Flaccus
Encyclopedia
Flaccus was a cognomen
of the ancient Roman plebeian
family Fulvius, considered one of the most illustrious gentes
of the city. Cicero
and Pliny the Elder
state that the family was originally from Tusculum
, and that members still lived there in the 1st century.
As usual for cognomina, "Flaccus" was likely originally a nickname
, probably of Marcus Fulvius Flaccus
, the founder of the family. It has been variously interpreted as meaning "big ears", "flop ears", "floppy", or "fatty".
Flaccus was also a cognomen for a branch of the patrician Valerii
and others.
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...
of the ancient Roman plebeian
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 Fulvius, considered one of the most illustrious gentes
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...
of the city. Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
and Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
state that the family was originally from 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...
, and that members still lived there in the 1st century.
As usual for cognomina, "Flaccus" was likely originally a nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, probably of Marcus Fulvius Flaccus
Marcus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 264 BC)
Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was a consul in 264 BC. In the tradition of Livy his praenomen is "Quintus".In his consulship Fulvius Flaccus brought the reduction of Volsinii to an end and celebrated a triumph. He also conquered Velzna, an Etruscan city in central Italy, in 264 BC...
, the founder of the family. It has been variously interpreted as meaning "big ears", "flop ears", "floppy", or "fatty".
Flaccus was also a cognomen for a branch of the patrician Valerii
Valerius
Valerius is the nomen of gens Valeria, one of the oldest patrician families of Rome. The name was in use throughout Roman history...
and others.
Fulvii
- Marcus Fulvius FlaccusMarcus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 264 BC)Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was a consul in 264 BC. In the tradition of Livy his praenomen is "Quintus".In his consulship Fulvius Flaccus brought the reduction of Volsinii to an end and celebrated a triumph. He also conquered Velzna, an Etruscan city in central Italy, in 264 BC...
, consulConsulConsul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
264 BC - Quintus Fulvius M.f. FlaccusQuintus Fulvius FlaccusQuintus Fulvius Flaccus, son of Marcus Fulvius Flaccus , Quintus was consul in 237 BC, fighting the Gauls in northern Italy. He was censor in 231 BC, again consul in 224 BC, when he subdued the Boii...
, consul 237 BC, 224 BC, 212 BC, 209 BC - Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus, brother of Q. Fulvius, convicted of cowardice against Hannibal in 210 BC and exiled to Tarquinii
- Q. Fulvius Cn.f. Flaccus, suffect consul 180 BC
- Quintus Fulvius Q.f. FlaccusQuintus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 179 BCE)Quintus Fulvius Flaccus was a plebeian consul of the Roman Republic in 179 BC. Because of his successes in Spain and Liguria, he celebrated two triumphs...
, consul 179 BC - Servius Fulvius Flaccus, consul 135 BC
- Gaius Fulvius Flaccus, consul 134 BC
- Marcus Fulvius FlaccusMarcus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 125 BC)Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was a Roman senator and an ally of the Gracchi. He became an administrator of the agrarian reform in 130 BC, and as a solution to the problem of land division among the allied cities, proposed Roman citizenship for the allies' citizens, thus introducing a question that vexed...
, consul 125 BC, ally of the GracchiGracchiThe Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were Roman Plebian nobiles who both served as tribunes in 2nd century BC. They attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians. For this legislation and their membership in the...
Valerii
- See also Lucius Valerius Flaccus.
- Lucius Valerius M.f. Flaccus, consul 261 BC
- Publius Valerius L.f. Flaccus, consul 227 BC
- Lucius Valerius Flaccus, consul with Cato 195 BC
- Lucius Valerius Flaccus, consul 152 BC
- Lucius Valerius Flaccus, consul 131 BC
- Lucius Valerius FlaccusLucius Valerius Flaccus (princeps senatus 86 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 100 BC and princeps senatus during the civil wars of the 80s...
, consul 100 BC - Lucius Valerius FlaccusLucius Valerius Flaccus (suffect consul 86 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus was the suffect consul who completed the term of Gaius Marius in 86 BC. He was sent as governor in that year to the Roman province of Asia, but was murdered in a mutiny by Fimbria during the turmoil of the Sullan civil wars and the Mithridatic Wars.Flaccus is also known for...
, suffect consul 86 BC - Gaius Valerius FlaccusGaius Valerius Flaccus (consul 93 BCE)Gaius Valerius Flaccus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 93 BC and a provincial governor in the late-90s and throughout the 80s...
, consul 93 BC - Lucius Valerius Flaccus, urban 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...
63 BC - Gaius Valerius FlaccusGaius Valerius FlaccusGaius Valerius Flaccus was a Roman poet who flourished in the "Silver Age" under the emperors Vespasian and Titus and wrote a Latin Argonautica that owes a great deal to Apollonius of Rhodes' more famous epic....
(1st century), poet
Others
- FlaccusFlaccus (composer)Flaccus is a composer from the 2nd century BC, of whom little is known. He was either a freedman or a slave of one of Terence's patrons and wrote musical scores for Terence's comedies...
, freedmanFreedmanA freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
(second century BC) - Quintus Horatius FlaccusHoraceQuintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
(Horace) - Gaius Norbanus Flaccus, consul 38 BC, 24 BC, 15(?)
- Marcus Verrius FlaccusVerrius FlaccusMarcus Verrius Flaccus was a Roman grammarian and teacher who flourished under Augustus and Tiberius.-Life:He was a freedman, and his manumitter has been identified with Verrius Flaccus, an authority on pontifical law; but for chronological reasons the name of Veranius Flaccus, a writer on augury,...
, freedmanFreedmanA freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
scholar - Lucius Pomponius Flaccus, consul 15
- Aulus Avilius FlaccusAulus Avilius FlaccusAulus Avilius Flaccus was the Egyptian prefect appointed by Tiberius in 32 C.E. His rule coincided with the Jewish massacre in Alexandria in 38 C.E. According to some accounts, he may have encouraged the outbreak of violence. According to the Jewish philosopher Philo, Flaccus was later arrested...
, prefectPrefectPrefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of 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...
32, written about by PhiloPhiloPhilo , known also as Philo of Alexandria , Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia, "Philon", and Philo the Jew, was a Hellenistic Jewish Biblical philosopher born in Alexandria.... - Aulus Persius FlaccusAulus Persius FlaccusPersius, in full Aulus Persius Flaccus , was a Roman poet and satirist of Etruscan origin. In his works, poems and satires, he shows a stoic wisdom and a strong criticism for the abuses of his contemporaries...
(34-62), poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary... - Marcus Hordeonius Flaccus, commander of the Rhine legionRoman legionA Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s during the Batavian rebellionBatavian rebellionThe Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between 69 and 70 AD. It was an uprising against Roman rule by the Batavians and other tribes in the province and in Gaul...
, killed 70 AD - C. Bellicius Flaccus Torquatus Tebanianus, consul 124, 143(?)
- Q. Volusius Flaccus Cornelianus, consul 174
- AlcuinAlcuinAlcuin of York or Ealhwine, nicknamed Albinus or Flaccus was an English scholar, ecclesiastic, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York...
, nicknamed "Flaccus"