Gaius Naevius Balbus, denarius, 79 BC, RRC 382-1b

The gens Naevia, occasionally written Navia, was a plebeian or

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

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 BC ...

. Members of this gens are first mentioned at the time of the Second Punic War, but the first of the Naevii 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 Lucius Naevius Surdinus, in AD 30.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, p. 1135 ("

Naevia Gens The gens Naevia, occasionally written Navia, was a plebeian or patrician family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are first mentioned at the time of the Second Punic War, but the first of the Naevii to obtain the consulship was Lucius Na ...

").

Origin

The nomen ''Naevius'' is generally regarded as a patronymic surname derived from the praenomen '' Gnaeus'', indicating a birthmark. ''Gnaeus'' and ''naevus'', the usual form of the

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 ...

word for a birthmark, were pronounced similarly, and a number of other Latin words could be spelled with either ''gn-'' or ''n-'', such as ''gnatus'' and ''natus'', "born".

Branches and cognomina

In the time of the Republic, the principal

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 ...

of the Naevii were ''Balbus'' and ''Matho''. ''Balbus'', a common surname, originally signified one who stammers. Chase regarded ''Matho'' as a borrowing of the Greek .

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 esta ...

stated that it was pronounced ''Mato'', and sometimes spelled without an 'h'. Other Naevii bore the surnames ''Crista'', ''Pollio'', and ''Turpio'', while ''Capella'' and ''Surdinus'' are found on coins. ''Crista'' refers to a crest or plume; ''Pollio'' is thought to mean "polisher", and to refer to the occupation of polishing arms. ''Turpio'' describes someone ugly, deformed, or foul. ''Capella'' refers to a she-goat, while ''Surdinus'' probably described someone who was deaf, hard of hearing, stubborn, or silent.

Members

* Gnaeus Naevius, a poet and dramatist of the

Old Latin Old Latin, also known as Early Latin or Archaic Latin (Classical la, prīsca Latīnitās, lit=ancient Latinity), was the Latin language in the period before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. It descends from a common Proto-Italic ...

period. * Quintus Naevius Crista, a prefect of the allied forces, under the command of

Marcus Valerius Laevinus Marcus Valerius Laevinus (c. 260 BC200 BC) was a Roman consul and commander who rose to prominence during the Second Punic War and corresponding First Macedonian War. A member of the ''gens Valeria'', an old patrician family believed to have migrat ...

, served with courage and skill against Philip during the

First Macedonian War The First Macedonian War (214–205 BC) was fought by Rome, allied (after 211 BC) with the Aetolian League and Attalus I of Pergamon, against Philip V of Macedon, contemporaneously with the Second Punic War (218–201 BC) against Carthage. The ...

, in 214 BC. * Quintus Naevius, a centurion serving under the

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 ...

Quintus Fulvius Flaccus at the siege of

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

in 211 BC, during the Second Punic War. Naevius displayed conspicuous bravery and tactical skill in helping to repel Hannibal's forces. He might be the same person as Quintus Naevius Crista. * Quintus Naevius Matho, appointed one of the

triumvirs A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

for establishing a colony in

Bruttium 01 or '01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawa ...

, in 194 BC.

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 184, he received the province of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. Before setting out for his province, Matho was instructed to investigate all reports of poisoning in Italy, an endeavour which occupied him for four months. Valerias Antias states that two thousand people were condemned in the course of the investigation. * Marcus Naevius,

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 ...

in 184 BC, was, according to some authorities, induced by

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor ( la, Censorius), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write his ...

to accuse Scipio Africanus of having accepted a bribe from Antiochus in exchange for lenient treatment at the end of the Syrian War. * Lucius Naevius Balbus, one of the ''quinqueviri'' appointed in 168 BC to resolve a dispute over the lands claimed by the inhabitants of Pisae and the Lunenses. * Gaius Naevius Balbus, ''

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 79 BC, was a supporter of Sulla and may have been a prefect in Sulla's army at the

Battle of the Colline Gate The Battle of the Colline Gate, fought on 1 November 82 BC, was the decisive battle of the civil war between Lucius Cornelius Sulla and the Marians, notably led by Carrinas and Damasippus. A large part of the Marians' forces were made of Ital ...

in 82. * Naevius Turpio, a ''quadruplator'', or public informer, who in 75 BC was condemned by Gaius Licinius Sacerdos, while the latter was

propraetor In ancient Rome a promagistrate ( la, pro magistratu) was an ex-consul or ex-praetor whose ''imperium'' (the power to command an army) was extended at the end of his annual term of office or later. They were called proconsuls and propraetors. Thi ...

