Sextia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Sextia was a plebeian
family at Rome
, from the time of the early Republic
and continuing into imperial times
. The most famous member of the gens
was Lucius Sextius Lateranus
, who as tribune of the plebs
from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of the annual magistrates
, until the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia
, otherwise known as the "Licinian Rogations," in the latter year. This law, brought forward by Sextius and his colleague, Gaius Licinius Calvus
, opened the consulship
to the plebeians, and in the following year Sextius was elected the first plebeian consul. Despite the antiquity of the family, only one other member obtained the consulship during the time of the Republic. Their name occurs more often in the consular fasti
under the Empire.
Sextius is a patronymic surname, derived from the praenomen
Sextus
, meaning "sixth", which must have belonged to the ancestor of the gens. It is frequently confounded with that of the patrician gens Sestia
, and in fact the two families may originally have been the same; however, Roman authors considered them distinct gentes. The plebeian gens Sextilia
was derived from the same praenomen.
, Gaius
, Lucius
, Publius
, Quintus
, and Titus
, all of which were very common throughout Roman history. There are early examples of Sextus, the praenomen that gave the family its name, and perhaps also of Numerius
. Some of the Sextii also used the praenomen Vibius
, a name that was also used by the patrician Sestii, suggesting that the two gentes may indeed have shared a common origin.
, instead of family-names. These included Baculus, Calvinus, Lateranus, Naso, Paconianus, and Sabinus.
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....
, from the time of the early 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 continuing into imperial times
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 most famous member 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...
was Lucius Sextius Lateranus
Lucius Sextius
Lucius Sextius Lateranus was a Roman tribune of the plebs and is noted for having been one of two men behind the Lex Licinia Sextia, permitting him in 366 BC to become what is often considered the "first plebeian consul"...
, who as tribune of the plebs
Tribune
Tribune 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...
from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of the annual magistrates
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...
, until the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia
Lex Licinia Sextia
Lex Licinia Sextia was a Roman law introduced around 376 BCE and enacted in 367 BCE. It restored the consulship, allegedly reserved one of the two consular positions for a plebeian , and introduced new limits on the possession of conquered land.- Authors :It is named for the plebeian tribunes Gaius...
, otherwise known as the "Licinian Rogations," in the latter year. This law, brought forward by Sextius and his colleague, Gaius Licinius Calvus
Gaius Licinius Stolo
Gaius Licinius Stolo, along with Lucius Sextius, was one of the two tribunes of ancient Rome who opened the consulship to the plebeians.Records indicate he was tribune from 376 BC to 367 BC, during which he passed the Lex Licinia Sextia restoring the consulship, requiring a plebeian consul seat,...
, opened 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...
to the plebeians, and in the following year Sextius was elected the first plebeian consul. Despite the antiquity of the family, only one other member obtained the consulship during the time of the Republic. Their name occurs more often in the consular fasti
Fasti
In ancient Rome, the fasti were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events...
under the Empire.
Origin of the gens
The nomenRoman 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...
Sextius is a patronymic surname, derived 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...
Sextus
Sextus (praenomen)
Sextus 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 Sextia and Sextilia. The feminine form is Sexta...
, meaning "sixth", which must have belonged to the ancestor of the gens. It is frequently confounded with that of the patrician gens Sestia
Sestia (gens)
The gens Sestia was a family at Rome. The gens was originally patrician, but in later times there were also plebeian members. The only member of the family to obtain the consulship under the Republic was Publius Sestius Capitolinus Vaticanus, in 452 BC.-Origin of the gens:The nomen Sestius is...
, and in fact the two families may originally have been the same; however, Roman authors considered them distinct gentes. The plebeian gens Sextilia
Sextilia (gens)
The gens Sextilia was a plebeian family at Rome. The first member of the gens to achieve prominence was Gaius Sextilius, consular tribune in 379 BC...
was derived from the same praenomen.
Praenomina used by the gens
The Sextii used a variety of praenomina, including MarcusMarcus (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...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, and Titus
Titus (praenomen)
Titus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, and was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Titia. The feminine form is Tita or Titia...
