Scipio (cognomen)
Encyclopedia
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....
cognomen representing the Cornelii Scipiones, a branch of the Cornelii family. Any individual male of the branch must be named Cornelius Scipio and a female Cornelia. The nomen
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...
, Cornelius, signifies that the person belongs to the Cornelia gens, a legally defined clan composed of many familiae. 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...
, Scipio, identifies the line, or branch within the clan. Other branches had other cognomina; during the Republic there were no Cornelii who did not belong to some branch of the ancient clan. As branches developed, each was identified by its own agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
, such as Africanus. The formal names of the Cornelii were thus at least two names long; in the late Republic, three or more.
Individual names, or 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...
, offered but little more variation. Of 18 patrician praenomina, each clan preferred a limited repertory. The Cornelii Scipiones used only three: Gnaeus (CN.), Lucius (L.) and Publius (P.), as a glance at the list of males names below will confirm. In written records it was typically necessary to distinguish the individual with the name of a relative; for men, usually the father (patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
). The patronymic appeared typically as initials of the relative inserted after the nomen with F. for filius ("son") or N. for nepos ("grandson"): Lucius Cornelius P. f. Scipio, "Lucius Cornelius Scipio son of Publius."
Although the Romans used Scipiones (in only a few known literary instances) as a plural to mean more than one Scipio, they customarily preferred Scipionarius or Scipioneus to refer to "a Scipio" or the plural of those words for "the Scipios." The poets however preferred the honorific Greek patronymic form, Scipiades or Scipiadas in the singular, Scipiadae in the plural (which scans better as poetry: Scípǐǎdáe), in deference to the well-known Scipionic predilection for Hellenica.
Social context
The proper nounProper noun
A proper noun or proper name is a noun representing a unique entity , as distinguished from a common noun, which represents a class of entities —for example, city, planet, person or corporation)...
, Scīpio, is identical to the Latin common noun (and only to that noun) for "staff" in the sense of sceptre or formal baton, a badge of governmental authority. The word is native Latin, deriving from Indo-European *skei-p-, "cut" (a staff is a cutting from wood). That the ancients understood the name to mean that is proved by a decree from Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
engraved on a stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
about 193 BC, which thanks Publius Cornelius P. f. Scipio for his donation to the temple there and grants him a laurel
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
crown. On the stele appear representations of the crown and a knotty staff.
The Cornelii Scipiones first appear in Roman history in 396 BC
396 BC
Year 396 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Saccus, Capitolinus, Esquilinus, Augurinus, Capitolinus and Priscus...
in the context of the destruction of Veii
Veii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
by Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....
, who on being appointed Dictator selected Publius Cornelius Scipio as his "Master of Knights"; that is, his cavalry commander. Scipio subsequently served as military tribune, in essence a general. Already the Scipiones were a distinguished branch of one of the most powerful patrician families - the gens Cornelia. The use of the cognomen dates to the Roman Republic: the kings and their contemporaries had two names only, or earlier one. The first Scipio and the event leading to the branch name remain obscure.Late imperial and mediaeval etymologists, such as Macrobius and Isidore of Seville
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
, repeated the story without source or evidence that an early Cornelius was given the name because he was a "staff" in helping his blind father walk in the senate-house. Other writers have attributed the name to various Scipios anachronistically, such as Africanus, who were a "staff" to the state. The poets compared the name to various Greek words for cudgel or lightning bolt with reference to Scipionic victories or to bristling trees bringing horror ("bristling") to the battlefield.
The family was one of the most distinguished of the republic. At least fifteen members became consuls, some re-elected many times, between 350 BC
350 BC
Year 350 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laenas and Scipio...
and 111 BC
111 BC
Year 111 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Serapio and Bestia...
. Their family tomb
Tomb of the Scipios
The Tomb of the Scipios , also called the hypogaeum Scipionum, was the common tomb of the patrician Scipio family during the Roman Republic for interments between the early 3rd century BC and the early 1st century AD...
