The gens Servilia was a
patrician family at
ancient Rome. The
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 ...
was celebrated during the early ages 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 ...
, and the names of few gentes appear more frequently at this period in the
consular Fasti. It continued to produce men of influence in the state down to the latest times of the Republic, and even in the
imperial period. The first member of the gens who obtained the
consulship was
Publius Servilius Priscus Structus in 495 BC, and the last of the name who appears in the consular Fasti is Quintus Servilius Silanus, in AD 189, thus occupying a prominent position in the Roman state for nearly seven hundred years.
Like other Roman gentes, the Servilii of course had their own
sacra; and they are said to have worshipped a ''triens'', or copper coin, which is reported to have increased or diminished in size at various times, thus indicating the increase or diminution of the honors of the gens. Although the Servilii were originally patricians, in the later Republic 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 ...
Servilii.
[''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. III, p. 793 (" Servilia Gens").]['' Fasti Capitolini'', ; 1904, 114; ; 1940, 59, 60.]
Origin
According to tradition, the Servilia gens was one of the
Alban houses removed to Rome by
Tullus Hostilius, and enrolled by him among the patricians. It was, consequently, one of the ''gentes minores''. The
nomen ''Servilius'' is a patronymic surname, derived from 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 ...
''
Servius'' (meaning "one who keeps safe" or "preserves"), which must have been borne by the ancestor of the gens.
Praenomina
The different branches of the Servilii each used slightly different sets of
praenomina. The oldest stirpes used the praenomina ''
Publius,
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 ...
,
Spurius
Spurius is a small genus of passalid beetles from Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatema ...
'', and ''
Gaius''. The Servilii Caepiones used primarily ''
Gnaeus'' and ''Quintus''. The Servilii Gemini employed ''Gnaeus, Quintus, Publius, Gaius'', and ''
Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
''. The ancestors of the gens must have used the praenomen ''Servius'', but the family no longer used it in historical times.
Branches and cognomina
The Servilii were divided into numerous families; of these the names in the Republican period are ''Ahala, Axilla, Caepio, Casca, Geminus, Glaucia, Globulus, Priscus'' (with the agnomen ''Fidenas''), ''Rullus, Structus, Tucca'', and ''Vatia'' (with the agnomen ''Isauricus''). The Structi, Prisci, Ahalae, and Caepiones were patricians; the Gemini originally patrician, and later plebeian; the Vatiae and Cascae plebeians. Other
cognomina appear under the Empire. The only surnames found on coins are those of ''Ahala, Caepio, Casca'', and ''Rullus''.
The cognomen ''Structus'' almost always occurs in connection with those of ''Priscus'' or ''Ahala''. The only two Structi who are mentioned with this cognomen are Spurius Servilius Structus, who was
consular tribune in 368 BC, and Spurius Servilius Structus, consul in 476 BC. The fact that ''Structus'' appears in two of the oldest stirpes of the Servilii, neither of which clearly predates the other, could indicate that persons bearing this surname were ancestral to both great houses.
The Prisci ("antique") were an ancient family of the Servilia gens, and filled the highest offices of the state during the early years of the Republic. They also bore the agnomen of ''Structus'', which is always appended to their name in the Fasti, till it was supplanted by that of ''Fidenas'', which was first obtained by Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus, who took
Fidenae in his
dictatorship, in 435 BC, and which was also borne by his descendants.
''Ahala'', of which ''Axilla'' is merely another form, is a diminutive of ''ala'', a wing. A popular legend related that the name was first given to
Gaius Servilius,
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 439 BC, because he hid the knife with which he slew
Spurius Maelius in his armpit (also ''ala''). However, this does not appear to be the case, since the name had been in use by the family for at least a generation before that event.
The surnames ''Caepio'' and ''Geminus'' appear almost simultaneously in the middle of the third century BC, with the consuls of 253 and 252. Each was the grandson of a Gnaeus Servilius, suggesting that the two cognomina belonged to two branches of the same family. ''Caepio'', an onion, belongs to a large class of surnames derived from ordinary objects, while ''Geminus'' originally denoted a twin, and was typically given to the younger of two brothers. In a discussion concerning appearances,
Cicero mentions a certain Quintus Servilius Geminus, who was frequently mistaken for his brother, Publius, the consul of 252 BC. The Servilii Vatiae ("cross-legged") seem to be descended from the Gemini.
Members
Servilii Prisci et Structi
*
Publius Servilius Priscus Structus, consul in 495 BC, defeated the
Sabines and the
Aurunci.
* Quintus Servilius (Priscus Structus),
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 494 BC.
