Aebutia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Aebutia was a Roman
gens
that was prominent during the early Republic
. The family was originally patrician, but also had plebeian branches. The first member to obtain the consulship
was Titus Aebutius Elva
, consul in 499 BC.
Titus
, Lucius
, Postumus
, and Marcus
. In later times, they also used the name Publius
.
ship. Carus was a cognomen of the plebeian Aebutii. Later surnames include Faustus, Liberalis, and Pinnius.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
that was prominent during the early Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. The family was originally patrician, but also had plebeian branches. The first member to obtain the consulship
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
was Titus Aebutius Elva
Titus Aebutius Elva
Titus Aebutius T. f. Elva or Helva was the first member of the patrician gens Aebutia to obtain the Roman consulship, which he held in 499 BC. The following year, he was magister equitum under Aulus Postumius Albus at the Battle of Lake Regillus...
, consul in 499 BC.
Praenomina used by the gens
During the first century of the Republic, the Aebutii used the praenominaPraenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
Titus
Titus (praenomen)
Titus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, and was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Titia. The feminine form is Tita or Titia...
, Lucius
Lucius (praenomen)
Lucius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. The feminine form is Lucia . The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes Lucia and Lucilia, as well as the cognomen Lucullus...
, Postumus
Postumus (praenomen)
Postumus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was most common during the early centuries of the Roman Republic. It gave rise to the patronymic gens Postumia, and later became a common cognomen, or surname. The feminine form is Postuma...
, and Marcus
Marcus (praenomen)
Marcus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. The feminine form is Marca or Marcia. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Marcia, as well as the cognomen Marcellus...
. In later times, they also used the name Publius
Publius (praenomen)
Publius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and was very common at all periods of Roman history. It gave rise to the patronymic gens Publilia, and perhaps also gens Publicia. The feminine form is Publia...
.
Branches and cognomina of the gens
The patrician Aebutii used the cognomen Elva. Cornicen was a personal surname belonging to one of the Elvae. No patrician Aebutius held any curule magistracy from 442 to 176 BC, when Marcus Aebutius Elva obtained the praetorPraetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
ship. Carus was a cognomen of the plebeian Aebutii. Later surnames include Faustus, Liberalis, and Pinnius.
Notable members of the gens
- Titus Aebutius T. f. ElvaTitus Aebutius ElvaTitus Aebutius T. f. Elva or Helva was the first member of the patrician gens Aebutia to obtain the Roman consulship, which he held in 499 BC. The following year, he was magister equitum under Aulus Postumius Albus at the Battle of Lake Regillus...
, consulRoman consulA consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 499 BC. - Lucius Aebutius T. f. T. n. ElvaLucius Aebutius ElvaLucius Aebutius T. f. T. n. Elva , son of Titus Aebutius Elva, was consul in 463 BC with Publius Servilius Priscus Structus.During their year of office, Rome was swept by a great plague...
, consul in 463 BC. - Postumus Aebutius Elva CornicenPostumus Aebutius Elva CornicenPostumus Aebutius Elva, surnamed Cornicen, was consul at Rome in 442 BC, and magister equitum in 435 BC.-Consulship:Aebutius was elected consul for the year 442 BC, with Marcus Fabius Vibulanus. Their year of office was peaceful, and commissioners were appointed to establish a colony at Ardea...
, consul in 442 BC. - Marcus Aebutius Elva, appointed triumvirTriumvirateA triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
for the establishment of a colony at ArdeaArdea (RM)Ardea is an ancient town and comune in the province of Rome, 35 km south of Rome and about 4 km from today's Mediterranean coast....
in 442 BC. - Marcus Aebutius Elva, praetorPraetorPraetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 168 BC, obtained SiciliaSicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
as his province. - Lucius Aebutius Faustus, a freedmanFreedmanA freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
. http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/gromatxt.html - Publius Aebutius, brought the existence of the BacchanaliaBacchanaliaThe bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus , the wine god. The term has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry.-History:...
at Rome to the attention of the consul PostumiusSpurius Postumius Albinus (consul 186 BC)Spurius Postumius Albinus was a politician of Ancient Rome, of patrician rank, of the 2nd century BC. He was praetor peregrinus in 189 BC, and consul in 186 BC. In his consulship the senatusconsultum was passed, which is still extant, suppressing the worship of Bacchus in Rome, in consequence of...
in 186 BC. - Publius Aebutius Pinnius, found on Corinthian coins circa 39 BC http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/isthmia/publications/is-roman/is-games.html
- Aebutius Liberalis, addressee of a letter by SenecaSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
.