The gens Porcia, rarely written Portia, was a

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 o ...

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 ...

. Its members first appear in history during the third century BC. The first of the

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

to achieve 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 politi ...

was Marcus Porcius Cato in 195 BC, and from then until imperial times, the Porcii regularly occupied the highest offices of the Roman state.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. III, p. 498 ("Porcia Gens").

Origin

The nomen ''Porcius'' was derived from ''porcus'', a pig. It belongs to a class of gentilicia derived from the names of common animals and objects, such as ''Asinius'', ''Ovinius'', ''Caprarius'', and ''Taurus''. The Porcii were reputed to have come from the ancient city of

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ...

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 whi ...

. This tradition was alluded to in a speech given by the emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...

Praenomina

The chief praenomina of the Porcii were '' Marcus'' and '' Lucius'', two of the most common names throughout Roman history. The Porcii Catones favoured ''Marcus'', almost to the exclusion of other praenomina, but occasionally used ''Lucius'' 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 Asiniu ...

'', another extremely common name, while the Porcii Laecae favoured '' Publius'' and ''Marcus''.

Branches and cognomina

In the time 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 ...

, there were three main branches of the Porcii, bearing the surnames ''Laeca'', ''Licinus'', and ''Cato'', of which the most illustrious was ''Cato''. Other

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 ...

are found under the Empire. The surname ''Cato'' is said to have been bestowed upon Cato the Elder in consequence of his shrewdness; before this,

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 h ...

says that he bore the cognomen ''Priscus'', "the elder".Plutarch, "The Life of Cato the Elder", 1. However, it may be that like ''Major'', ''Priscus'' simply distinguished him from his descendant, Cato Uticensis, and was erroneously supposed to have dated to the elder Cato's lifetime. The same man also bore the epithets of ''Sapiens'', the wise, ''Orator'', and most famously, ''Censorius'', from his tenure as censor.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, pp. 636–644 ("Porcius Cato", No. 1). The sons of Cato the Elder each bore the praenomen ''Marcus'', but are distinguished as ''Cato Licinianus'' and ''Cato Salonianus'', after their mothers, Licinia and Salonia. ''Licinianus'' was probably not used during its bearer's lifetime, as he was a grown man when his half-brother was born, and died when Salonianus was a small child. Although each brother left children, these surnames did not descend to them.Gellius, xiii. 20 (ed. Rolfe; in some sources numbered 18 or 19). Cato the Younger, a grandson of Saloninus, obtained the surname ''Uticensis'' from the city of Utica, where he met his death, but Plutarch refers to him as ''Cato Minor'', to distinguish him from his ancestor.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, pp. 645–650 ("Porcius Cato", No. 9).

Members

Porcii Catones

* Marcus Porcius, the grandfather of Censorius, was said to have been a decorated soldier, who was compensated from the Roman treasury for the cost of five horses that had been killed from under him in battle. * Marcus Porcius M. f., the father of Censorius, was described by his son as a brave man and a worthy soldier. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, surnamed ''Censorius'', consul in 195 BC, and censor in 184. As a young man he served in the Second Punic War; as an old man he called for the final destruction of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cl ...

. Throughout his public career, Cato became famous for his austerity and strict moral code. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato Licinianus, the son of Cato the Elder by his first wife, Licinia, served as a young man in the army of Lucius Aemilius Paullus during the

Third Macedonian War The Third Macedonian War (171–168 BC) was a war fought between the Roman Republic and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC, King Philip V of Macedon died and was succeeded by his ambitious son Perseus. He was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman f ...

. He afterward married Paullus' daughter, and became a jurist of some eminence. At the time of his death, about 152 BC, he was

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 ...

''designatus''. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato Salonianus, the son of Cato the Elder by second wife, Salonia, was born in 154 BC, when his father was eighty. He embarked on a public career, and obtained the praetorship, but died during his year of office. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, the elder son of Licinianus, was consul 118 BC. He was sent to Africa, perhaps in order to mediate between the heirs of

Micipsa Micipsa ( Numidian: MKWSN; , ; died BC) was the eldest legitimate son of Masinissa, the King of Numidia, a Berber kingdom in North Africa. Micipsa became the King of Numidia in 148 BC. Early life In 151 BC, Masinissa sent Micipsa and his brothe ...