, all of which were very common throughout Roman history. There are early examples of Sextus, the praenomen that gave the family its name, and perhaps also of Numerius
Numerius (praenomen)
Numerius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, usually abbreviated N. The name was never especially common, but was used throughout the period of the Roman Republic, and into imperial times. The feminine form is Numeria...
. Some of the Sextii also used the praenomen Vibius
Vibius (praenomen)
Vibius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was occasionally used throughout the period of the Roman Republic and perhaps into imperial times. It gave rise to the patronymic gens Vibia. The feminine form is Vibia...
, a name that was also used by the patrician Sestii, suggesting that the two gentes may indeed have shared a common origin.
Branches and cognomina of the gens
Most of the Sextii under the Republic bore no surname, or else had only personal 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...
, instead of family-names. These included Baculus, Calvinus, Lateranus, Naso, Paconianus, and Sabinus.
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.- Marcus Sextius, tribunus plebisTribuneTribune 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...
in 414 BC, proposed that a colony should be sent to BolaeBolaeBolae or Bola was an ancient city of Latium that was repeatedly mentioned in the early history of Rome.-Foundation:Its foundation is expressly ascribed by Virgil to the kings of Alba Longa, and its name is found also in the list given by Diodorus Siculus of the colonies of that city...
. - Marcus Sextius Sabinus, plebeian aedileAedileAedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
in 203 BC, and 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 the following year, obtained GaulGaulGaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
as his province. - Sextius, 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....
of the consul Lucius Calpurnius BestiaBestiaBestia is the name of a family in ancient Rome, of which the following were the most distinguished.1. Lucius Calpurnius Bestia, tribune of the people in 121 BC, consul in 111. Having been appointed to the command of the operations against Jugurtha, he at first carried on the campaign energetically,...
in NumidiaNumidiaNumidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
, in 111 BC. - Publius Sextius, praetor designatus in in 100 BC, was accused of bribery by Titus Junius, and condemned.
- Sextius, proximus lictor of 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:...
in SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and his favorite executioner. - Publius Sextius Baculus, a primus pilusPrimus PilusThe Primus pilus was the senior centurion of a Roman legion.-Historical role:In the late Roman republic, the cohort , became the basic tactical unit of the legions. The cohort was composed of five to eight centuries each led by a centurion assisted by an optio, a soldier who could read and write...
in Caesar'sJulius 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....
army in GaulGaulGaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, who distinguished himself on many occasions by his great bravery. - Titus Sextius, one of Caesar's legatesLegatusA 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 Gaul, he subsequently held the province of AfricaAfrica ProvinceThe 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...
in the place of the triumvirsSecond TriumvirateThe Second Triumvirate is the name historians give to the official political alliance of Octavius , Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony, formed on 26 November 43 BC with the enactment of the Lex Titia, the adoption of which marked the end of the Roman Republic...
, until the government was given to Marcus Aemilius LepidusMarcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , was a Roman patrician who rose to become a member of the Second Triumvirate and Pontifex Maximus. His father, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had been involved in a rebellion against the Roman Republic.Lepidus was among Julius Caesar's greatest supporters...
, in 40 BC. - Sextius Naso, one of the conspirators against Caesar in 44 BC.
- Quintus Sextius, conspired against Quintus Cassius LonginusQuintus Cassius LonginusQuintus Cassius Longinus, the brother or cousin of Cassius , was a governor in Hispania for Caesar....
, governor of Hispania UlteriorHispania UlteriorDuring the Roman Republic, Hispania Ulterior was a region of Hispania roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania and Gallaecia...
, in 48 BC. After the conspiracy was suppressed, Sextius purchased his life from Cassius in exchange for a large sum of money. - Quintus SextiusQuintus SextiusQuintus Sextius the Elder was a Roman philosopher, whose philosophy combined Pythagoreanism with Stoicism. His praises were frequently celebrated by Seneca.-Life:...
, a StoicStoicismStoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
philosopher during the time of Caesar; his works were admired by the younger 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...
