Castricia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Catricia was a Roman
family during the later Republic
and under the early Empire
. None of the members of the gens
held any important magistracy
.
in 84 B.C., suggesting that the family came from that city. At one time Placentia had belonged to the Etruscans, and later it was inhabited by the Cisalpine Gauls
, but a Roman colony
was established there in 218 B.C. Other Castricii during this period and subsequently were Roman citizens
.
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....
family during the later 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...
and under the early Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. None of the 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...
held any important magistracy
Roman Magistrates
The Roman Magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate. His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, judge, and the sole commander of the army...
.
Origin of the gens
The earliest of the Castricii to appear in history was Marcus Castricius, chief magistrate of PlacentiaPiacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
in 84 B.C., suggesting that the family came from that city. At one time Placentia had belonged to the Etruscans, and later it was inhabited by the Cisalpine Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
, but a Roman colony
Colonia (Roman)
A Roman colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city.-History:...
was established there in 218 B.C. Other Castricii during this period and subsequently were Roman citizens
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
.
Members of the gens
- Marcus Castricius, chief magistrate at Placentia in 84 B.C., refused to give hostages to the 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...
Gnaeus Papirius CarboGnaeus Papirius CarboGnaeus Papirius Carbo was a three-time consul of ancient Rome.A member of the Carbones of the plebeian gens Papiria, and nephew of Gaius Papirius Carbo , he was a strong supporter of the Marian party, and took part in the blockade of Rome...
, when he appeared before the town. - Marcus Castricius, a Roman merchant in Asia, received a public funeral from the inhabitants of SmyrnaSmyrnaSmyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
. He is probably the same Marcus Castricius mentioned in Cicero'sCiceroMarcus 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...
orations against 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:...
. - Marcus Castricius, mentioned by Cicero in 44 B.C., was apparently a different man from the merchant of the same name.
- Castricius, gave information to AugustusAugustusAugustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
respecting the conspiracy of MurenaAulus Terentius Varro MurenaAulus Terentius Varro Murena was a Roman general and politician of the 1st Century BC.- Biography :Murena was the natural born son of Aulus Terentius Varro, and adopted brother to Lucius Lucinius Varro Murena...
. - Titus Castricius, a rhetorician at Rome, and a contemporary of Aulus GelliusAulus GelliusAulus Gellius , was a Latin author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome, where he held a judicial office...
, by whom he is frequently mentioned.