Aternia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Aternia was a patrician family at Rome
in the early years of the Republic
. The only member of the gens
to hold the consulship
was Aulus Aternius Varus
in 454 B.C. Six years later, he became one of the only patricians ever to hold the office of tribune of the plebs
, without first leaving the patriciate.
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....
in the early years of the 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 only member of the 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...
to hold 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 Aulus Aternius Varus
Aulus Aternius Varus
Aulus Aternius Varus, surnamed Fontinalis, was consul in 454 BC, with Spurius Tarpeius Montanus Capitolinus.The consuls of the previous year, Titus Romilius and Gaius Veturius had defeated the Aequi at Mount Algidus, but were now prosecuted for having sold the captured material and equipment in...
in 454 B.C. Six years later, he became one of the only patricians ever to hold the office of tribune of the plebs
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
, without first leaving the patriciate.