, dated to the 3rd century BC and rediscovered in 1780, contained one of the earliest collections of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscriptions, the elogia Scipionum ("inscriptions of the Scipios"), an important historical source for 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...
.
Political context
The Cornelii Scipiones were one of the main politically active patrician families contesting for high office in the Roman 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...
. Their rise was phenomenal; in the fourth century BC, they held only one consulship; in the third century BC, they held eight consulships (and produced six consuls including Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
). By the late second century BC, the Scipiones were traditional political allies of the Paulii
Paullus
Paullus is a cognomen of ancient Rome, also appearing as an apparent praenomen of several Romans.* Marcus Aemilius L.f. Paullus, consul 302 BC* Marcus Aemilius M.f...
branch of the Aemilius
Aemilius
The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the most ancient patrician houses at Rome. The family was said to have originated in the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, and its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to...
family, and intermarried with them at least once. When the most distinguished branch became extinct in the male line circa 170 BC
170 BC
Year 170 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Mancinus and Serranus...
, it survived a further generation by adopting an Aemilius Paullus (the future Scipio Aemilianus) into the Scipionic stemline.
Before and during the Second Punic War, the Scipiones struggled to get their views heard in preference to that of conservatives such as Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus most commonly refers to;*Quintus Fabius Maximus*A number of ancient Romans from the gens Fabia.The ancient Romans that share the name Quintus Fabius Maximus include:* Quintus Fabius Maximus, augur 203–196 BC....
(head of the gens Fabia
Fabius
The gens Fabia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Rome. The gens played a prominent part in history soon after the establishment of the Republic, and three brothers are said to have been invested with seven successive consulships, from BC 485 to 479...
). The Scipiones and their allies, including the Aemilii, were said to favor war and expansionism; the Fabii, with their allies the Manlii, favored conservatism. The political differences gradually widened to include military differences; the brothers Scipio (who fell in Spain) sought to carry the war into Carthaginian territory, an idea backed by Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
a few years later. The Scipiones are also believed to have been behind the election of Gaius Terentius Varro
Gaius Terentius Varro
Gaius Terentius Varro was a Roman consul and commander. Along with his colleague, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, he commanded at the Battle of Cannae during the Second Punic War, in 216 BC, against the Carthaginian general Hannibal. The battle resulted in a decisive Roman defeat.Varro had been a praetor...
, which led indirectly to the disastrous defeat at Cannae
Cannae
Cannae is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Barletta.-Geography:It is situated near the river Aufidus , on a hill on the right Cannae (mod. Canne della Battaglia) is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a...
survived by Africanus, then a very young commander.
The conquests of grandfather and adoptive grandson marked the end of an era, and the decline or demise of the Middle Republic. The two Scipiones, by destroying Carthage militarily and physically (on orders from the Senate), ensured that Rome had no major threat to her expansion around the Mediterranean. Ironically, another Scipio (Scipio Nasica) had opposed any further war with Carthage, arguing that Rome needed a strong rival to keep her older values.
Cultural context
The Scipiones were also famous for their interest in the Hellenistic way of life. Scipio AfricanusScipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
was criticized by many in the Senate for his love of luxury and his Greek style of wearing the toga. Yet it was he and his friends who introduced the idea of formally educating women and children in Greek. They also spearhearded a luxurious style of living, with Africanus building an immense house on the Forum itself (subsequently rebuilt by his son-in-law into the Basilica Sempronia). Scipio is said to have introduced orange trees (from Iberia) to Rome, and also brought many rare flowering plants to Rome from Africa.
Scipio Aemilianus was famous for his Scipionic Circle, a group of scholars and philosophers that he gathered around him in his house in Rome. He was a patron and friend of the historian Polybius
Polybius
Polybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
, the grammarian Lucilius
Lucilius
Lucilius is the nomen of the gens Lucilia of ancient Rome.*Gaius Lucilius, satirist 2nd century BC. Lucilius was credited by Horace and others with originating the genre of satire.*Lucilius Junior, friend and correspondent of the younger Seneca....
