Caelia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Caelia or Coelia was a plebeian
family at Rome
. In manuscripts the nomen
is usually written Caelius, while on coins it generally occurs in the form of Coelius or Coilius, though we find on one coin L. Caelius Tax. From the similarity of the names, Caelius is frequently confounded with Caecilius. No members of the gens
obtained the higher offices of the state till the beginning of the 1st century BC; the first who obtained the consulship
was Gaius Caelius Caldus in 94 BC.
, in the time of the Roman kings
. He and his brother, Aulus, were companions of "Mastarna", whose name appears to be an Etruscan rendering of the Latin magister (magistrate), and who has been identified with Servius Tullius
, the sixth King of Rome.
According to one tradition, the Vibennae had been taken prisoner by the Roman Gnaeus Tarquinius, but were freed by Mastarna, and with their allies defeated and killed Tarquinius. This Gnaeus Tarquinius may have been a son of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth King of Rome, and the father of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
, the seventh and last King of Rome, said in some traditions to have been the grandson, and not the son, of the elder Tarquin.
The Mons Caelius
, or Caelian Hill, one of the famous seven hills
upon which the city of Rome was built, is said to have been named after Caelius Vibenna, who settled there. It was formerly known as the Mons Querquetulanus, the oak-covered hill, by which name it was occasionally called even in later times.
Marcus
, Lucius
, Gaius
, Publius
, and Quintus
, all of which were amongst the most common names at Rome.
are personal surnames, chiefly of freedmen
. Other Caelii bore no surname.
The word caldus is a shortened from of calidus, which may be translated "hot, eager, rash," or "hasty"; hence Cicero
says, "aliquem Caldum vocari, quod temerario et repentino consilio sit." The surname Rufus means "red", and probably referred to the color of a person's hair.
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
family at Rome
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 manuscripts the nomen
Roman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
is usually written Caelius, while on coins it generally occurs in the form of Coelius or Coilius, though we find on one coin L. Caelius Tax. From the similarity of the names, Caelius is frequently confounded with Caecilius. No members 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...
obtained the higher offices of the state till the beginning of the 1st century BC; the first who obtained 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 Gaius Caelius Caldus in 94 BC.
Origin of the gens
The Caelia gens traced its origin to the Etruscan hero, Caeles VibennaCaelius Vibenna
Caelius Vibenna, Caelius Vibenna, Caelius Vibenna, (Etruscan Caile Vipina, was a noble Etruscan who lived c.900BC and brother of Aulus Vibenna (Etruscan Avile Vipina).Upon arriving at Rome, Vibenna aided Romulus in his wars against Titus Tatius. He and his brother Aulus are also recorded as having...
, in the time of the Roman kings
King of Rome
The King of Rome was the chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine Hill. Seven legendary kings are said to have ruled Rome until 509 BC, when the last king was overthrown. These kings ruled for...
. He and his brother, Aulus, were companions of "Mastarna", whose name appears to be an Etruscan rendering of the Latin magister (magistrate), and who has been identified with Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of ancient Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned 578-535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome's first Etruscan king, who was assassinated in 579 BC...
, the sixth King of Rome.
According to one tradition, the Vibennae had been taken prisoner by the Roman Gnaeus Tarquinius, but were freed by Mastarna, and with their allies defeated and killed Tarquinius. This Gnaeus Tarquinius may have been a son of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth King of Rome, and the father of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the legendary seventh and final King of Rome, reigning from 535 BC until the popular uprising in 509 BC that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic. He is more commonly known by his cognomen Tarquinius Superbus and was a member of the so-called Etruscan...
, the seventh and last King of Rome, said in some traditions to have been the grandson, and not the son, of the elder Tarquin.
The Mons Caelius
Caelian Hill
The Caelian Hill is one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. Under reign of Tullus Hostilius, the entire population of Alba Longa was forcibly resettled on the Caelian Hill...
, or Caelian Hill, one of the famous seven hills
Seven hills of Rome
The Seven Hills of Rome east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the ancient city.The seven hills are:* Aventine Hill * Caelian Hill...
upon which the city of Rome was built, is said to have been named after Caelius Vibenna, who settled there. It was formerly known as the Mons Querquetulanus, the oak-covered hill, by which name it was occasionally called even in later times.