, the king of

Numidia Numidia (Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...

. Cato died while still in Africa. * Gaius Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, the younger son of Licinianus, was consul in 114 BC. He received the province of Macedonia, and suffered a defeat at the hands of the

Scordisci The Scordisci ( el, Σκορδίσκοι) were a Celtic Iron Age cultural group centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morava) and Danube rivers. They were historically n ...

. He was later fined for extortion in his government of the province. During the

Jugurthine War The Jugurthine War ( la, Bellum Iugurthinum; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and king Jugurtha of Numidia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopte ...

, he allowed himself to be bribed by

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (Libyco-Berber ''Yugurten'' or '' Yugarten'', c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Jugurtha and his two adoptive brothers, Hiempsal and Ad ...

, and went into exile at

Tarraco Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). It was the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. It became the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior during the period of the Roman Republi ...

rather than face condemnation. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, the son of Salonianus, was tribune of the plebs. He married Livia, and was the father of Cato the Younger. He died while a candidate for the praetorship. * Lucius Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, the son of Salonianus, was consul in 89 BC. He was one of the Roman commanders during the Social War, and defeated the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rough ...

in 90, but during his consulship he was slain toward the end of a skirmish with the

Marsi The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsic ...

near the Fucine lake. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, grandson of Licinianus, served as

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 ...

, then praetor. He obtained the province of Gallia Narbonensis, and died during his year of office. * Gaius Porcius Cato, perhaps a descendant of Cato Licinianus, was tribune of the plebs in 56 BC. Earlier in his career, he was sharply critical of the triumvir

Pompeius Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

, but he later became one of his supporters. Accused of violating proper procedures in bringing forward various laws, he was acquitted due to Pompeius' influence. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, better known as Cato the Younger, praetor in 54 BC, famed as an arch-conservative, for his austerity and strict morality, echoing that of his ancestor, Cato the Elder, was one of the leading opponents of

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 ...

. He took his own life at Utica, rather than allowing the city to fall into Caesar's hands while under his command, from which deed he obtained the surname ''Uticensis''. * Porcia M. f. M. n., sister of Cato the Younger, married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul in 54 BC. Her husband was slain at

Pharsalus ''Pharsalus''Melichar L (1906) ''Monographie der Issiden. (Homoptera). Abhandlungen der K. K. Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien.'' Wien 3: 1-327 21 is the type genus of planthoppers in the subfamily Pharsalinae (family Ricaniidae) ...

in 48, and Porcia died late in 46 or early in 45. At her funeral, she was eulogized 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 esta ...

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 ...

. * Porcia M. f. M. n., eldest daughter of Cato the Younger, married first

Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus (c. 102 – 48 BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was a plodding conservative and upholder of the established social order who served in several magisterial positions alongside Julius Caesar and conceived a ...

, and second

Marcus Junius 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 ...

. After the murder of Caesar and the flight of her husband, the triumvirs allowed her to remain at Rome, but when she learned of Brutus' death at the Battle of Philippi, she took her own life. * Marcus Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, eldest son of Cato the Younger, was at Utica when his father died, but was spared by Caesar. After Caesar's death, Cato joined the party of his brother-in-law, Brutus. Unlike his father, he was outgoing, and a daring soldier. He fell in battle at

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colo ...

in 42 BC. * Porcius M. f. M. n. Cato, the second son of Cato the Younger, was sent to his father's friend, Munatius, 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 Sawano ...

, when his father fled Rome with

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

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 policie ...

.Plutarch, "The Life of Cato the Younger", 52. * Porcia M. f. M. n., the second daughter of Cato the Younger, remained with her mother at Rome when her father fled with Pompeius during the Civil War. * Marcus Porcius Cato, consul ''suffectus ex Kal. Jul.'' in AD 36. * Porcia, daughter of the consul of 36.

