The gens Fulcinia 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 ...

. The first of this name to appear in history is

Gaius Fulcinius Gaius Fulcinius (died 437 BC) was a Roman emissary dispatched to the colony of Fidenae. His murder led to the resumption of war against Veii, and the eventual capture of Fidenae. Biography By the second half of the 5th century BC, the former Roman ...

, one of the ambassadors to Fidenae in 438 BC. After this, no Fulcinius is mentioned until the time of

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 ...

. Several Fulcinii are known from the first century BC, although it is not clear whether or how they were related to the ambassador.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, pp. 186, 187 ("Fulcinia Gens").

Origin

The nomen ''Fulcinius'' belongs to a class of gentilicia formed from

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 ...

ending in the diminutive suffix '. The root, ''Fulcina'', seems to be related to the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''fulcire'', "to support", "maintain", or "prop up".

Praenomina

The chief praenomina of the Fulcinii were ''

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 ...

'', ''

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� ...

'', and '' Lucius'', all of which were amongst the most common names throughout Roman history.

Members

, one of the four ambassadors sent to Fidenae in 438 BC to learn the reasons for that city's revolt. Lars Tolumnius, the king of

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

, who had encouraged the revolt, advised the Fidenates to put the ambassadors to death. Fulcinius and his colleagues were subsequently honoured with statues on the Rostra. * Marcus Fulcinius, a native of Tarquinii in

Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...

, was a successful banker at Rome, whom Cicero described as eminently respectable.Cicero, ''Pro Caecina'' 4, 6. * Marcus Fulcinius M. f., son of the banker Marcus, died young. * Marcus Fulcinius, a freedman of the banker Marcus Fulcinius. * Lucius Fulcinius, a

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 ...

serving under Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus in

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

in 148 BC, is named on Macedonian coins. * Gaius Fulcinius, the father of Lucius, who charged Marcus Saufeius with murder. * Lucius Fulcinius C. f., brought a charge of murder against Marcus Saufeius in BC 52.Asconius Pedianus, ''In Ciceronis Pro Milone'', p. 54. * Lucius Fulcinius Trio,

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 AD 31, and an ally of

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 ...

, whose downfall occurred that year. An infamous '' delator'', he had accused Lucius Scribonius Libo, the consul of AD 16, and in 20 accused Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso of having poisoned

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

. For a time, Fulcinius avoided the fate of Sejanus by prosecuting his accomplices, but in AD 35 he was likewise accused and imprisoned, escaping condemnation by taking his own life. Fulcinius' will excoriated

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 ...

, Macro, and several of the emperor's freedmen.Cassius Dio, lviii. 9, 25. * Marcus Fulcinius, the father of Gaius Fulcinius, a magistrate of

Cartenna Cartennae or Cartenna.. was an ancient Berber, Carthaginian, and Roman port at present-day Ténès, Algeria. Under the Romans, it was part of the province of Mauretania Caesariensis. Name Cartenna's name was variously recorded by the Gree ...

, was perhaps the first to migrate to

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

.Ferguson, ''Africa in Classical Antiquity'', p. 211. * Gaius Fulcinius M. f. Quirinius Optatus, a magistrate of Cartenna, and flamen of the imperial cult, played a role in the defense of the city during the second century. * Gaius Fulcinius C. f. M. n. Optatus, the son of Quirinius Optatus, was a member of the equestrian order sometime between AD 120 and 150. * Gaius Fulcinius C. f. C. n. Fabius Maximus Optatus, son of the eques Optatus, and grandson of Quirinius, was a Roman senator, and governor of

Hispania Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic ...

in the late second century.

References

{{reflist

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 estab ...

, '' Philippicae'', ''

Pro Caecina The ''Pro Caecina'' is a public speech made by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of his friend Aulus Caecina sometime between 71 BC and 69 BC. The speech was delivered in the third hearing of a lawsuit where Caecina averred that he had been unlawfu ...

''. * Titus Livius (

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 ...

), ''

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 ...

''. *

Quintus Asconius Pedianus Quintus Asconius Pedianus (BC 9 - AD 76) was a Roman historian. There is no evidence that Asconius engaged in a public career, but he was familiar both with Roman government of his time and with the geography of the city. He may, therefore, have w ...

, ''Commentarius in Oratio Ciceronis Pro Milone'' (Commentary on Cicero's Oration ''Pro Milone''). * Publius Cornelius Tacitus, '' Annales''. * 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''. * Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, ''Doctrina Numorum Veterum'' (The Study of Ancient Coins, 1792–1798). * ''

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 ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII, pp. 103–184 (1897). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952–1986). * John C. Traupman, ''The New College Latin & English Dictionary'', Bantam Books, New York (1995). * John Ferguson, ''Africa in Classical Antiquity: Nine Studies'', University of Michigan (1969). Roman gentes

Origin

Praenomina

Members

See also

References

Bibliography