The gens Quinctilia, also written Quintilia, was a patrician 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 ...

, dating from the earliest period of Roman history, and continuing well into imperial times. Despite its great antiquity, 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 ...

never attained much historical importance. The only member who obtained the consulship under 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 ...

was Sextus Quinctilius in 453 BC. The gens produced numerous

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 ...

s and other magistrates, but did not obtain the consulship again for over four hundred years.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. III, p. 634 (" Quintilia, or Quinctilia Gens").

Origin

The nomen Quinctilius is a patronymic surname, based on 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 ...

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 ...

'', meaning "fifth". ''Quinctilius'' is the correct orthography, but ''Quintilius'' is also quite common. The gens Quinctia is derived from the same praenomen. It was not unusual for multiple nomina to be derived from a common source; the Sabine name ''Pompo'' is the

Oscan Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian. Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including th ...

equivalent of ''Quintus'', and gave rise to the gentes Pompilia and Pomponia. According to legend, the Quinctilii predated the founding of Rome. When the brothers

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...

had restored their grandfather, Numitor, to the throne of

Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it was d ...

, they set out to establish a new city in the hills overlooking the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

. They offered up sacrifices in the cave of the

Lupercal The Lupercal (from Latin '' lupa'' "female wolf") was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In the legend of the founding of Rome, Romu ...

at the base of the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

, which rite became the origin of the religious festival of the

Lupercalia Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments called ''februa'', the b ...

. The followers of Romulus were called the ''Quinctilii'' or ''Quinctiliani'', while those of Remus were the ''Fabii'' or ''Fabiani''. In historic times, the two colleges of priests, known as ''Luperci'', who carried out the sacred rituals of the Lupercalia, were known by these names, suggesting that in the earliest times, the gentes Quinctilia and Fabia superintended these rites as a ''sacrum gentilicium''. Another example of such responsibilities concerned the Pinarii and the Potitii, who maintained the worship of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

. Such sacred rites were gradually transferred to the state, or opened to the Roman ''populus;'' a well-known legend attributed the destruction of the Potitii to the abandonment of their religious office. In later times, the privilege of the Lupercalia had ceased to be confined to the Fabii and the Quinctilii.

Praenomina

The principal names used by the Quinctilii were '' Publius'' and ''

Sextus Sextus is an ancient Roman '' praenomen'' or "first name". Its standard abbreviation is Sex., and the feminine form would be Sexta. It is one of the numeral ''praenomina'', like Quintus ("fifth") and Decimus ("tenth"), and means "sixth". Althoug ...

''. A few of the Quinctilii bore the praenomina '' Lucius, Marcus'', and ''

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

''. Although the name must have been used by one of their ancestors, none of the Quinctilii known to history were named ''Quintus''.

Branches and cognomina

The only family-name of the Quinctilii under the

is ''Varus'', a common surname meaning "bent, crooked," or "knock-kneed." 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 in imperial times.

Members

* Publius Quinctilius, the grandfather of Sextus Quinctilius, the consul of 453 BC. * Sextus Quinctilius P. f. Varus, father of Sextus, the consul of 453 BC. * Sextus Quinctilius Sex. f. P. n.,

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 throug ...

in 453 BC, died in the pestilence of that year.'' Fasti Capitolini''.

Quinctilii Vari

* Lucius Quinctilius, grandfather of Marcus Quinctilius Varus, the consular tribune. * Lucius Quinctilius L. f., father of the consular tribune Marcus Quinctilius Varus. * Marcus Quinctilius L. f. L. n. Varus,

consular tribune A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called "Conflict of the Or ...

in 403 BC. * Gnaeus Quinctilius, named by

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, 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 traditiona ...

as the

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

of 331 BC; apparently a mistake for Gnaeus Quinctius Capitolinus. * Publius Quinctilius Varus,

in 203 BC, he was assigned to

Ariminum Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminus ...

. Together with Marcus Cornelius Cethegus, 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 ' ...

, he defeated Mago, the brother of

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

, in the territory of the

Insubres The Insubres or Insubri were an ancient Celts, Celtic population settled in Insubria, in what is now the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Lombardy. They were the founders of Mediolanum (Milan). Though completely Gaulish at the time of Roman rep ...

. * Marcus Quinctilius P. f. Varus, distinguished himself in the battle in which his father defeated Mago. * Titus Quinctilius Varus, served in

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

in 185 BC, as the

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, ...

of the praetor

Gaius Calpurnius Piso Gaius Calpurnius Piso may refer to: * Gaius Calpurnius Piso (conspirator) * Gaius Calpurnius Piso (consul 180 BC) * Gaius Calpurnius Piso (consul 67 BC) * Gaius Calpurnius Piso (praetor 211 BC) * Gaius Calpurnius Piso Crassus Frugi Licinianus Gai ...

. * Publius Quinctilius Varus,

Flamen Martialis In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the ''flamines maiores'', the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen flamens. The Flamen M ...

, died in 169 BC. * Publius Quinctilius Varus, praetor in 166 BC. * Publius Quinctilius Varus, mentioned 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 estab ...

in his oration for Quinctius in 81 BC, and again in his oration for Cluentius as one of the witnesses in the trial of Scamander. * Sextus Quinctilius Varus, praetor in 57 BC, favored Cicero's recall from banishment. * Sextus Quinctilius Varus,

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

in 49 BC, and father of Publius Quinctilius Varus, the consul of 13 BC. He was a partisan of

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 ...