, the playwright Terence
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
, and others.
Males
Famous male Scipiones include:- Publius Cornelius Scipio, consular tribune 395 BC, first Scipio to be named in Livy; was Master of the Horse to Marcus Furius CamillusMarcus Furius CamillusMarcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....
. - Lucius Cornelius P.f. Scipio, consul 350 BC350 BCYear 350 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laenas and Scipio...
, possibly son of the previous - Lucius Cornelius Cn.f. Scipio BarbatusLucius Cornelius Scipio BarbatusLucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus was one of the two elected Roman consuls in 298 BC. He led the Roman army to victory against the Etruscans near Volterra...
, consul 298 BC298 BCYear 298 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Barbatus and Centumalus...
, apparently grandson of the previous - Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio AsinaGnaeus Cornelius Scipio AsinaGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War.Scipio Asina was a patrician member of the Scipiones branch of the famous Cornelii, a family with a history as old as the Roman Republic itself. He was son of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus and brother of Lucius...
, consul 260 BC260 BCYear 260 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asina and Duilius...
, 254 BC254 BCYear 254 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asina and Calatinus...
; apparently elder surviving son of the previous - Lucius Cornelius ScipioLucius Cornelius ScipioLucius Cornelius Scipio may refer to:*Lucius Cornelius Scipio , praetor in 174 BC.*Lucius Cornelius Scipio *Lucius Cornelius Scipio...
, consul 259 BC259 BCYear 259 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Florus...
, apparently younger surviving son of no.3 - Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus was a Roman general and statesman.His father was Lucius Cornelius Scipio, son of the patrician censor of 280, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus. His younger brother was Publius Cornelius Scipio, father of the most famous Scipio – Scipio Africanus...
, consul 222 BC222 BCYear 222 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Calvus...
, eldest surviving son of the previous - Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic.A member of the Corneliagens, Scipio served as consul in 218 BC, the first year of the Second Punic War, and sailed with an army from Pisa to Massilia , with the intention of arresting Hannibal's advance on Italy...
, consul 218 BC218 BCYear 218 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Longus...
, second surviving son of no.5 - Publius Cornelius Scipio AfricanusScipio AfricanusPublius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
, famous general, defeated Hannibal of CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
at ZamaZama-Places:*Zama, Numidia, a principal town of the Numidian tribe the Massylii*Zama, Kanagawa, a city of Kanagawa prefecture, Japan*Zama, Mississippi, an unincorporated community in the United States*Zama City, Alberta, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada...
, elder son of the previous - Lucius Cornelius Scipio AsiaticusScipio AsiaticusLucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus was a Roman general and statesman. He was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio and the older brother of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus...
, consul 190 BC190 BCYear 190 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asiaticus and Laelius...
, younger son of no.7 - Publius Cornelius Scipio NasicaPublius Cornelius Scipio NasicaPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica was a consul of ancient Rome in 191 BC. He was a son of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus...
, consul 191 BC191 BCYear 191 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nasica and Glabrio...
, son of no.6 - Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispallus, consul 176 BC176 BCYear 176 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hispallus/Laevinus and Spurinus...
(died in office), cousin of nos.8-10 - Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (augur), elder surviving son of no.8
- Lucius Cornelius ScipioLucius Cornelius P.f. P.n. ScipioLucius Cornelius P.f. P.n. Scipio , Roman praetor in 174 BC, was the younger son of Scipio Africanus Major the great Roman general and statesman by his wife Aemilia Paulla...
, praetor 174 BC174 BCYear 174 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullulus and Scaevola...
, younger surviving son of no.8 - Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica CorculumPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica CorculumPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum was a Roman statesman and member of the gens Cornelia.Corculum was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica , and was thus a first cousin once removed of the Roman general Scipio Africanus...
