The gens Bellia, also written Billia and Bilia, was an obscure
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 (753–50 ...
. No members of this
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 ...
are mentioned in history, but several are known from inscriptions.
Origin
As the Bellii are not mentioned by ancient writers, there are no traditions relating to the origin of this gens, and the nomen is not listed among the
gentilicia for which Chase was able to ascribe a particular origin; it resembles other gentiles formed using the suffixes , ''-ellius'', and ''-illius'', frequently derived 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 ''-ulus'', but sometimes from words ending in ''-illus'' or ''-ellus''. The root was probably ''bellus'', handsome or beautiful, but the use of surnames such as ''Clemens'' and ''Pacatus'' by some members of this gens suggests that the name was associated with ''bellum'', war. The nomen
Duilius or Duellius was derived from an older form of ''bellum'', and so might be a cognate of ''Bellius''. The nomen ''
Bellienus'' seems to be derived from this gentilicium, which may give a clue to the geographical origin of the family, since the suffix ''-enus'' was common in names from
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 ...
and
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
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, and some of the inscriptions of the Bellii are from
Pisaurum
Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...
in Umbria.
Praenomina
The main
praenomina
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 bir ...
of the Bellii 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� ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', and ''
Numerius''. The first three were very common throughout Roman history, while ''Numerius'' was somewhat more distinctive, and typical of the Roman countryside. The only other regular praenomen found among the Bellii was ''
Lucius
Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...
'', perhaps the most abundant of all Roman names. ''Primus'', given in the filiation of a Roman matron from Gallia Narbonensis, was an archaic praenomen, but in its masculine form it was little used in historical times, except as a surname, or in
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 ...
, where unusual praenomina were fashionable. It could have been the praenomen of the woman's father, but was more probably his surname. ''Suavis'', given in another filiation, is not known as a praenomen, and may also have been the father's surname, but because one of the persons named in the same inscription was either a slave or
freedwoman
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
, it may be that the Suavis referred to had been a slave, or at least was not a Roman citizen, and so did not possess a regular praenomen.
Branches and cognomina
There is no evidence that the Bellii were ever divided into distinct families. They used a variety of personal surnames, some of which belonged to freedmen, and were their original personal names. Other surnames included ''Belliolus'', a diminutive of ''Bellius'', evidently given to a little boy; ''Clemens'', gentle, mild; ''Marcellinus'', a diminutive of ''Marcellus'', probably indicating that an earlier ancestor was named ''Marcellus''; ''Pacatus'', peaceful, calm; ''Plautus'', given to someone with broad or flat feet; and ''Reginus'', indicating someone who came from
Rhegium
Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label=Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popu ...
.
Members
* Bellia, inscribed on some pottery from the present site of
Aventicum
Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches.
The city was probably created ''ex nihilo'' in the early 1st century AD, as the capital of t ...
in
Helvetia
Helvetia () is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially ''Confoederatio Helvetica,'' the Swiss Confederation.
The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss fl ...
.
* Bilia Ɔ. l., a freedwoman named in an inscription from Rome.
* Belia Primi f., the wife of Marcus Vibius Campanus, buried at
Nemausus
Deus Nemausus is often said to have been the Celtic patron god of Nemausus ( Nîmes). The god does not seem to have been worshipped outside this locality. The city certainly derives its name from Nemausus, which was perhaps the sacred wood in whic ...
in
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...
.
* Bellius, set up a monument at
Catalaunum in
Gallia Lugdunensis
Gallia Lugdunensis (French: ''Gaule Lyonnaise'') was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic territory of Gaul formerly known as Celtica. It is named after its capital Lugdunum (today's Lyo ...
; perhaps the same Bellius named in inscriptions from
Durocortorum
Durocortorum was the name of the city Reims during the Roman era. It was the capital of the Remi tribe and the second largest city in Roman Gaul.
Before the Roman conquest of northern Gaul, the city was founded circa 80 BC, served as the cap ...
and
Bagacum
Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bavaisiens'' or ''Bavaisiennes''
Geography
Bav ...
in
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
In 5 ...
.
* Bellius, named in an inscription from
Aquae Grani in
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agrippine ...
.
* Bilius, named in an inscription from
Pompeii in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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, demog ...
.
* Billius, the father of Parthenis, a young woman buried at Rome, with a monument from her father, her husband, Restitutus, and friend, Saturninus, aged twenty-three years, eight months, and fourteen days.
* Bellius Suavi f., the husband of Novia, named in an inscription found near
Schönenberg-Kübelberg
Schönenberg-Kübelberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Oberes Glant ...
, formerly part of
Germania Superior
Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio ...
.
* Lucius Bilius T. f, buried at
Pisaurum
Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...
in
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, ...
, along with his brother, Titus, in a tomb built by Titus' wife, Rutilia Prima, dating to the late second or early third century.
[.]
* Marcus Bilius C. f., named in an inscription from
Atria in
Venetia and 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 ...
.
* Titus Bilius T. f., the husband of Rutilia Prima, was buried at Pisaurum, together with his brother, Lucius, in a tomb built by Rutilia in the late second or early third century.
* Numerius Billius N. l. Amandus, a freedman buried at Rome during the latter half of the first century, aged fifty-eight.
