Calavia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Calavia was a distinguished Campania
n family of Roman
times. Several members of the gens
were involved in the events of the Samnite Wars
and during the Second Punic War
. The most famous of its members was undoubtedly Pacuvius Calavius
, the chief magistrate of Capua
during Hannibal's invasion of Italy, and son-in-law of Publius Claudius Pulcher.
When Calavius feared that the Capuans would massacre their own senators and surrender the city to Hannibal, he shut them in the senate-house until he convinced the citizens to place their trust in their leaders once more. When Hannibal nevertheless entered Capua following the Battle of Cannae
in 216 BC, Calavius restrained his son from a rash attempt on the general's life. In revenge for the subsequent ill treatment of Campania by Rome, a family of this name joined with other Campanians in setting fire to various parts of Rome in 211 BC.
. The early members of the gens all bore Oscan praenomina
, and were prominent in the events of southern Italy during the 3rd and 4th centuries BC.
bore any surname. In imperial times we find the cognomen
Sabinus, referring to one of the Sabines, or their culture.
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...
n family of Roman
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....
times. Several 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...
were involved in the events of the Samnite Wars
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
and during the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
. The most famous of its members was undoubtedly Pacuvius Calavius
Pacuvius Calavius
Pacuvius Calavius was the chief magistrate of Capua during the Second Punic War. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lake Trasimene, he prevented the people of Capua from surrendering the city to Hannibal...
, the chief magistrate of Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
during Hannibal's invasion of Italy, and son-in-law of Publius Claudius Pulcher.
When Calavius feared that the Capuans would massacre their own senators and surrender the city to Hannibal, he shut them in the senate-house until he convinced the citizens to place their trust in their leaders once more. When Hannibal nevertheless entered Capua following the Battle of Cannae
Battle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, which took place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius...
in 216 BC, Calavius restrained his son from a rash attempt on the general's life. In revenge for the subsequent ill treatment of Campania by Rome, a family of this name joined with other Campanians in setting fire to various parts of Rome in 211 BC.
Origin of the gens
The Calavii were Campanians, and their native language was OscanOscan language
Oscan is a term used to describe both an extinct language of southern Italy and the language group to which it belonged.The Oscan language was spoken by a number of tribes, including the Samnites, the Aurunci, the Sidicini, and the Ausones. The latter three tribes were often grouped under the name...
. The early members of the gens all bore Oscan praenomina
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...
, and were prominent in the events of southern Italy during the 3rd and 4th centuries BC.
Praenomina used by the gens
The Calavii are known to have used the Oscan praenomina Ovius, Ofilius, Novius, and Pacuvius. It is not certain whether Perolla, a name assigned to the son of Pacuvius Calavius, was also an Oscan praenomen.Branches and cognomina of the gens
None of the Calavii during the RepublicRoman 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...
bore any surname. In imperial times we find the cognomen
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...
Sabinus, referring to one of the Sabines, or their culture.
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.- Ovius Calavius, father of Ofilius Calavius.
- Ofilius Calavius Ovi. f.Ofilius CalaviusOfilius Calavius Ovi f. was a Campanian nobleman during the Second Samnite War. Following the disaster of the Caudine Forks, where both Roman consuls were obliged to surrender their army and pass under the yoke, opinions in Campania were divided as to whether the defeat would forever halt the...
, a man of great distinction at Capua, urged his countrymen not to exult too greatly over the SamniteSamniumSamnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
victory over the Romans at the Caudine ForksBattle of the Caudine ForksThe Battle of Caudine Forks, 321 BC, was a decisive event of the Second Samnite War. Its designation as a battle is a mere historical formality: there was no fighting and there were no casualties. The Romans were trapped in a waterless place by the Samnites before they knew what was happening and...
, in 321 BC. - Ovius Calavius Ofili f. Ovi n.Ovius and Novius CalaviusOvius and Novius Calavius, brothers, were the sons of Ofilius Calavius, a Campanian nobleman during the Second Samnite War. They conspired to mount an insurrection against the Romans, but when their conspiracy was discovered, and steps taken to prevent their plan from coming to fruition, they did...
, with his brother, Novius, was one of the leaders of a conspiracy to launch an insurgency against Rome from Capua in 314 BC. - Novius Calavius Ofili f. Ovi n.Ovius and Novius CalaviusOvius and Novius Calavius, brothers, were the sons of Ofilius Calavius, a Campanian nobleman during the Second Samnite War. They conspired to mount an insurrection against the Romans, but when their conspiracy was discovered, and steps taken to prevent their plan from coming to fruition, they did...
, with his brother, one of the leaders of the conspiracy at Capua in 314 BC. - Pacuvius CalaviusPacuvius CalaviusPacuvius Calavius was the chief magistrate of Capua during the Second Punic War. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lake Trasimene, he prevented the people of Capua from surrendering the city to Hannibal...
, the chief magistrate of Capua during Hannibal's invasion, prevented the massacre of the Capuan senate. - Perolla Calavius Pacuvi f., the son of Pacuvius Calavius, intended to assassinate Hannibal, but abandoned the design at his father's urging.
- Sthenius Calavius, according to some sources, the brother of Pacuvius Calavius, but his name was probably Sthenius Ninnius CelerSthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius CelerSthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius Celer were brothers, and members of the noble Capuan house of the Ninnii Celeres, during the Second Punic War. Following the Battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., Hannibal advanced upon the city of Capua, which opened its gates to him, as defeat otherwise seemed inevitable...
. - Calavius Sabinus, commanded the twelfth legion under Gaius Caesennius PaetusLucius Caesennius PaetusLucius Junius Caesennius Paetus was a Roman aristocrat, member of the Caesennian gens and the Junian gens, who lived in the second half of the 1st century during the Roman Empire. He was Consul Ordinarius for the year 61, and enjoyed several high provincial commands in the East.He was the son of...
during his campaign in Armenia, in AD 62.