Porcii Licini

* Lucius Porcius M. f. Licinus, praetor in 207 BC, 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 ...

. He was assigned the province of

Cisalpine Gaul Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts (Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was c ...

, and helped bring about the defeat of Hasdrubal at the

Battle of the Metaurus The Battle of the Metaurus was a pivotal battle in the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, fought in 207 BC near the Metauro River in Italy. The Carthaginians were led by Hasdrubal Barca, brother of Hannibal, who was to have brought sieg ...

. * Lucius Porcius L. f. M. n. Licinus, consul in 184 BC, carried on war against the Ligurians. During his year of office, he introduced a law that came to be known as the lex Porcia. * Lucius Porcius L. f. L. n. Licinus, duumvir in 181 BC, dedicated the temple of

Venus Erycina Venus (), , is a Roman goddess, whose functions encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and f ...

, which his father had vowed during the Ligurian War. In 172, Licinus was appointed to bring a fleet of ships from Rome to Brundisium, in preparation to carry an army to fight against

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus ( /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek: Περσεύς, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

. * Lucius Porcius Licinus, issued coins depicting

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atm ...

as a spearman, driving a chariot. From the legend, the design is supposed to have been minted in 92 BC, but Eckhel suggests that it was issued earlier. * Porcius Licinus, a poet who probably lived in the latter part of the second century BC. Only one epigram and two fragments of verse in

trochaic septenarius In ancient Greek and Latin literature, the trochaic septenarius or trochaic tetrameter catalectic is one of two major forms of poetic metre based on the trochee as its dominant rhythmic unit, the other being much rarer trochaic octonarius. It is u ...

survive from his body of work.

Porcii Laecae

Publius Porcius Laeca Publius Porcius Laeca was the name of several Romans in the Republican era, including: Publius Porcius Laeca (tribune 199 BC) P. Porcius Laeca was tribune of the ''plebs'' in 199 BC, when he prevented Lucius Manlius Acidinus from entering Rome ...

tribune of the plebs in 199 BC, he proposed of the lex Porcia of that year. In 196, he was one of the first of the '' triumviri epulones''. The following year he was praetor, and was stationed near

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the c ...

e in order to assist the consul Lucius Valerius Flaccus against the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

and

Ligurians The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named. Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regi ...

. * Publius Porcius P. f. Laeca, a senator ''circa'' 165 BC. * Marcus Porcius Laeca, ''

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 respon ...

'' in 125 BC; his coins feature Libertas, a reference to the ''Lex Porcia'' passed by Publius Porcius Laeca, the tribune of 199. * Publius Porcius Laeca, ''triumvir monetalis'' about 110 or 109 BC; his coins refer to the ''Lex de Porcia capita civium'', which extended the right of ''Provocatio'' to Roman citizens in the provinces. He was possibly a tribune of the plebs during the early years of the first century BC.Crawford, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', pp. 313, 314. * Marcus Porcius Laeca, a

senator 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 e ...

, and one of the leaders of the conspiracy of Catiline. The conspirators met at his house in November of 63 BC.

Others

* Marcus Porcius Latro, a celebrated rhetorician during the reign of Augustus. * Porcius Festus,

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sout ...

from approximately AD 58 to 62. He attempted to bring the highwaymen under control, and it is said that gave witness on behalf of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

.''Acts of the Apostles'', xxiv. 27, xxv, xxvi. * Porcius Septimius, procurator of

Raetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with T ...

under the emperor

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius (; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius was proclaimed emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of c ...

Footnotes

References

Citations

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 Officiis ''De Officiis'' (''On Duties'' or ''On Obligations'') is a political and ethical treatise by the Roman orator, philosopher, and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero written in 44 BC. The treatise is divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds ...

'', ''

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 oth ...

'', ''

Epistulae ad Quintum Fratrem ''Epistulae ad Quintum Fratrem'' (''Letters to brother Quintus'') is a collection of letters from Roman politician and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero to his younger brother Quintus. The letters in this collection, when combined with Cicero's other ...

