Porcii
Encyclopedia
Porcius, feminine Porcia, masculine plural Porcii, was the name (nomen
) of the gens
Porcia, who apparently originated in Tusculum
.
During the Roman Republic
, the three branches of the gens were distinguished by the cognomina
Laeca, Licinus, and Cato. The most illustrious were the Catones, especially the men known in the modern era as Cato the Elder
and Cato the Younger
.
During the Imperial era
, the cognomina Festus, Latro, and Septimus are also found as branches of the Porcii.
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 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...
Porcia, who apparently originated in Tusculum
Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy.-Location:Tusculum is one of the largest Roman cities in Alban Hills. The ruins of Tusculum are located on Tuscolo hill—more specifically on the northern edge of the outer crater ring of the Alban volcano...
.
During the Roman 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 three branches of the gens were distinguished by the cognomina
Cognomen
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...
Laeca, Licinus, and Cato. The most illustrious were the Catones, especially the men known in the modern era as Cato the Elder
Cato the Elder
Marcus 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...
and Cato the Younger
Cato the Younger
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis , commonly known as Cato the Younger to distinguish him from his great-grandfather , was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic, and a follower of the Stoic philosophy...
.
During the Imperial era
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....
, the cognomina Festus, Latro, and Septimus are also found as branches of the Porcii.
Catones
- Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the ElderCato 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...
) - statesman, including consul (195 BC), proposed Lex Porcia (II). - Marcus Porcius Cato LicinianusMarcus Porcius Cato LicinianusMarcus Porcius Cato Licinianus or Cato Licinianus was son of Cato the Elder by his first wife Licinia, and thence called Licinianus, to distinguish him from his half-brother, Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus, the son of Salonia...
- son of Cato the Elder by first wife, Licinia; soldier and jurist. - Marcus Porcius Cato - son of M. Porcius Cato Licinianus, consul 118 BC, died in Africa in the same year.
- Gaius Porcius CatoGaius Porcius CatoGaius Porcius Cato , was son of Marcus Porcius Cato Licinianus, consul 114 BC, obtained Macedonia as his province, and fought unsuccessfully against the Scordisci. He was accused of extortion in Macedonia, and was sentenced to pay a fine...
- son of Marcus Porcius Cato Licinianus, father of Cato the Younger, and consul in 114 BC. - Marcus Porcius Cato SalonianusMarcus Porcius Cato SalonianusMarcus Porcius Cato Salonianus or Cato Salonianus is a name of two Romans of the Porcii Family.-Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus the Elder:...
- son of Cato the Elder by second wife, Salonia; praetor. - Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (Cato the YoungerCato the YoungerMarcus Porcius Cato Uticensis , commonly known as Cato the Younger to distinguish him from his great-grandfather , was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic, and a follower of the Stoic philosophy...
) - politician and statesman, great grandson of Cato the Elder. - Marcus Porcius Cato (II)Marcus Porcius Cato (II)Marcus Porcius Cato , son of Cato the Younger by his first marriage to Atilia.- Life :He was the brother of Porcia Catonis, who was first married to Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus , and later married their half-cousin Marcus Junius Brutus...
- son of Cato the Younger; supporter of BrutusBrutusBrutus is the cognomen of the Roman gens Junia, a prominent family of the Roman Republic. The plural of Brutus is Bruti, and the vocative form is Brute, as immortalized in the quotation "Et tu, Brute?", from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar....
and CassiusGaius Cassius LonginusGaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
, and one of Julius 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....
's assassins. - Lucius Porcius CatoLucius Porcius CatoLucius Porcius Cato, son of Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus, was a consul of the Roman Republic in 89 BC.As consul, Porcius Cato led the Roman army at the Battle of Fucine Lake in 89 BC against a rebel force during the Social War, but was defeated and killed while fighting a Marsic camp in winter.-...
, son of M. Porcius Cato Salonianus, consul 89 BC, killed during the Social War (91–88 BC).
Laecae
- Publius Porcius LaecaPublius Porcius LaecaPublius Porcius Laeca was the name of several Romans in the Republican era, including:-Publius Porcius Laeca :P. Porcius Laeca was tribune of the plebs in 199 BC, when he prevented Lucius Manlius Acidinus from entering Rome to celebrate an ovation granted by the senate. As tribune, he proposed the...
(I) - tribune and proposer of Lex Porcia (I) in 199 BC, tresviri epulonesEpulonesThe epulones formed one of the four great religious corporations of ancient Roman priests. The two most important colleges were the College of Pontiffs and the augurs; the fourth was the quindecimviri sacris faciundis...
in 196 BC. - Marcus Porcius Laeca - moneyerMoneyerA moneyer is someone who physically creates money. Moneyers have a long tradition, dating back at least to ancient Greece. They became most prominent in the Roman Republic, continuing into the empire.-Roman Republican moneyers:...
(tresviri monetalis) in 125 BC. - Publius Porcius Laeca (II) - tresviri monetalis in 110-109 BC, apparently tribunus plebis in 90s BC.
Licini
- Lucius Porcius Licinus - consul in 184 BC, introduced Lex Porcia (III).
- Porcius Licinus, a writer associated with Valerius AedituusValerius AedituusValerius Aedituus was a Roman poet of the 1st century BCE. He is known for his epigrams; otherwise there is very little information, what there is being in the form of literary references....
. Only one epigram and two fragments of verse in trochaic septenariusTrochaic septenariusIn ancient Greek and Latin literature, the trochaic septenarius is one of two major forms of poetic metre based on the trochee as its dominant rhythmic unit, the other being trochaic octonarius. It is used in drama and less often in poetry....
survive from his body of work.
Porcii of the Empire
- Marcus Porcius LatroMarcus Porcius LatroMarcus Porcius Latro was during the reign of Augustus a celebrated Roman rhetorician considered one of the founders of scholastic rhetoric. He was a Spaniard by birth, and a friend and contemporary of Seneca the Elder, with whom he studied under Marillius, and by whom he is frequently...
, celebrated rhetorician during the reign of Augustus (died 4 BC). - Porcius FestusPorcius FestusPorcius Festus was procurator of Judea from about AD 59 to 62, succeeding Antonius Felix. His exact time in office is not known. The earliest proposed date for the start of his term is c. A.D. 55-6, while the latest is A.D. 61. These extremes have not gained much support and most scholars opt...
, a Roman governorRoman governorA Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD.