The gens Opsia was a minor

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 ...

. Members of this

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

first appear in history during the reign of

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 ...

. The most notable may have been Marcus Opsius Navius Fannianus, who filled a number of important posts, rising to the rank of

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 ...

. Many other Opsii are known from inscriptions.

Origin

The root of the nomen ''Opsius'' appears to be ''op-'', with the meaning of "help", found in the name of the goddess

Ops In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

, as well as the nomen ''

Oppius The Oppian Hill (Latin, ''Oppius Mons''; it, Colle Oppio) is the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven hills of Rome, Italy. It is separated from the Cispius on the north by the valley of the Suburra, and from the Caelian Hill ...

''. The same root may be the source of 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 ...

'' Opiter'', together with the patronymic surnames derived from it, '' Opiternius'' and '' Opetreius''. Such forms are typical of non-

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 ...

gentilicia, and are most likely of

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...

origin, which seems the more probable in light of the tradition that the cult of Ops was introduced to Rome by the Sabine king,

Titus Tatius According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius was the king of the Sabines from Cures and joint-ruler of the Kingdom of Rome for several years. During the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, Tatius declared war on Rome in respon ...

. ''Opsius'' in turn appears to have given rise to two later gentilicia, '' Opsidius'' and '' Opsilius'', which used the suffixes and to form new nomina from an existing name.

Praenomina

Nearly all of the Opsii known from various sources bear the praenomina '' Marcus'' or ''

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 Pol ...

'', two of the most common names. There are also a few Opsii named '' Publius'' and '' Gnaeus'', which were likewise quite common.

Members

* Marcus Opsius, a former praetor, was one of those who encouraged Titius Sabinus to denounce the government of

in AD 28, so that they could betray Sabinus to

Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus (c. 20 BC – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as Sejanus (), was a Roman soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Of the Equites class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Praetorian Guar ...

, and win political favour for themselves. He might be the same person as Fannianus.''PIR'', vol. II, p. 436. * Marcus Opsius Navius Fannianus, served at various times as , tribune of the fifth legion, quaestor of

Bithynia and Pontus Bithynia and Pontus ( la, Provincia Bithynia et Pontus, Ancient Greek ) was the name of a province of the Roman Empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). It was formed during the late Roman Republic by the amalgamation of the ...

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 ...

, ''praefectus frumenti dandi'', and praetor. * Opsia, a freedwoman named in an inscription from

Cales Cales was an ancient city of Campania, in today's ''comune'' of Calvi Risorta in southern Italy, belonging originally to the Aurunci/Ausoni, on the Via Latina. The Romans captured it in 335 BC and established a colony with Latin rights of 2,500 ...

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. * Gaius Opsius, named in an inscription from

Ateste Ateste (modern Este, Veneto, Este, Italy) was an ancient town of Venetia (region), Venetia, at the southern foot of the Euganean hills, 43 feet above sea-level and 22 miles southwest of Patavium (modern Padua). The site was occupied in very early ti ...

in the province of

Venetia et Histria Venetia et Histria (Latin: ''Regio X Venetia et Histria'') was an administrative subdivision in the northeast of Roman Italy. It was originally created by Augustus as the tenth ''regio'' in 7 AD alongside the nine other ''regiones''. The region h ...

. * Gaius Opsius, a soldier mentioned in a list from

Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the nea ...

.. * Gaius Opsius C. f., one of the ''magistri pagi'' at

Furfo Barisciano ( Abruzzese: '; la, Furfo), is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Main sights * Castle *Monastery of San Colombo. ...

Samnium Samnium ( it, Sannio) is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were ''Safinim'' for the country (attested in one inscription and one coin legend) and ''Safineis'' for the The lan ...

. * Gnaeus Opsius Amandus, named in an inscription from Rome. * Gaius Opsius C. l. Amerimnus, a freedman named in a list of soldiers at Herculaneum. * Marcus Opsius M. l. Anteros, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome.. * Opsia Araba, built a tomb for herself and her mother at Cales. * Opsia M. l. Calliste, a freedwoman, named in an inscription from Rome. * Publius Opsius P. l. Calvius, named in a dedicatory inscription from Ateste. * Opsia M. l. Calybeni, named in an inscription from Rome.. * Marcus Opsius Cladus, named in an inscription from Rome. * Gaius Opsius C. l. Gorgia, a freedman named in a list of soldiers at Herculaneum. * Marcus Opsius M. l. Midas, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome. * Marcus Opsius Moschus, buried at Rome, aged five.. * Gaius Opsius Optatus, named in a dedicatory inscription from

Grumentum Grumentum ( grc, Γρούμεντον) was an ancient Roman city in the centre of Lucania, in what is now the ''comune'' of Grumento Nova, c. south of Potenza by the direct road through Anxia, and by the '' Via Herculia'', at the point of diver ...

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Brutti ...

. * Marcus Opsius M. l. Pamphilus, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome. * Marcus Opsius Philadespotus, named in an inscription from Rome. * Marcus Opsius M. l. Philargurus, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome. * Gaius Opsius Scymnus, the husband of Helvia Fausta, and father of Helvia Scymnis, buried at

Corfinium Corfinium (Greek: ) was a city in ancient Italy, on the eastern side of the Apennines, due east of Rome, near modern Corfinio, in the province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo region). History Corfinium was the chief city of the Paeligni, situated in the v ...

in Samnium. * Publius Opsius Severus, husband of Arria Marcellina, buried at Rome. * Marcus Opsius Speratus, named in a funerary inscription from Rome. * Marcus Opsius M. f. Silvester, a soldier from

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 Etrusc ...

, serving in the twelfth urban cohort, named in an inscription from Rome dating to AD 197. * Gaius Opsius Staphylus, named in two inscriptions from Herculaneum. * Marcus Opsius M. l. Stratax, husband of Tituleia Arbuscula, buried at Venusia in

Footnotes

References

{{reflist, 30em

Bibliography

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 ...

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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 ...

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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). * Wilhelm Henzen, ''Ephemeris Epigraphica: Corporis Inscriptionum Latinarum Supplementum'' (Journal of Inscriptions: Supplement to the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, abbreviated ''EE''), Institute of Roman Archaeology, Rome (1872–1913). * Ettore Pais, ''Corporis inscriptionum Latinarum supplementa Italica'' (Italian Supplement to the ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum''), Rome (1884). * 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 ...