Veturia (gens)
Encyclopedia
The gens Veturia, anciently called Vetusia, was a patrician family at Rome
, which also had plebeian
branches. The patrician branch was of great antiquity; according to tradition, one of their number, Mamurius Veturius, lived in the time of Numa Pompilius
, and made the sacred ancilia
.
The Veturii are also mentioned in the early times of the Republic
, and one of them, Publius Veturius Geminus Cicurinus, was consul
in the eleventh year of the Republic, 499 BC. The Veturii rarely occur in later times of the Republic, and after the year 206 BC, when Lucius Veturius Philo was consul, their name disappears from the Fasti
.
, we may conclude that the Veturii were of Sabine
origin, and belonged to the second tribe at Rome, the Tities or Titienses. The ancient form of the nomen, Vetusius, followed the same pattern as a number of other nomina, including Fusius, Papisius, Numisius, and Valesius, which became Furius, Papirius, Numerius, and Valerius.
. The two eldest branches, which each bore the cognomen
Cicurinus, both appear to have been descended from sons of Publius Veturius Geminus Cicurinus. The branch which retained the surname Geminus used Titus
and Gaius
, while the Crassi Cicurini used Spurius
, Tiberius
, Marcus
, Lucius
, and Gaius. Titus and Spurius were the dominant praenomina in the early generations of the family, while Lucius was the most common name amongst the later Veturii. The Veturii Philones also used the praenomen Postumus
.
Cicurinus was the cognomen of a patrician family of the gens. Varro
says that the Veturii obtained the surname from their quiet and domesticated (cicur) disposition. Cicurinus seems to have been the name of two distinct families of the Veturia gens, which were called respectively the Crassi Cicurini and Gemini Cicurini.
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....
, which also had 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...
branches. The patrician branch was of great antiquity; according to tradition, one of their number, Mamurius Veturius, lived in the time of Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. What tales are descended to us about him come from Valerius Antias, an author from the early part of the 1st century BC known through limited mentions of later authors , Dionysius of Halicarnassus circa 60BC-...
, and made the sacred ancilia
Ancile
The Ancile, in ancient Rome, is the legendary buckler shield of the god Mars, said to have fallen from heaven, upon Numa Pompilius. At the same time, a voice was heard which declared that Rome should be mistress of the world while the shield was preserved. The Ancile was, as it were, the palladium...
.
The Veturii are also mentioned in the early times of the 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 one of them, Publius Veturius Geminus Cicurinus, was consul
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...
in the eleventh year of the Republic, 499 BC. The Veturii rarely occur in later times of the Republic, and after the year 206 BC, when Lucius Veturius Philo was consul, their name disappears from the 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...
.
Origin of the gens
From the tradition of Mamurius Veturius being connected with the history of Numa, and also from his having two gentile namesRoman 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...
, we may conclude that the Veturii were of Sabine
Sabine
The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Appennines of ancient Italy, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome...
origin, and belonged to the second tribe at Rome, the Tities or Titienses. The ancient form of the nomen, Vetusius, followed the same pattern as a number of other nomina, including Fusius, Papisius, Numisius, and Valesius, which became Furius, Papirius, Numerius, and Valerius.
Praenomina used by the gens
Each branch of the Veturii used a slightly different group of praenominaPraenomen
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...
. The two eldest branches, which each bore 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...
Cicurinus, both appear to have been descended from sons of Publius Veturius Geminus Cicurinus. The branch which retained the surname Geminus used 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...
and 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...
, while the Crassi Cicurini used Spurius
Spurius (praenomen)
Spurius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was used primarily during the period of the Roman Republic, and which fell into disuse in imperial times. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Spurilia. The feminine form is Spuria...
, Tiberius
Tiberius (praenomen)
Tiberius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was used throughout Roman history. Although not especially common, it was used by both patrician and plebeian families. The feminine form is Tiberia. The name is usually abbreviated Ti., but occasionally Tib.For most of Roman history, Tiberius...
, Marcus
Marcus (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...
, 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...
, and Gaius. Titus and Spurius were the dominant praenomina in the early generations of the family, while Lucius was the most common name amongst the later Veturii. The Veturii Philones also used the praenomen Postumus
Postumus (praenomen)
Postumus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was most common during the early centuries of the Roman Republic. It gave rise to the patronymic gens Postumia, and later became a common cognomen, or surname. The feminine form is Postuma...
.
Branches and cognomina of the gens
The Veturii were divided into families, bearing respectively the names of Calvinus, Crassus Cicurinus, Geminus Cicurinus, and Philo. The coins of the Veturia gens have no cognomen upon them.Cicurinus was the cognomen of a patrician family of the gens. Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro was an ancient Roman scholar and writer. He is sometimes called Varro Reatinus to distinguish him from his younger contemporary Varro Atacinus.-Biography:...
says that the Veturii obtained the surname from their quiet and domesticated (cicur) disposition. Cicurinus seems to have been the name of two distinct families of the Veturia gens, which were called respectively the Crassi Cicurini and Gemini Cicurini.