*
Spurius (or Gaius) Servilius (P. f.?) Structus, consul in 476 BC, repulsed in his attempt to retake the
Janiculum from the
Etruscans.
*
Quintus Servilius (Structus?) Priscus, consul in 468 and 466 BC.
*
Publius Servilius Sp. f. P. n. Priscus, consul in 463 BC, was carried off in his consulship by the great plague which raged at Rome in this year.
*
Quintus Servilius P. f. Sp. n. Priscus, dictator in 435 and 418 BC, captured the town of
Fidenae, thereby obtaining the surname ''Fidenas''.
*
Quintus Servilius Q. f. P. n. Fidenas,
consular tribune in 402, 398, 395, 390, 388, and 386 BC.
* Quintus Servilius Q. f. Q. n. Fidenas, consular tribune in 382, 378, and 369 BC.
* Spurius Servilius Priscus, censor in 378 BC.
* Gaius Servilius Structus, grandfather of the consular tribune in 368 BC.
* Gaius Servilius C. f. Structus, father of the consular tribune in 368 BC.
* Spurius Servilius C. f. C. n. Structus, consular tribune in 368 BC.
Servilii Ahalae
* Gaius Servilius Structus Ahala, consul in 478 BC, died in his year of office.
*
Gaius Servilius Ahala, allegedly ''magister equitum'' in 439 BC, slew
Spurius Maelius.
* Quintus Servilius C. f. Ahala, father of Gaius Servilius Axilla, consular tribune from 419 to 417 BC.
*
Gaius Servilius Q. f. C. n. Axilla, consul in 427 BC, consular tribune in 419, 418 and 417 BC, and magister equitum in 418.
* Publius Servilius Q. f. (C. n.) Ahala, father of Gaius, the magister equitum of 408 BC.
*
Gaius Servilius P. f. Q. n. Ahala, consular tribune in 408, 407, and 402 BC, and magister equitum in 408.
*
Gaius Servilius Ahala, magister equitum in 389 and 385 BC.
* Quintus Servilius Q. f. Ahala, father of Quintus Servilius Ahala, the consul of 365 BC.
*
Quintus Servilius Q. f. Q. n. Ahala, consul in 365 and 362 BC, and dictator in 360.
* Quintus Servilius Q. f. Q. n. Ahala, ''magister equitum'' in 351 and consul in 342 BC.
Servilii Caepiones
* Gnaeus Servilius, grandfather of the consul of 253 BC.
* Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f., father of the consul of 253 BC.
*
Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 253 BC, during the
First Punic War
The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...
, sailed to the coast of Africa with his colleague,
Gaius Sempronius Blaesus.
* Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, father of the consul of 203 BC.
*
Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 203 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 ...
.
*
Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 169 BC.
*
Quintus Fabius Q. f. Q. n. Maximus Servilianus, son of Gnaeus Servilius Caepio, the consul of 169 BC, and brother of Gnaeus, consul in 141, and Quintus, consul in 140, was adopted by
Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus. He was consul in 142 BC.
* Gnaeus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 141 and censor in 125 BC.
*
Servilia, wife of
Quintus Lutatius Catulus.
*
Servilia, wife of
Marcus Livius Drusus.
*
Quintus Servilius Cn. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 140 BC, during the
Lusitanian War.
*
Quintus Servilius Q. f. Cn. n. Caepio, consul in 106 BC, during the
Cimbrian War. His army was annihilated at the
Battle of Arausio
The Battle of Arausio took place on 6 October 105 BC, at a site between the town of Arausio (now Orange, Vaucluse), and the Rhône River. Ranged against the migratory tribes of the Cimbri under Boiorix and the Teutoni under Teutobod were two ...
in 105.
* Gnaeus Servilius Caepio, quaestor around 105 BC, may have been the father of Servilia, the wife of
Appius Claudius Pulcher, who died in a shipwreck while still young.
*
Quintus Servilius (Q. f. Q. n.) Caepio, quaestor ''urbanus'' in 103 BC, was killed in an ambush at
Asculum in
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...
, at the beginning of the
Social War.
*
Servilia Q. f. Q. n., mistress of
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 ...
and mother of
Marcus Brutus, the tyrannicide.
*
Servilia Q. f. Q. n., married
Lucullus, the conqueror of
Mithridates
Mithridates or Mithradates ( Old Persian 𐎷𐎡𐎰𐎼𐎭𐎠𐎫 ''Miθradāta'') is the Hellenistic form of an Iranian theophoric name, meaning "given by the Mithra". Its Modern Persian form is Mehrdad. It may refer to:
Rulers
*Of Cius (al ...
