Ahenobarbus
Encyclopedia
Ahenobarbus was the name of a plebeian family of the Domitia gens
in the late Republic and early Principate
of ancient Rome
. The name means "red-beard" (literally, "bronze-beard") in Latin
. According to legend, Castor and Pollux
announced to one of their ancestors the victory of the Romans over the Latins at the battle of Lake Regillus
, and, to confirm the truth of what they had just said, they stroked his black hair and beard, which immediately became red.
The name may refer to:
.
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...
in the late Republic and early Principate
Principate
The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. The Principate is characterized by a concerted effort on the part of the Emperors to preserve the...
of ancient 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....
. The name means "red-beard" (literally, "bronze-beard") in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. According to legend, Castor and Pollux
Castor and Pollux
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
announced to one of their ancestors the victory of the Romans over the Latins at the battle of Lake Regillus
Battle of Lake Regillus
The Battle of Lake Regillus was a legendary early Roman victory, won over the Latin League led by the expelled Etruscan former king of Rome. It is usually said to have occurred in 498 BC, but other dates have been proposed, including 499 BC, 496 BC and 493 BC.The battle may be entirely legendary,...
, and, to confirm the truth of what they had just said, they stroked his black hair and beard, which immediately became red.
The name may refer to:
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 192 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 192 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was a consul of Rome in 193 BC.As plebian aedile in 196 BC, he successfully prosecuted, in conjunction with his colleague Gaius Curio, many pecuarii, that is, people who were grazing their cattle on public land. He used the proceeds to build a temple to Faunus in the...
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 162 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 162 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, son of the Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus who had been consul in 192 BC, was chosen pontifex in 172 BC, when still a young man, and in 169 BC was sent with two others as commissioners into Macedonia...
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 122 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 122 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was consul of Rome in 122 BC. He was the son of the Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus who was consul in 162 BC....
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 96 BC), son of the same named consul of 122 BC.
- Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 94 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 94 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was a politician of ancient Rome of the late 2nd and early 1st century BC. He served as praetor in Sicily, probably in 96 BC, shortly after the Second Servile War, when slaves had been forbidden to carry arms. He ordered a slave to be crucified for killing a wild boar...
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (died 81 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (died 81 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BC, was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, and brother of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. He married Cornelia, daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna, who was consul in 87 BC....
- Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 54 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 54 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul 54 BC, was an enemy of Julius Caesar and a strong supporter of the aristocratic party in the late Roman Republic.He is first mentioned in 70 BC by Cicero as a witness against Verres...
, son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 96 BC), supporter of Pompey and character in Lucan's Pharsalia - Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (praetor 50 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (praetor 50 BC)Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was an ancient Roman who served as praetor in 80 BC, and commander of the province of Hispania Citerior, with the title of proconsul. In 79 BC, he was summoned into Hispania Ulterior by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, who was in want of assistance against Quintus...
- Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 32 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 32 BC)Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was a general and politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BC.-Life:Ahenobarbus was captured with his father, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, at Corfinium in 49 BC, and was present at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, but did not take any further part in the war...
. A fictionalized version of this Ahenobarbus appears in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra under the name of "Enobarbus" - Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 16 BC), only child of the above Gnaeus Domitius and Aemilia LepidaAemilia LepidaAemilia Lepida is a Roman woman belonging to the gens Aemilia. All but the first Aemilia Lepida lived in the imperial era. The name was given to daughters of men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the gens Aemilia. The first Aemilia Lepida to be mentioned by Roman historians was the former fiancee...
, paternal grandfather of the Emperor Nero, maternal grandfather of Valeria Messalina (third wife of the emperor Claudius) - Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 32), father of the Emperor Nero and maternal uncle to Valeria Messalina
- The Emperor 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....
was born in AD 37 to the Domitius above as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (named after Domitius's father Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 16 BC)). He was adopted by ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
in AD 50 as official heir to the throne. He was the only child of Agrippina the YoungerAgrippina the YoungerJulia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
through her first marriage to Domitius, and through her, he was great-great grandson of the Emperor 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...
, great-grandnephew and adoptive great-grandson of the Emperor 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...
, nephew of the Emperor CaligulaCaligulaCaligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, as well as great-nephew and stepson of the Emperor ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
.
Distant Relatives to the Above
- Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, general and consul of the 1st century BC
- Gnaeus Domitius CorbuloGnaeus Domitius CorbuloGnaeus Domitius Corbulo was a Roman general and a brother-in-law of the emperor Caligula.-Descent:Corbulo was born in Italy into a senatorial family...
, was the name of two politicians in the 1st century AD. One was a praetor under Emperor 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...
’ reign and the other, his son, was a general. - Gnaeus Domitius Afer, senator, consul, and orator during the reigns of the Emperors 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...
, CaligulaCaligulaCaligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, and 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....
. - Domitius Ulpianus, otherwise known as UlpianUlpianGnaeus Domitius Annius Ulpianus , anglicized as Ulpian, was a Roman jurist of Tyrian ancestry.-Biography:The exact time and place of his birth are unknown, but the period of his literary activity was between AD 211 and 222...
, jurist of the 3rd century - The 3rd century emperor AurelianAurelianAurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
(Lucius Domitius Aurelianus), was also a distant relative of the Ahenobarbus family
Family tree
The family tree below is a combination of the Ahenobarbus family tree and its relations with the members of the Julio-Claudian dynastyJulio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
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