during the Punic Wars. The first of the family to obtain the

consulship A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

was Aulus Hostilius Mancinus in 170 BC.

Origin

The Hostilii came originally from

Medullia Medullia was a town in ancient Latium, Italy. In Rome's early semi-legendary history, Medullia was one of a number of cities of the Latins who went to war with ancient Rome in the 7th century BC, during the reign of the Roman King Ancus Marcius. Th ...

, an ancient city in

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...

, and are thought to have settled at Rome in the time of Romulus. Although the Hostilii of the Republic had no specific tradition about Medullia, coins minted by one of the later Hostilii bear the heads of Pallor and Pavor, the gods of fear and panic, in an allusion to Tullus Hostilius, who vowed temples to Pallor and Pavor during his war with

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

and

Fidenae Fidenae ( grc, Φιδῆναι) was an ancient town of Latium, situated about 8 km north of Rome on the '' Via Salaria'', which ran between Rome and the Tiber. Its inhabitants were known as Fidenates. As the Tiber was the border between Etr ...

. If the later Hostilii were descended from the Hostilii of the regal period, then they were of Medullian origin. The nomen ''Hostilius'' is a patronymic surname, based on the praenomen '' Hostus'', which was borne by the ancestors of the gens. The same praenomen gave rise to another gens, with the nomen ''Hostius''. The earliest known member of the Hostilii was Hostus Hostilius, a Roman champion in the earliest days of the city. However, if he also bore the nomen ''Hostilius'', then that name must have originated at an earlier time. The meaning of the praenomen remains obscure; but it could possibly have originated as a variation of Faustus, another ancient name meaning ''fortunate''; in

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

we find two possible cognates, the feminine praenomina ''Fasti'' and ''Hasti'', of which the latter is a variation of the former.

Praenomina

The principal first names used by the Hostilii were ''

Aulus Aulus (abbreviated A.) is one of the small group of common forenames found in the culture of ancient Rome. The name was traditionally connected with Latin ''aula'', ''olla'', "palace", but this is most likely a false etymology. ''Aulus'' in fact p ...

'', ''

Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from '' Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames ('' praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from ...

'', and ''

Gaius 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 ...

''. There are also instances of '' Marcus'' and '' Publius''. The ancient Hostilii appear to have made regular use of the praenomen ''Hostus''. '' Tullus'', also used by the gens in the earliest times, appears to have been revived by the family during the later Republic. A woman of the gens is known to have used the praenomen ''Quarta''.

Branches and cognomina

The Hostilii of the Republic bore the surnames ''Cato, Mancinus, Saserna'', and ''Tubulus''. Of these, the Mancini were the most distinguished, with three obtaining the consulship during the second century BC. ''Firminus'' and ''Rutilus'' are found in imperial times. Some of the Hostilii do not appear to have had

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 ...

Members

* Hostus Hostilius, of Medullia, a Roman champion in the time of Romulus, fell in battle against the Sabines. * Hostus Hostilius Hosti f., son of Hostus Hostilius, and father of Tullus Hostilius, the third King of Rome. * Tullus Hostilius Hosti f. Hosti n., the third King of Rome. * Quarta Hostilia, married first

Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus Gnaeus, also spelled Cnaeus, was a Roman praenomen derived from the Latin ''naevus'', a birthmark. It was a common name borne by many individuals throughout Roman history, including: Individuals *Gnaeus Acerronius Proculus, a consul of the Roman ...

, praetor in 212 BC, and second Gaius Calpurnius Piso, consul in 180 BC, whom she was convicted of poisoning. * Marcus Hostilius, moved the site of the town of Salapia in Apulia. * Gaius Hostilius,

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

sent to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

by the senate, to negotiate between

Antiochus Epiphanes Antiochus is a Greek male first name, which was a dynastic name for rulers of the Seleucid Empire and the Kingdom of Commagene. In Jewish historical memory, connected with the Maccabean Revolt and the holiday of Hanukkah, "Antiochus" refers spec ...