, consul 162 BC162 BCYear 162 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corculum/Lentulus and Figulus/Ahenobarbus...
, 155 BC155 BCYear 155 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corculum and Marcellus...
, son of no.10 - Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus NumantinusScipio Aemilianus AfricanusPublius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Numantinus , also known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a leading general and politician of the ancient Roman Republic...
(Scipio the Younger, or Scipio Aemilianus), adoptive son of no. 12, and adoptive grandson of no.8 - Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica SerapioPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica SerapioPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio , the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum and his wife Cornelia Africana Major, was a member of the gens Cornelia and a politician of the ancient Roman Republic. He was consul in 138 BC.He was also a member of the gens Cornelia, a family of...
, consul 138 BC138 BCYear 138 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Serapio and Callaicus...
, son of no.14 and grandson maternally of no.8 (Scipio Africanus) - Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica (consul 111 BC)Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio (consul 111 BC)Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio , son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio and wife Caecilia Metella, was a Consul in 111 BC and a Praetor in 98 BC.-Family:...
, son of the previous - Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica, praetor 94 BC94 BCYear 94 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caldus and Ahenobarbus...
, son of the previous - Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus Asiagenus, consul 83 BC83 BCYear 83 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asiaticus and Norbanus...
, descendant of no.9 - Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Cornelianus Scipio NasicaQuintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio NasicaQuintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica , in modern scholarship often as Metellus Scipio, was a Roman consul and military commander in the Late Republic. During the civil war between Julius Caesar and the senatorial faction led by Pompeius Magnus , he remained a staunch optimate...
(Metellus Scipio), consul 52 BC52 BCYear 52 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Scipio...
, natural grandson of no.17, adopted by father's cousin
Females
Famous female Scipiones include:- Cornelia (Africana)Cornelia AfricanaCornelia Scipionis Africana was the second daughter of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the hero of the Second Punic War, and Aemilia Paulla. She is remembered as the perfect example of a virtuous Roman woman....
, daughter of Scipio Africanus and mother 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...
, known for her good character and mothering skills.
People of unknown relationship
The relationship of the following Scipios to all of the above is unknown:- Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio (consul 16 BC)Publius Cornelius Scipio was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito and Scribonia. He was elder brother to Cornelia Scipio and the elder half-brother to Julia the Elder, who was the daughter of Emperor Augustus. Scipio claimed to be a descendent of Scipio Africanus and boasted himself about...
, consul 16 BC16 BCYear 16 BC was either a common year starting on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or a leap year starting on Monday or Tuesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Sunday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
. - Ser. Cornelius Scipio L. Saluidienus Orfitus, consul 149149Year 149 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Priscus...
- Ser. Cornelius Scipio Saluidienus Orfitus, consul 178178Year 178 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus...
See also
- Cornelia (gens)
- Publius Cornelius Scipio (prosopography)
- Roman noble families: Aemilii Paulli, Fabii Maximi, and Sempronii Gracchi
- Scipio Africanus (disambiguation)Scipio Africanus (disambiguation)The name Scipio Africanus may refer to:*Scipio Africanus , Roman general who defeated Hannibal, to whom the name Scipio Africanus usually refers...
- Scipio NasicaScipio NasicaScipio Nasica may refer to:* Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica , consul of Ancient Rome in 191 BC* Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum , his son, twice consul of Ancient Rome in 162 BC and 155 BC...
- Scipio-Paullus-Gracchus family treeScipio-Paullus-Gracchus family treeThe Scipio-Paullus-Gracchus family tree includes the Roman Scipio, Paullus and Gracchus families.See also: List of family trees...
- Tomb of the ScipiosTomb of the ScipiosThe Tomb of the Scipios , also called the hypogaeum Scipionum, was the common tomb of the patrician Scipio family during the Roman Republic for interments between the early 3rd century BC and the early 1st century AD...