* Bellia Atticia, the daughter of Bellius Atticianus, who dedicated a monument in his memory at the present site of
Anglefort
Anglefort () is a commune in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.
Geography
Anglefort is a commune in Bugey on the right bank of the Rhone at the foot of the mountain of Grand Colombier which has a pan ...
, formerly part of Gallia Lugdunensis.
[.]
* Bellius Atticianus, buried at the present site of Anglefort, aged twenty-five years and six? days, with a monument from his daughter, Bellia Atticia.
* Gaius Bellius C. f. Belliolus, the son of Gaius Bellius Octavius and Firmia Sextiola, buried at
Lugdunum
Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settleme ...
in Gallia Lugdunensis, aged seven years, four months, and four days.
[.]
* Numerius Billius Clemens, dedicated a monument at Rome to his wife, Cusinia Capitolina.
* Marcus Bilius Epictetus, a soldier serving in the century of Gnaeus Pompeius Pelas at Rome in AD 70.
* Marcus Bilius M. l. Eros, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome.
* Bellius Eutyches Sallustius, dedicated a monument to his wife, Sextia Panthia, at
Ostia
Ostia may refer to:
Places
*Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome
*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome
*Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome
Arts and entertainment ...
in
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 ...
.
* Bellia Laetina, built a tomb for herself and her family at the present site of
Borojevici, formerly part of
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stre ...
.
* Marcus Bellius Marcellinus, made a libationary offering to
Jupiter Optimus Maximus
The Capitoline Triad was a group of three deities who were worshipped in ancient Roman religion in an elaborate temple on Rome's Capitoline Hill (Latin ''Capitolium''). It comprised Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The triad held a central place in the ...
and the local god, found at
Obernburg am Main
Obernburg am Main (officially ''Obernburg a.Main'', short version: ''Obernburg,'' ) is a town in the Miltenberg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 8,500.
...
, formerly part of Germania Superior.
* Bellia Nicobule, the wife of Gaius Bellius Fortunatus, and foster-mother of Bellia Trophime, a girl buried at Rome in the second century.
[.]
* Bellia C. f. Octaviola, the daughter of Gaius Bellius Octavius and Firmia Sextiola.
* Gaius Bellius Octavius, the husband of Firmia Sextiola, and father of Gaius Bellius Belliolus and Bellia Octaviola.
* Gaius Billius Pacatus, a native of
Dertona in
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
, one of the soldiers named on the
Tropaeum Trajani, a monument built by
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...
in
Moesia Inferior
Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...
, honouring the Roman servicemen who died fighting the
Dacians
The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often cons ...
in AD 101 and 102.
* Bellius Plautus, named in a libationary inscription dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, found at the present site of
Walheim
Walheim is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany with a considerable viticulture. Besides the village Walheim there are no other places belonging to the municipal area of Walheim.
Geography and climate
Walheim is s ...
, formerly part of Germania Superior.
* Bellius Reginus, buried at the present site of Anglefort, aged twenty, with a monument set up by his heirs.
* Bellia Secundilla, buried at the present site of
Blauzac
Blauzac (; oc, Blausac) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gard department
This is a list of the 351 communes of the Gard department of France.
The communes cooperate in the f ...
, formerly part of Gallia Narbonensis.
* Gaius Bellius Sosius, the husband of Bellia Nicobule, and foster-father of Bellia Trophime, a girl buried at Rome during the second century.
* Marcus Bellius Te
.. named in a libationary inscription dedicated to
Mithras
Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras is linke ...
at
Argentoratum in Germania Superior.
* Bellia Trophime, foster-daughter of Gaius Bellius Sosimus and Bellia Nicobule, buried at Rome during the second century, in a tomb built by her foster parents and Julia Fortunata, aged seven years, ten months, and twenty days.
* Billia T. f. Veneria, named in an inscription from Lugdunum.
[.]
See also
*
List of Roman gentes
The gens (plural gentes) was a Roman family, of Italic or Etruscan origins, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same '' nomen'' and claimed descent from a common ancestor. It was an important social and legal structure in earl ...
References
Bibliography
*
Theodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classics, classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19 ...
''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 thr ...
'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present).
* 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 ...
'' (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).
* La Carte Archéologique de la Gaule (Archaeological Map of Gaul, abbreviated ''CAG''), Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1931–present).
*
Bruna Forlati Tamaro, "Inscrizioni Inedite di Adria" (Unedited Inscriptions from Adria, abbreviated "IIAdria"), in ''Epigraphica'', vol. 18, pp. 50–76 (1956).
* John C. Traupman, ''The New College Latin & English Dictionary'', Bantam Books, New York (1995).
* Radoslav Dodig, "Monuments épigraphiques provenant du Conventus de Narona" (Epigraphic Monuments from the ''Conventus'' of Narona), in ''Izdanja Hrvatskog arheološkog društva'', vol. 22, pp. 233–252 (2003).
* Richard Sylvestre, "Les graffitis sur céramique d'Avenches: Premières observations" (Graffiti on Ceramics from Avenches: First Impressions), in ''Inscriptions mineures: Nouveautés et réflexions'', Michel E. Fuchs, Richard Sylvestre, & Christophe Schmidt Heidenreich, eds., Bern (2012), pp. 25–43.
{{Refend
Roman gentes