, King of Syria, and Ptolemy Euergetes and Cleopatra of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

in 168 BC. * Hostilius, a poet, perhaps as late as the age of Cicero, known solely from a line quoted by

Priscian Priscianus Caesariensis (), commonly known as Priscian ( or ), was a Latin grammarian and the author of the ''Institutes of Grammar'', which was the standard textbook for the study of Latin during the Middle Ages. It also provided the raw materia ...

. * Hostilius, proposer of the ''lex Hostilia'', permitting legal actions to be brought on behalf of persons absent due to public service, whether civil or military. The date of the law is uncertain, but a series of cases mentioned by Cicero may have been related to it. * Tullus Hostilius, a supporter of Marcus Antonius, elected

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

for 43 BC. * Hostilius Rutilus,

praefect ''Praefectus'', often with a further qualification, was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but ...

of the camp in the army of

Drusus Drusus may refer to: * Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus) (10 BC–AD 54), Roman emperor from 41 to 54 * Drusus Caesar (AD 8–33), adoptive grandson of Roman emperor Tiberius * Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC–AD 23), son of Roman emperor Tiberiu ...

in Germania, in 11 BC. * Hostilius, a Cynic philosopher, banished by the emperor

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 ...

, ''circa'' AD 72. * Hostilius Firminus, legate of Marius Priscus,

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

in AD 101, during the reign of

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

; forfeited his senatorial privileges as a result of charges of extortion and cruelty.

Hostilii Mancini

* Lucius Hostilius Mancinus, an officer in the army of the dictator

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator ( 280 – 203 BC), was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was consul five times (233, 228, 215, 214, and 209 BC) and was appointed dictator in 221 and 217 BC. He was ...

in 217 BC. * Lucius Hostilius L. f. Mancinus, father of the consul of 145 BC. * Aulus Hostilius L. f. A. n. Mancinus,

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 throu ...

in 170 BC, during the war against Perseus. * Lucius Hostilius L. f. L. n. Mancinus, commander of the fleet during the

Third Punic War The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 ...

, and consul in 145 BC. * Aulus Hostilius Mancinus, probably

curule aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enf ...

in 151 BC, and legate to

Attalus II Attalus II Philadelphus ( Greek: Ἄτταλος Β΄ ὁ Φιλάδελφος, ''Attalos II Philadelphos'', which means "Attalus the brother-loving"; 220–138 BC) was a Greek King of Pergamon and the founder of the city of Attalia (Antal ...

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

and

Nicomedes II Nicomedes II Epiphanes (Greek: Νικομήδης ὁ Ἐπιφανής "Nicomedes God-Manifest") was the king of Bithynia from 149 to c. 127 BC. He was fourth in descent from Nicomedes I. Nicomedes II was the son and successor of Prusias II and ...

of Bythinia in 149. * Gaius Hostilius A. f. L. n. Mancinus, praetor before 140 BC, and consul in 137, in which year he was defeated by the Numantines.

Hostilii Tubuli

Gaius Hostilius Tubulus 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 Po ...

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 vari ...

in 209 BC, during the Second Punic War; in 207 he inflicted heavy losses on Hannibal's army. * Lucius Hostilius Tubulus, praetor in 142 BC, exiled for accepting bribes. * Lucius Hostilius Tubulus, ''

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 105 BC.

Hostilii Catones

* Aulus Hostilius Cato, praetor in 207 BC, obtained

Sicilia (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

as his province. * Gaius Hostilius Cato, praetor with his brother in 207 BC. * Lucius Hostilius Cato,

Scipio Asiaticus Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus (properly Asiagenes; 3rd century BC – after 183 BC) was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic. He was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio and the younger brother of Scipio Africanus. He was elected co ...

in 190 BC, acquitted of bribery.

Hostilii Sasernae

* Hostilius Saserna, the name of two agricultural writers, father and son, who lived in the time between Cato and

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

. * Lucius Hostilius Saserna, ''triumvir monetalis'' in 48 BC. * Gaius Hostilius Saserna, served with his brother, Publius, under

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

in the African War, in 46 BC. * Publius Hostilius Saserna, served under Caesar in the African War.Caesar, De Bello Africo, x.

Footnotes

{{commons, Gens Hostilia Roman gentes