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.- Mamurius Veturius, or Veturius Mamurius, made the sacred anciliaAncileThe Ancile, in ancient Rome, is the legendary buckler shield of the god Mars, said to have fallen from heaven, upon Numa Pompilius. At the same time, a voice was heard which declared that Rome should be mistress of the world while the shield was preserved. The Ancile was, as it were, the palladium...
in the reign of Numa PompiliusNuma PompiliusNuma Pompilius was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. What tales are descended to us about him come from Valerius Antias, an author from the early part of the 1st century BC known through limited mentions of later authors , Dionysius of Halicarnassus circa 60BC-...
, the second King of RomeKing of RomeThe King of Rome was the chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine Hill. Seven legendary kings are said to have ruled Rome until 509 BC, when the last king was overthrown. These kings ruled for...
. - VeturiaVeturiaVeturia was a Roman matron, the mother of the possibly legendary Roman general Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Veturia came from a patrician family and encouraged her son's involvement in Roman politics...
, the mother of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. - Titus Veturius CalvinusTitus Veturius CalvinusTitus Veturius Calvinus was a Roman statesman, who held the consulship in 334 and 321 BC, the latter year during the Second Samnite War.As consul in 321, Calvinus and the other consul, Spurius Postumius Albinus, were defeated by the Samnites at the Battle of the Caudine Forks where they were...
, consulRoman 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...
in 334 and 321 BC, during the Second Samnite War, defeated 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...
. - Tiberius Veturius Gracchus Sempronianus, apparently one of the Sempronii, who had been adopted into the gens Veturia, and was subsequently elected augur to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus in 174 BC.
- Mamurius Veturius, or Veturius Mamurius, made the sacred ancilia
Veturii Gemini Cicurini
- Publius Veturius Geminus Cicurinus, one of the first 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....
s in 509 BC, and subsequently consul in 499 BC. - Titus Veturius Geminus Cicurinus, consul in 494 BC, proceeded against the AequiAequithumb|300px|Location of the Aequi in central Italy.The Aequi were an ancient people of northeast Latium and the central Appennines of Italy who appear in the early history of ancient Rome. After a long struggle for independence from Rome they were defeated and substantial Roman colonies were...
, who retreated into the mountains at his approach. - Titus Veturius T. f. Geminus Cicurinus, consul in 462 BC, defeated the VolsciVolsciThe Volsci were an ancient Italic people, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. They then inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the south, the Hernici on the east, and stretching roughly from...
, and received an ovationOvationThe ovation was a lower form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted, when war was not declared between enemies on the level of states, when an enemy was considered basely inferior or when the general conflict was resolved with little to no bloodshed or danger to the army itself.The general...
. - Gaius Veturius P. f. Geminus Cicurinus, consul in 455 BC, defeated the AequiAequithumb|300px|Location of the Aequi in central Italy.The Aequi were an ancient people of northeast Latium and the central Appennines of Italy who appear in the early history of ancient Rome. After a long struggle for independence from Rome they were defeated and substantial Roman colonies were...
.
Veturii Crassi Cicurini
- Spurius Veturius P. f. (Crassus) Cicurinus, father of the decemvir.
- Spurius Veturius S. f. P. n. Crassus Cicurinus, one of the decemvirsDecemviriDecemviri is a Latin term meaning "Ten Men" which designates any such commission in the Roman Republic...
appointed to codify the first ten tablesTwelve TablesThe Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centrepiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum...
of Roman law, in 451 BC. - Spurius Veturius S. f. S. n. Crassus Cicurinus, tribunus militum consulari potestateTribuni militum consulari potestateThe tribuni militum consulari potestate , in English commonly also Consular Tribunes, were tribunes elected with consular power during the "Conflict of the Orders" in the Roman Republic, starting in 444 BC and then continuously from 408 BC to 394 BC and again from 391 BC to 367 BC.According to the...
in 417 BC. - Tiberius Veturius S. f. Crassus Cicurinus, father of the consular tribune of 399 BC.
- Marcus Veturius Ti. f. S. n. Crassus Cicurinus, tribunus militum consulari potestate in 399 BC, the only patrician elected this year; his five colleagues were all plebeians.
- Lucius Veturius S. f. Crassus Cicurinus, father of the consular tribune of 368 and 367 BC.
- Gaius Veturius (L. f. S. n.) Crassus Cicurinus, tribunus militum consulari potestate in 377 and 369 BC.
- Lucius Veturius L. f. S. n. Crassus Cicurinus, tribunus militum consulari potestate in 368 and 367 BC.
Veturii Philones
- Postumus Veturius Philo, grandfather of the consul of 220 BC.
- Lucius Veturius Post. f. Philo, father of the consul of 220 BC.
- Lucius Veturius L. f. Post. n. Philo, consul in 220 BC, dictatorRoman dictatorIn the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
in 217 and censor in 210 BC. - Lucius Veturius L. f. L. n. Philo, consul in 206 BC, and subsequently accompanied ScipioScipio 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...
on his African campaign.