'', ''

In Catilinam The Catilinarian Orations (; also simply the ''Catilinarians'') are a set of speeches to the Roman Senate given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of the year's consuls, accusing a senator, Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline), of leading a ...

'', ''Pro Balbo'', ''Pro Sulla''. *

Gaius Julius 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, and ...

(attributed), ''De Bello Africo'' (On the African War). * Gaius Sallustius Crispus (

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan ...

), ''Bellum Catilinae'' (The Conspiracy of Catiline). * 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 ...

), ''

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 ...

''. * Publius Ovidius Naso (

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the t ...

), ''

Fasti 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 ...

''. *

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, ''

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen of the Roman ...

''. *

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). * Quintus Asconius Pedianus, ''Commentarius in Oratio Ciceronis Pro Scauro'' (Commentary on Cicero's Oration ''Pro Scauro''). * Sextus Julius Frontinus, ''Strategemata'' (Stratagems). *

Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...

, '' Antiquitates Judaïcae'' (Antiquities of the Jews), '' Bellum Judaïcum'' (The Jewish War). *

Marcus Valerius Martialis Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...

(

Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...

), ''Epigrammata'' (Epigrams). *

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 ...

''. *

us, ''

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 ...

'', ''

Moralia The ''Moralia'' ( grc, Ἠθικά ''Ethika''; loosely translated as "Morals" or "Matters relating to customs and mores") is a group of manuscripts dating from the 10th–13th centuries, traditionally ascribed to the 1st-century Greek scholar Plu ...

''. *

Lucius Annaeus Florus Three main sets of works are attributed to Florus (a Roman cognomen): ''Virgilius orator an poeta'', an Epitome of Roman History and a collection of 14 short poems (66 lines in all). As to whether these were composed by the same person, or set of ...

, ''Epitome de T. Livio Bellorum Omnium Annorum DCC'' (Epitome of Livy: All the Wars of Seven Hundred Years). *

Polyaenus Polyaenus or Polyenus ( ; see ae (æ) vs. e; grc-gre, Πoλύαινoς, Polyainos, "much-praised") was a 2nd-century CE Greek author, known best for his ''Stratagems in War'' ( grc-gre, Στρατηγήματα, Strategemata), which has been pr ...

, ''Strategemata'' (Stratagems). * Appianus Alexandrinus (

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, H ...

), ''Bellum Civile'' (The Civil War). * Marcus Junianus Justinus Frontinus (

Justin Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Ro ...

), ''Epitome de Cn. Pompeio Trogo Historiarum Philippicarum et Totius Mundi Originum et Terrae Situs'' (Epitome of Trogus' ''Philippic History and Origin of the Whole World and all of its Lands''). *

Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius (c. 125after 180 AD) was a Roman author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome. He is famous for his ''Attic Nights'', a commonplace book, or ...

, ''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''. *

Paulus Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in '' Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), ...

, ''Historiarum Adversum Paganos'' (History Against the Pagans). * ''Digesta seu Pandectae'' ( The Digest). * Pieter Burmann, '' Anthologia Latina'' (Latin Anthology), ed. Wernsdorf, (1759–1778). *

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). * Wilhelm Drumann, ''Geschichte Roms in seinem Übergang von der republikanischen zur monarchischen Verfassung, oder: Pompeius, Caesar, Cicero und ihre Zeitgenossen'', Königsberg (1834–1844). * ''

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). * Wilhelm Dittenberger, ''Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum'' (Collection of Greek Inscriptions, abbreviated ''SIG''), Leipzig (1883). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952–1986). *

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 ...

, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', Cambridge University Press (1974, 2001). * Gian Biagio Conte, ''Latin Literature: a History'', Johns Hopkins University Press (1994). {{Refend Roman gentes

Origin

Praenomina

Branches and cognomina

Members

Porcii Catones

Porcii Licini

Porcii Laecae

Others

See also

Footnotes

References

Citations

Bibliography