.
*
Quintus Servilius Caepio Quintus Servilius Caepio may refer to:
* Quintus Servilius Caepio (consul 140 BC)
* Quintus Servilius Caepio (consul 106 BC)
* Quintus Servilius Caepio (quaestor 103 BC)
* Quintus Servilius Caepio (adoptive father of Brutus)
* Quintus Servilius ...
, adoptive father of
Brutus. He probably married a daughter of the orator
Hortensius.
* Servilius Caepio,
military tribune during the
war against Spartacus
The Third Servile War, also called the Gladiator War and the War of Spartacus by Plutarch, was the last in a series of slave rebellions against the Roman Republic known as the Servile Wars. This third rebellion was the only one that directly ...
, in 72 BC.
*
Servilius Caepio, a supporter of
Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, 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 Caes ...
, to whose daughter,
Julia, he was once betrothed.
*
Quintus Servilius Q. f. Caepio Brutus, the name taken by Marcus Junius Brutus, the tyrannicide, when he was adopted by his uncle, the military tribune of 72 BC.
Servilii Gemini
* Gnaeus Servilius, grandfather of Publius Servilius Geminus, the consul of 252 and 248 BC. Possibly the same Gnaeus Servilius who was the ancestor of the Caepiones.
* Quintus Servilius Cn. f., father of Quintus and Publius Servilius Geminus.
*
Publius Servilius Q. f. Cn. n. Geminus, consul in 252 and 248 BC, during the
First Punic War
The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...
.
* Quintus Servilius Q. f. Cn. n. Geminus, twin brother of the consul Publius Servilius Geminus.
*
Gnaeus Servilius P. f. Q. n. Geminus, consul in 217 BC, slain at the
Battle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae () was a key engagement of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Carthage, fought on 2 August 216 BC near the ancient village of Cannae in Apulia, southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and their allies, led by ...
in 216.
*
Gaius Servilius P. f. (Geminus), praetor before 218 BC, taken prisoner by the
Boii that year. Either he or his sons went over to the plebeians.
*
Gaius Servilius C. f. P. n. (Geminus), consul in 203 and dictator in 202 BC, and later
pontifex maximus.
*
Marcus Servilius C. f. P. n. Pulex Geminus, consul in 202 BC.
*
Marcus Servilius M. f. (Geminus), consul in AD 3.
Servilii Vatiae
* Marcus Servilius, grandfather of the consul of 79 BC.
*
Gaius Servilius M. f. Vatia, father of the consul of 79 BC.
*
Publius Servilius C. f. M. n. Vatia, surnamed ''Isauricus'', consul in 79 and censor in 55 BC, triumphed over the
Isauri.
*
Publius Servilius P. f. C. n. Isauricus, consul in 48 and 41 BC.
*
Servilia P. f. P. n., betrothed to
Octavian until the formation of the
second triumvirate
The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created for Mark Antony, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November 43 BC with a ...
in 43 BC.
Servilii Rulli
* Publius Servilius M. f. Rullus, ''
triumvir monetalis'' in 100 BC.
*
Publius Servilius P. f. M. n. Rullus, tribune of the plebs in 63 BC, proposed an
agrarian law
Agrarian laws (from the Latin ''ager'', meaning "land") were laws among the Romans regulating the division of the public lands, or ''ager publicus''. In its broader definition, it can also refer to the agricultural laws relating to peasants and hu ...
.
*
Publius Servilius (P. f. P. n.) Rullus, one of the generals of
Octavian against
Mark Antony after the
Perusinian War, in 40 BC.
Others
* Gaius Servilius Tucca, consul in 284 BC.
* Gaius Servilius Casca,
tribune of the plebs in 212 BC, failed to intervene on behalf of his relative,
Marcus Postumius Pyrgensis Marcus Postumius, surnamed Pyrgensis, is described by Livius as a "farmer of the taxes" during the Second Punic War, whose character for avarice and fraud were equaled only by Titus Pomponius Veientanus.
During this period, when Rome and her allie ...
. The authenticity of his cognomen has been doubted.
*
Gaius Servilius Glaucia
Gaius Servilius Glaucia (died late 100 BC) was a Roman politician who served as praetor in 100 BC. He is most well known for being an illegal candidate for the consulship of 99 BC. He was killed during riots and political violence i ...
, praetor in 100 BC, a supporter of
Lucius Appuleius Saturninus
Lucius Appuleius Saturninus (died late 100 BC) was a Roman populist and tribune. He is most notable for introducing a series of legislative reforms, alongside his associate Gaius Servilius Glaucia and with the consent of Gaius Marius, during the l ...