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

. During the administration of

Verres Gaius Verres (c. 120–43 BC) was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. His extortion of local farmers and plundering of temples led to his prosecution by Cicero, whose accusations were so devastating that his defence adv ...

, Naevius was instrumental in helping to extract all that the new praetor could from his province. * Naevius Pollio, an extremely tall man, whom Cicero is said to have described as being a foot taller than the tallest man who ever lived. A similar description was given by Pliny the Elder. * Sextus Naevius, the accuser of Publius Quinctius, whose defence by

was the subject of the oration ''

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 ...

''. * Servius Naevius, accused by Cicero, was defended by Gaius Scribonius Curio. * Lucius Naevius L. f. Surdinus, ''triumvir monetalis'' in 15 BC. He was praetor ''circa'' 10 BC and consul ''suffectus'' in AD 30. * Gaius Naevius Capella, ''quadriumvir monetalis'' in 4 BC. * Lucius Naevius Surdinus, consul ''suffectus'' from July to December in AD 30. *

Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro (21 BC – AD 38) was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard, from 31 until 38, serving under the Roman Emperors Tiberius and Caligula. Upon falling out of favour, he killed himself. Biography Macro was born in ...

, praetorian prefect under the emperors

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

and Caligula. * Ennia Naevia, according to Suetonius, was the wife of Macro and the mistress of Caligula. Although Macro was said to have murdered Tiberius in order to bring Caligula to the throne, the new emperor had him and Ennia put to death, so that he would not be under obligation to them. * Lucius Naevius Aquilinus, consul in AD 249.

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 esta ...

, ''

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

'', '' De Oratore'', ''

''. * Titus Livius (

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a 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 traditional founding in ...

), '' Ab Urbe Condita'' (History of Rome). *

Valerius Maximus Valerius Maximus () was a 1st-century Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes: ''Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri IX'' ("Nine books of memorable deeds and sayings", also known as ''De factis dictisque memorabilibus'' ...

, ''Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium'' (Memorable Facts and Sayings). *

Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the wo ...

, ''De Re Rustica''. * Gaius Plinius Secundus (

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 ' ...

), ''

Naturalis Historia The ''Natural History'' ( la, Naturalis historia) is a work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. ...

'' (Natural History). * Sextus Julius Frontinus, ''Strategemata'' (Stratagems). *

Publius Cornelius Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

, ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

''. * Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, '' De Vita Caesarum'' (Lives of the Caesars, or The Twelve Caesars). * Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

), ''

Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans Plutarch's ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', commonly called ''Parallel Lives'' or ''Plutarch's Lives'', is a series of 48 biographies of famous men, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, probably writt ...

''. * Aulus Gellius, ''Noctes Atticae'' (Attic Nights). * Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus (

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

), ''Roman History''. *

Sextus Aurelius Victor Sextus Aurelius Victor (c. 320 – c. 390) was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. Victor was the author of a short history of imperial Rome, entitled ''De Caesaribus'' and covering the period from Augustus to Constantius II. The work w ...

, '' De Viris Illustribus'' (On Famous Men). *

Joseph Hilarius Eckhel Joseph Hilarius Eckhel (13 January 1737 – 16 May 1798) was an Austrian Jesuit priest and numismatist. Biography Eckhel was born at Enzersfeld, in Lower Austria. His father was farm-steward to Count Zinzendorf, and he received his early educ ...

, ''Doctrina Numorum Veterum'' (The Study of Ancient Coins, 1792–1798). * Henricus Meyerus, ''Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta ab Appio inde Caeco usque ad Q. Aurelium Symmachum'' (Fragments of Roman Orators from Appius Claudius Caecus to Quintus Aurelius Symmachus), L. Bourgeois-Mazé, Paris (1837). * ''

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 ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). *

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 centu ...

''et alii'', '' Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897). * Harold Mattingly, Edward Allen Sydenham, C. H. V. Sutherland ''et alii'', '' The Roman Imperial Coinage'', London (1923–1984). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952). *

Attilio Degrassi Attilio Degrassi (Trieste, 21 June 1887 – Rome, 1 June 1969) was an archeologist and pioneering Italian scholar of Latin epigraphy. Degrassi taught at the University of Padova where he trained, among others, the epigraphist Silvio Panciera, c ...

, ''I fasti consolari dell'Impero Romano dal 30 avanti Cristo al 613 dopo Cristo'' (The Consular Fasti of Imperial Rome from 30 BC to AD 613), Edizioni di storia e letteratura, Rome (1952). *

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...