Decius (gens)
Encyclopedia
Decius is an ancient Roman nomen
; notable individuals of the gens
Decia include:
Whether Decius (Exarch), first Exarch of Ravenna (584–585), is related to the historic Decii is uncertain.
The abbreviation D. stands for the praenomen
Decimus
, not Decius.
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...
; notable individuals 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...
Decia include:
-
- Publius Decius Mus (340 BC)Publius Decius Mus (340 BC)Publius Decius Mus, son of Quintus, of the plebeian gens Decia, was a Roman consul in the year 340 BC. He is noted particularly for sacrificing himself in battle through the ritual of devotio, as recorded by the Augustan historian Livy.-Career:...
, son of Quintus, consul in 340 BC, fought the Battle of Vesuvius - Publius Decius Mus (312 BC)Publius Decius Mus (312 BC)Publius Decius Mus , of the plebeian Decia, was a Roman consul in the years 312 BC, 308 BC, 297 BC and 295 BC. He was a member of a family that was renowned for sacrificing themselves on the battlefield for Rome.-First and second consulship:...
, son of Publius, consul in 312 BC, 308 BC, 297 BC, and 295 BC, fought the Battle of Sentinum - Publius Decius Mus (279 BC)Publius Decius Mus (279 BC)Publius Decius Mus was a Roman politician and general. As consul in 279 BC, he and his fellow consul, Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, combined their armies against Pyrrhus of Epirus at the Battle of Asculum. Pyrrhus was victorious, but at such a high cost that the security of Asculum was guaranteed...
, son of Publius, consul in 279 BC, fought in the Battle of Asculum - Publius Decius, tribune 120 BC, prosecuted the murderer of Gaius GracchusGaius GracchusGaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
- Publius Decius Mus (340 BC)
- The Emperor DeciusDeciusTrajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
. Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius, reigned 249 AD to 251
Whether Decius (Exarch), first Exarch of Ravenna (584–585), is related to the historic Decii is uncertain.
The abbreviation D. stands for 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...
Decimus
Decimus
Decimus was a Roman praenomen. It means "tenth", and was originally used as a name for tenth sons, but it was later used as a generic name.Among those named Decimus were:*Decimus Clodius Albinus, would-be emperor of the 2nd century AD...
, not Decius.