, with whom he perished.
* Quintus Servilius, praetor in 90 BC, was slain by the inhabitants of
Asculum on the outbreak of the
Social War.
* Servilius, praetor in 88 BC, tried to dissuade
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 ...
from marching onto
Rome, only to be mistreated by Sulla's soldiers.
* Publius Servilius, an ''eques, magister'' of one of the companies that farmed the taxes in
Sicilia during the administration of
Verres.
*
Publius Servilius Globulus
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
* ...
, tribune of the plebs in 67 BC, and propraetor of
Asia in 63.
* Gaius Servilius, a Roman citizen in Sicilia, publicly scourged by Verres.
* Marcus Servilius, accused of ''repetundae'' in 51 BC.
* Marcus Servilius, tribune of the plebs in 44 BC, praised by
Cicero as a ''vir fortissimus''.
*
Publius Servilius Casca Longus
Publius Servilius Casca Longus (died c. 42 BC) was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. He and several other senators conspired to kill him, a plan which they carried out on 15 March, 44 BC. Afterwards, Casca fought with the liberators du ...
, one of Caesar's assassins, died shortly after the
Battle of Philippi, in 42 BC.
* (Servilius) Casca, brother of Publius Longus, and like him a conspirator against Caesar.
*
Marcus Servilius Nonianus
Marcus Servilius Nonianus (died in 59AD) was a Roman senator, best known as a historian. He was ordinary consul in 35 as the colleague of Gaius Cestius Gallus. Tacitus described Servilius Nonianus as a man of great eloquence and good-nature.Tac ...
, consul in AD 35, and one of the most celebrated orators and historians of his time.
*
Servilius Damocrates, a physician at Rome during the first century.
*
Servilia, daughter of
Barea Soranus, accused and condemned with her father in AD 66.
*
Quintus Servilius Pudens, consul in AD 166.
* Marcus Servilius Silanus, consul in AD 188.
* Quintus Servilius Silanus, consul in AD 189.
Descent of the Servilii of the late Republic
This family tree depicts the Servilii Caepiones, Gemini, and Vatiae, from the third century BC to their known descendants in imperial times, extending down to the family of the emperor
Galba
Galba (; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was the sixth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 68 to 69. After his adoption by his stepmother, and before becoming emperor, he was known as Livius Ocella Sulpicius Ga ...
. The chart is based on one by
Friedrich Münzer.
[''Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft'', "Servilius", p. 1778.]
See also
*
List of Roman gentes
*
Tomb of Servilia
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
Marcus Tullius Cicero, ''Academica Priora'', ''
De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum'', ''
Epistulae ad Atticum'', ''
Epistulae ad Familiares'', ''
In Verrem'', ''
Philippicae'', ''Pro Fonteio''.
*
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).
*
Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς,
; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...
, ''Romaike Archaiologia'' (Roman Antiquities).
* Titus Livius (
Livy), ''
History of Rome''.
*
Marcus Velleius Paterculus, ''Compendium of Roman History''.
*
Valerius Maximus, ''
Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium'' (Memorable Facts and Sayings).
* Gaius Plinius Secundus (
Pliny the Elder), ''
Historia Naturalis'' (Natural History).
*
Sextus Julius Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube ...
, ''
De Aquaeductu'' (On Aqueducts).
*
Plutarchus, ''
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans''.
*
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire.
His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...
, ''
De Vita Caesarum
''De vita Caesarum'' ( Latin; "About the Life of the Caesars"), commonly known as ''The Twelve Caesars'', is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. The ...
'' (Lives of the Caesars, or The Twelve Caesars).
* Appianus Alexandrinus (
Appian), ''Bellum Civile'' (The Civil War).
*
Cassius Dio, ''Roman History''.
* Aelius Lampridius, Aelius Spartianus, Flavius Vopiscus, Julius Capitolinus, Trebellius Pollio, and Vulcatius Gallicanus, ''
Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...
'' (Augustan History).
*
Paulus Orosius, ''Historiarum Adversum Paganos'' (History Against the Pagans).
*
Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, ''Doctrina Numorum Veterum'' (The Study of Ancient Coins, 1792–1798).
* ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'',
William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849).
* René Cagnat ''et alii'', ''
L'Année épigraphique'' (The Year in Epigraphy, abbreviated ''AE''), Presses Universitaires de France (1888–present).
*
* George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII, pp. 103–184 (1897).
*
* Michael Crawford, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', Cambridge University Press (1974).
{{Refend
Alba Longa
Roman gentes