Artorius
Encyclopedia
Artorius was the family name (nomen
) of a Roman gens
(the gens Artoria) of obscure and contested etymology.
Several Italian scholars consider the name to be of Messapic
origin, connecting it with the Messapic gens name Artorres, likely a derivative of the Messapic name Artas (with a Messapic possessive suffix -or-), of uncertain meaning.
An alternate etymology derives it from the praenomen
Artor, which may be of Etruscan
origin (perhaps a Latinization of the Etruscan name Arnthur).
Some have sought a purely Latin derivation, translating the name as "plowman". Such an etymology seems unlikely as the Latin word for "plowman" was arātor, not *artor (in fact a gentilic name potentially derived from arātor, Arātrius [also an epithet of Jupiter
], is attested in inscriptions from Aquileia, Altinum, Pola, and Montefalcone; compare, too the word arātōrius "fit for ploughing", used of oxen and fields).
Its members were apparently natives of Campania
, and other branches appeared in Dalmatia
, Africa
, Gallia Narbonensis
, and Aegyptus. Marcus, Gaius, and Lucius were the three praenomen
used by the Artorii males. Artorius is one suggested source of the name Arthur
.
Members included:
Artorius is also a long poem by John Heath-Stubbs
(1972), detailing his view of the Arthurian legend.
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...
) of a Roman 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...
(the gens Artoria) of obscure and contested etymology.
Several Italian scholars consider the name to be of Messapic
Messapian language
Messapian is an extinct Indo-European language of South-eastern Italy, once spoken in the region of Apulia. It was spoken by the three Iapygian tribes of the region: the Messapians, the Dauni and the Peucetii....
origin, connecting it with the Messapic gens name Artorres, likely a derivative of the Messapic name Artas (with a Messapic possessive suffix -or-), of uncertain meaning.
An alternate etymology derives it from the praenomen
Praenomen
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...
Artor, which may be of Etruscan
Etruscan language
The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization, in what is present-day Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna...
origin (perhaps a Latinization of the Etruscan name Arnthur).
Some have sought a purely Latin derivation, translating the name as "plowman". Such an etymology seems unlikely as the Latin word for "plowman" was arātor, not *artor (in fact a gentilic name potentially derived from arātor, Arātrius [also an epithet of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
], is attested in inscriptions from Aquileia, Altinum, Pola, and Montefalcone; compare, too the word arātōrius "fit for ploughing", used of oxen and fields).
Its members were apparently natives of Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, and other branches appeared in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Africa
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
, Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
, and Aegyptus. Marcus, Gaius, and Lucius were the three praenomen
Praenomen
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...
used by the Artorii males. Artorius is one suggested source of the name Arthur
Arthur
Arthur is a common masculine given name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur....
.
Members included:
- Artoria Cleopatra, a woman in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
believed to have lived during the time of triumvir Mark AntonyMark 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...
. - Artoria Flaccilla, accompanied her husband Decimus Novius Priscus in 65 into exile. Priscus was disgraced and exiled by the Roman EmperorRoman EmperorThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with 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....
. Priscus' friend was Nero's tutor 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...
, who participated in the failed revolt of 65. Due to Priscus' friendship with Seneca, Nero exiled him. - Marcus Artorius, a freedman scribe living in PompeiiPompeiiThe city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
at the time of the eruption. - Lucius Artorius CastusLucius Artorius CastusLucius Artorius Castus was a Roman military commander. A member of the gens Artoria , he has been suggested as a potential historical basis for King Arthur....
, a 2nd-3rd century general sometimes connected with a historical basis for King ArthurHistorical basis for King ArthurThe historical basis of King Arthur is a source of considerable debate among historians. The first datable mention of King Arthur in a historical context comes from a Latin text of the 9th century - more than three centuries after his supposed floruit in 5th to early 6th century Sub-Roman Britain...
.
Artorius is also a long poem by John Heath-Stubbs
John Heath-Stubbs
John Francis Alexander Heath-Stubbs OBE was an English poet and translator, known for his verse influenced by classical myths, and the long Arthurian poem Artorius .- Biography :...
(1972), detailing his view of the Arthurian legend.