Praenomina used by the gens
The Caelii 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...
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...
, 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...
, Gaius
Gaius (praenomen)
Gaius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. The feminine form is Gaia. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Gavia...
, 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...
, and Quintus
Quintus (praenomen)
Quintus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was common throughout all periods of Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes Quinctia and Quinctilia. The feminine form is Quinta...
, all of which were amongst the most common names at Rome.
Branches and cognomina of the gens
There were only two family-names in this gens, Caldus and Rufus. The other cognominaCognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
are personal surnames, chiefly of freedmen
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
. Other Caelii bore no surname.
The word caldus is a shortened from of calidus, which may be translated "hot, eager, rash," or "hasty"; hence Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
says, "aliquem Caldum vocari, quod temerario et repentino consilio sit." The surname Rufus means "red", and probably referred to the color of a person's hair.
Members of the gens
- This list includes abbreviated praenominaPraenomenThe 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...
. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation.
Early Caelii
- Marcus Caelius, tribune of the plebsTribuneTribune 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...
, attacked in a speech by Marcus Porcius CatoCato the ElderMarcus Porcius Cato was a Roman statesman, commonly referred to as Censorius , Sapiens , Priscus , or Major, Cato the Elder, or Cato the Censor, to distinguish him from his great-grandson, Cato the Younger.He came of an ancient Plebeian family who all were noted for some...
, the censor. - Lucius Caelius, commanded as a legateLegatusA legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
in IllyricumIllyricum (Roman province)The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
during the war against PerseusPerseus of MacedonPerseus was the last king of the Antigonid dynasty, who ruled the successor state in Macedon created upon the death of Alexander the Great...
, in 169 BC, and was defeated in his attempt to take the town of Uscana. - Lucius Coelius AntipaterLucius Coelius AntipaterLucius Coelius Antipater was a Roman jurist and historian. He is not to be confused with Coelius Sabinus, the Coelius of the Digest. He was a contemporary of C. Gracchus ; L...
, a jurist and historian during the latter half of the 2nd century BC - Publius Caelius, placed in command of PlacentiaPiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
by the consul Gnaeus OctaviusGnaeus OctaviusGnaeus Octavius was a senator and later consul of the Roman Republic. His father, also called Gnaeus Octavius, was Consul in 128 BC.His uncle, Marcus Octavius, was a key figure in opposition to the reforms of Tiberius Gracchus in 133 BC...
in 87 BC, and when the town was taken by Cinna'sLucius Cornelius CinnaLucius Cornelius Cinna was a four-time consul of the Roman Republic, serving four consecutive terms from 87 to 84 BC, and a member of the ancient Roman Cinna family of the Cornelii gens....
army, he caused himself to be put to death, rather than fall into the hands of the Marian party. - Publius Caelius (P. f.), 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 74 BC. - Marcus Caelius, an eques, from whom VerresVerresGaius Verres was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. It is not known what gens he belonged to, though some give him the nomen Licinius.-As governor:...
took away several silver vases, in 71 BC. - Marcus Caelius Vinicianus, tribunus plebis in 53 BC, and subsequently a partisan of CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
during the Civil WarCaesar's civil warThe Great Roman Civil War , also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire...
. - Gaius Caelius, tribunus plebis in 51 BC, with several of his colleagues vetoed the senateRoman SenateThe Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
's decrees directed against CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. - Marcus Caelius RufusMarcus Caelius RufusMarcus Caelius Rufus was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum , on the central east coast of Italy...
, praetor peregrinus in 48 BC, during the Civil War, deprived of his office after deliberately causing a riot, and subsequently slain by the cavalry, whom he attempted to bribe to surrender the city of ThuriiThuriiThurii , called also by some Latin writers Thurium , for a time also Copia and Copiae, was a city of Magna Graecia, situated on the Tarentine gulf, within a short distance of the site of Sybaris, whose place it may be considered as having taken...
. - Quintus Caelius, a friend and follower of Marcus AntoniusMark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, attacked by CiceroCiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
. - Caelius, a moneylender, with whom Cicero had some dealings.