. - Sextius NigerSextius NigerSextius Niger was a Roman writer on pharmacology during the reign of Augustus or a little later. He may be identical with the son of the philosopher Quintus Sextius, who continued his philosophical teachings.-Life and work:...
, a physician during the early Empire, and author of a pharmacological work. - Sextius Paconianus, one of the agents of SejanusSejanusLucius Aelius Seianus , commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius...
, who was imprisoned after his master's downfall in AD 31, and subsequently strangled for having written some libellous verses against the emperor. - SextiaSextiaSextia was the second wife of the rhetorian Mamercus Aemilius Scaurus. She was a member the gens Sextius....
, the wife of Mamercus Aemilius ScaurusMamercus Aemilius ScaurusMamercus Aemilius Scaurus was a Roman rhetorician, poet and senator, son of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. He was a member of the senate in 14 AD at the time of Tiberius' accession to the throne.He first married Aemilia Lepida. Later he married Sextia...
; they took their own lives after Scaurus was accused of majestas in AD 34. - Titus Sextius AfricanusTitus Sextius AfricanusTitus Sextius Africanus was a nobleman of ancient Rome who was deterred by Agrippina the Younger from marrying Junia Silana. In 62 AD, he took the census in the provinces of Gaul, together with Quintus Volusius Saturninus and Marcus Trebellius Maximus. Saturninus and Africanus were rivals, and...
, was discouraged by AgrippinaAgrippina 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...
from marrying Junia Silana, the widow of Gaius SiliusGaius SiliusGaius Silius was the name of two consuls of the Roman Empire, during the 1st century. The elder was a consul and commander in the Roman Army during the reign of Emperors Augustus and Tiberius and the younger a consul in the reign of Emperor Claudius....
; in AD 62 he took the census in the provinces of Gaul. - Sextia, the mother-in-law of Lucius Antistius Vetus; they were put to death by 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....
in AD 65. - Titus Sextius Africanus, consul in AD 112 with the emperor TrajanTrajanTrajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
.
- Marcus Sextius, tribunus plebis
Sextii Laterani
- Numerius Sextius Lateranus, grandfather of the tribune.
- Sextus Sextius N. f. Lateranus, father of the tribune.
- Lucius Sextius Sex. f. N. n. LateranusLucius SextiusLucius Sextius Lateranus was a Roman tribune of the plebs and is noted for having been one of two men behind the Lex Licinia Sextia, permitting him in 366 BC to become what is often considered the "first plebeian consul"...
, tribunus plebis with Gaius Licinius CalvusGaius Licinius StoloGaius Licinius Stolo, along with Lucius Sextius, was one of the two tribunes of ancient Rome who opened the consulship to the plebeians.Records indicate he was tribune from 376 BC to 367 BC, during which he passed the Lex Licinia Sextia restoring the consulship, requiring a plebeian consul seat,...
from 376 to 367 BC, succeeded in passing the lex Licinia SextiaLex Licinia SextiaLex Licinia Sextia was a Roman law introduced around 376 BCE and enacted in 367 BCE. It restored the consulship, allegedly reserved one of the two consular positions for a plebeian , and introduced new limits on the possession of conquered land.- Authors :It is named for the plebeian tribunes Gaius...
, opening the consulshipRoman 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...
to the plebeians; in 366 he became the first plebeian consul. - Titus Sextius Magius Lateranus, consul in AD 94.
- Titus Sextius Lateranus, consul in AD 154.
Sextii Calvini
- Gaius Sextius Calvinus, grandfather of the consul.
- Gaius Sextius C. f. Calvinus, father of the consul.
- Gaius Sextius C. f. C. n. Calvinus, consul in 124 BC, and afterwards assigned the administration of Gaul. He conquered the SalluviiSalyesThe powerful military tribal confederation of the Salyes or Salluvii in ancient geography, occupied the plain of the Druentia in southern Gaul between the Rhône River and the Alps...
, and founded the colony of Aquae SextiaeAix-en-ProvenceAix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
. - Gaius Sextius Calvinus, an orator, and friend of Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo; he had only one eye.