, and twice pardoned by

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 ...

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 policies ...

, he later joined Brutus and Cassius, and fell at the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, at P ...

in 42. * Quinctilius Varus, a native of

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

, and an eminent critic; he was a friend of both

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

and

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

, who died in 24 BC. * Publius Quinctilius Sex. f. Varus, consul in 13 BC with

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 future emperor; he was subsequently appointed governor of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, and later of

Germania Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...

. In AD 9, he was defeated and killed by a coalition of Germanic tribes at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, with the loss of three legions. * Quinctilia Sex. f., sister of the consul of 13 BC and wife of Publius Cornelius Dolabella the consul of 35 BC.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'', pp. 315-318 * Quinctilia Sex. f., a sister of Publius Quinctilius Varus, the consul of 13 BC, was the wife of

Sextus Appuleius Sextus Appuleius is the name of four figures during the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. The first Sextus Appuleius was married to Octavia Major, the elder half-sister of Augustus. The three subsequent figures named Sextus Appuleius are respectiv ...

, consul in 29 BC. * Quinctilia Sex. f., another sister of Publius Quinctilius Varus, the consul of 13 BC, was the wife of Lucius Nonius Asprenas, one of the epulones, who was accused of poisoning his guests at a banquet. Two of their sons would hold the consulship late in the reign of Augustus. * Quinctilius P. f. Sex. n. Varus, the son of Publius Quinctilius Varus, consul in 13 BC, was a kinsman of Tiberius, but was accused by

Gnaeus Domitius Afer Gnaeus Domitius Afer (died 59) was a Roman orator and advocate, born at Nemausus ( Nîmes) in Gallia Narbonensis. He flourished in the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. He was suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of September ...

in AD 27. * Quinctilia P. f. Sex. n., daughter of Quinctilius Varus and Plautia Laterana.

Others

* Quintilia, an actress and dancer during the reign of Caligula. She was a lover of the senator Pompedius. * Quinctilius, a gem engraver, of unknown time. Two of his works are extant; one depicts

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

drawn by two sea-horses, cut in beryl; the other is a nude

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

. * Sextus Quinctilius Condianus, consul with his brother, Maximus, in AD 151, both were subsequently put to death by

Commodus Commodus (; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. ...

.Aelius Lampridius, "The Life of Commodus", 4. * Sextus Quinctilius Valerius Maximus, consul with his brother, Condianus, in AD 151. * Sextus Quinctilius Sex. f. Condianus, son of Sextus Quinctilius Maximus, and consul in AD 180; he was governor of Syria when his father and uncle were put to death. Anticipating a similar fate, he faked his death and escaped.Cassius Dio, lxxii. 6.

References

Bibliography

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, '' Philippicae'', ''Post Reditum in Senatu'', ''

Pro Caelio ''Pro Caelio'' is a speech given on 4 April 56 BC, by the famed Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero in defence of Marcus Caelius Rufus, who had once been Cicero's student but more recently was a political rival. Cicero's reasons for defending Cael ...

'', ''

Pro Cluentio ''Pro Cluentio'' is a speech by the Roman orator Cicero given in defense of a man named Aulus Cluentius Habitus Minor. Cluentius, from Larinum in Samnium, was accused in 69 BC by his mother Sassia of having poisoned his stepfather, Statius Abbiu ...

'', ''

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 ...

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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 th ...

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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 ...

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Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium ''Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri IX'' ("nine books of memorable deeds and sayings", also known as ''De factis dictisque memorabilibus'' or ''Facta et dicta memorabilia'') by Valerius Maximus (c. 20 BC – c. AD 50) was written arou ...

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Seneca the Elder Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Elder (; c. 54 BC – c. 39 AD), also known as Seneca the Rhetorician, was a Roman writer, born of a wealthy equestrian family of Corduba, Hispania. He wrote a collection of reminiscences about the Roman schools of rheto ...

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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 his ''P ...

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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''. * Philostratus, ''Lives of the Sophists''. * 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). * Sextus Aurelius Victor (attributed), ''De Origo Gentis Romanae'' (On the Origin of the Roman People). * Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus ( St. Jerome), ''In Chronicon Eusebii'' (The '' Chronicon'' of

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The Digest ''The Digest'', formerly published as ''The English and Empire Digest'', is a digest of case law. It is the "major modern work" of this kind. Its coverage is "wide" but incomplete, and it can be "complicated to use" if the user does not understa ...

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Philipp von Stosch Baron Philipp von Stosch (22 March 1691 – 7 November 1757) was a Prussian antiquarian who lived in Rome and Florence. Life Stosch was born in Küstrin (today Kostrzyn in Poland) in the Neumark region of Brandenburg. In 1709, with the bles ...

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Jonathan Spilsbury Jonathan Spilsbury (1737?–1812) was an English engraver, the brother of John Spilsbury (cartographer), John Spilsbury, with whom he has sometimes been confused, and father of Maria Spilsbury. Works Spilsbury practised chiefly in mezzotint, and ...

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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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