Caelii Caldi
- Gaius Caelius CaldusGaius Coelius CaldusGaius Coelius Caldus or Gaius Caelius Caldus was a politician of ancient Rome of the late 2nd and early 1st century BC.In 107 BC, he was a tribune and passed a lex tabellaria, which ordained that in the courts of justice the votes should be given by means of tables in cases of high treason.In 94...
, consul in 94 BC, a novus homoNovus homoHomo novus was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul...
and minor orator, subsequently a supporter of MariusGaius MariusGaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
. - Lucius Caelius C. f. Caldus, son of the consul of 94 BC.
- Gaius Caelius L. f. C. n. Caldus, quaestorQuaestorA Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
under Cicero in CiliciaCiliciaIn antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
in 50 BC; when Cicero departed the province, he left the administration in the hands of Caldus. - Caelius Caldus, taken prisoner by the Germans following the defeat of Publius Quinctilius VarusPublius Quinctilius VarusPublius Quinctilius Varus was a Roman politician and general under Emperor Augustus, mainly remembered for having lost three Roman legions and his own life when attacked by Germanic leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.-Life:His paternal grandfather was senator Sextus Quinctilius...
in AD 9, killed himself rather than be subjected to the torture he anticipated.
Later Caelii
- Caelius Cursor, an eques, put to death by TiberiusTiberiusTiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, for having falsely charged the praetor Magius Caecilianus with treason. - Caelius Pollio, commander of the Roman army in ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in AD 51, bribed by RhadamistusRhadamistusRhadamistus was an Iberian prince who reigned in Armenia from 51 to 53 and 54 to 55 CE. Considered to be an usurper and tyrant, he was overthrown in a rebellion supported by the Parthian Empire.- Life :...
to betray the cause of MithridatesMithridates of ArmeniaMithridates of Armenia was an Iberian prince and a king of Armenia under the protection of the Roman Empire.Mithridates was installed by his brother Pharasmanes I of Iberia who, encouraged by Tiberius, invaded Armenia and captured its capital Artaxata in 35...
, the Roman client king. - Marcus Caelius RosciusMarcus Roscius CoeliusMarcus Roscius Coelius was a Roman military officer of the 1st century.He was the legate of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix, stationed in Britain in 68. He was on bad terms with the provincial governor, Marcus Trebellius Maximus, and took the opportunity during the turmoil of the year of four...
, legateLegatusA legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
of the twentieth legion, stationed in BritanniaRoman BritainRoman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
at the time of NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
's death in AD 68. - Marcus Caelius Sabinus, a jurist, appointed consul by the emperor OthoOthoOtho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...
in AD 69, and retained by Aulus VitelliusVitelliusVitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
. - Caelius Firmianus Symposius, a poet, and the author of a series of riddles, of uncertain date.
- Caelius AurelianusCaelius AurelianusCaelius Aurelianus of Sicca in Numidia was a Roman physician and writer on medical topics. He is best known for his translation from Greek to Latin of a work by Soranus of Ephesus, On Acute and Chronic Diseases. He probably flourished in the 5th century, although some place him two or even three...
, a physician of uncertain date during the imperial period. - Decimus Caelius BalbinusBalbinusBalbinus , was Roman Emperor with Pupienus for three months in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors.- Origins and career :Not much is known about Balbinus before his elevation to emperor. It has been conjectured that he descended from Publius Coelius Balbinus Vibullius Pius, the consul ordinarius of...
, Roman emperor with Marcus Clodius PupienusPupienusPupienus , also known as Pupienus Maximus, was Roman Emperor with Balbinus for three months in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. The sources for this period are scant, and thus knowledge of the emperor is limited...
in AD 238. - Lucius Caelius Firmianus LactantiusLactantiusLucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who became an advisor to the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his religious policy as it developed, and tutor to his son.-Biography:...
, a rhetorician, and early Christian author of the early 4th century. - Caelius Apicius, the attributed author of a culinary treatise in ten books, probably in the 1st century AD.
- Coelius SeduliusCoelius SeduliusCoelius Sedulius, was a Christian poet of the first half of the 5th century. He is termed a presbyter by Isidore of Seville and in the Gelasian decree....
, a Christian poet of the early 5th century.