The gens Aemilia , originally written Aimilia , was one of the greatest patrician families at ancient Rome . The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius , the second King of Rome . Its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to imperial times . The Aemilii were almost certainly one of the gentes maiores , the most important of the patrician families. Their name was associated with three major roads (the Via Aemilia , the Via Aemilia Scauri , and the Via Aemilia in Hirpinis [ it ] ), an administrative region of Italy, and the Basilica Aemilia at Rome.
48-452: Aemilia may refer to: People and places in classical history [ edit ] Aemilia (gens) , patrician family of ancient Rome, and the female members of this gens Aemilia Tertia (c. 230–163 or 162 BC), third daughter of Lucius Aemilius Paullus, and wife of Scipio Africanus Aemilia Hilaria (c. 300–c. 363), ancient Roman physician Aemilia Lepida , any of several female members of
96-455: A centre which may well have been Castel Gandolfo, whose significantly larger necropolis suggests a larger town. In the later republican period the territory of Alba (the Ager Albanus ) was settled once again with many residential villas , which are mentioned in ancient literature and of which remains are extant. Since the 16th century, the site has been at various times identified as that of
144-490: A derivation is certainly false etymology . A more likely derivation is from aemulus , "a rival". According to a different legend, the Aemilii were descended from Aemylos, a son of Ascanius , four hundred years before the time of Numa Pompilius. Still another version relates that the gens was descended from Amulius , the wicked uncle of Romulus and Remus , who deposed his brother Numitor to become king of Alba Longa . In
192-548: A dispute erupted between a group of Romans and Albans, he seized upon the mutual accusations of robbery as a pretext for conflict. Both sides sent emissaries to demand redress. When the Alban delegation arrived in Rome, Tullus purposefully gave them such a warm greeting that they delayed making their demand. The Roman delegates, however, immediately addressed the Albans and were refused. By virtue of
240-539: A half, from the time of the Samnite Wars down to the early second century BC. Their surname, Papus , like Mamercus , appears to be of Oscan origin. The name Aemilius Papus occurs again in the time of the emperor Hadrian , but properly speaking these appear to have belonged to the Messia gens, and probably claimed descent from the more illustrious Aemilii through a female line. Barbula , or "little beard", occurs as
288-466: A powerful state in the area of the Alban Hills at this time". It is unlikely, in the opinion of classicist Tim Cornell, that there was any urbanised city-state capable of holding hegemony in the region at the time. Nor is there any convincing evidence to connect the modern town of Albano Laziale with the ancient Alba Longa. Much of the prominence of Alba Longa in the ancient world was due to its status as
336-578: A praenomen. A surname of the later Aemilii, Regillus , seems to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum , better known as the ancestral home of the Claudia gens , and perhaps alludes to the Sabine origin of the Aemilii. The roots of the Aemilia gens was also connected to the very founding of Rome through the claim that it descended from Aemilia, the daughter of Aeneas and Lavinia . The Aemilii regularly used
384-503: A religious centre, as it hosted the annual Latin Festival on the mons Albanus in honour of Jupiter Latiaris . Archaeological data show the existence of a string of villages in the Iron Age , each with its own necropolis , along the south-western shore of Lake Albano. At the time it was destroyed by Rome, these villages must have still been in a pre-urban phase, beginning to group around
432-637: A ridge. Dionysius of Halicarnassus repeated the story, but added that Ascanius, following an oracle given to his father, collected other Latin populations as well. Noting that alba means "white" and longa means "long", he translated the name into the Greek language as "long white town". Dionysius placed the town between the Alban Mount and the Alban Lake , thus beginning a long controversy about its location. There is, however, "no archaeological evidence of
480-666: A surname, Paullus appeared in many families down to the latest period of the Empire, but none were more famous than the Aemilii Paulli. This family was descended from Marcus Aemilius Paullus, consul in 302 BC, and vanished with the death of Lucius Aemilius Paullus , the conqueror of Macedonia , in 160 BC. His sons, though grown, were adopted into the families of the Fabii Maximi and the Cornelii Scipiones. The Aemilii Lepidi revived
528-667: A vassal state of Rome. Not long afterwards, war did indeed break out with Veii and also with the Fidenates. Mettius and the Albans were ordered to march to battle with Tullus and the Romans, and they met the Etruscans on the far side of the Anio , on the banks of the Tiber . However, when the battle commenced, Mettius led his troops away from the battle, leaving the Romans to fight the Etruscans alone. Rome
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#1732844457609576-486: Is connected with the early Roman traditions, for Silvia the mother of Romulus was a priestess. They were finally established in Rome during the reign of Numa , where they would remain until the institution was disestablished with the rise of Christianity during the late Roman Empire. On the top of the Monte Cavo (Mons Albanus) was a very ancient shrine consecrated to Jupiter Latiaris. Florus (2nd century) states that
624-515: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Aemilia (gens) Several stories were told of the foundation of the Aemilii, of which the most familiar was that their ancestor, Mamercus, was the son of Numa Pompilius. In the late Republic, several other gentes claimed descent from Numa, including the Pompilii , Pomponii , Calpurnii , and Pinarii . A variation of this account stated that Mamercus
672-541: Is implausible, likely anachronistic, and "cannot be historically true in a literal sense". Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of small villages in the area of the Alban hills during the late Bronze and early Iron Ages, but they failed to develop into cities and "are certainly unlikely to have founded Rome". Silver serrate denarius struck by C. Sulpicius C. f. Galba in Rome 106 BC. ref.: Sulpicia 1., Sydenham 572., Craw. 312/1 According to Roman mythology , after
720-629: The Julii , Servilii , Quinctii , Geganii , Curiatii and Cloelii . Tullus built a new senate house, the Curia Hostilia , to house the enlarged Roman senate . He also recruited ten new turmae of equites from amongst the Albans, and new legions. The Alban immigrants lived on the Caelian Hill in Rome. The temple of Vesta which stood at the foot of the Palatine hill outside Rome presumably predated
768-567: The fall of Troy in 1184 BC, Aeneas led a group of surviving Trojans through the Mediterranean Sea to Sicily , Carthage , and eventually the Italian Peninsula . On landing in Italy he was welcomed by Latinus , king of the early Latins . Soon, Aeneas married king Latinus' daughter, Lavinia , and founded the city of Lavinium in her name. Latinus later fell in war, making Aeneas king of
816-403: The Aemilii are known to have used the numerical praenomina Prima , Secunda , and Tertia , although these were frequently treated as cognomina, and placed at the end of the name. The oldest stirps of the Aemilii bore the surname Mamercus , together with its diminutive, Mamercinus ; these appear somewhat interchangeably in early generations. This family flourished from the earliest period to
864-556: The Aemilii, like Numa, were almost certainly of Sabine origin. The praenomen Mamercus is derived from Mamers , a god worshipped by the Sabelli of central and southern Italy, and usually regarded as the Sabellic form of Mars . At Rome, this name, and its diminutive, Mamercinus , were known primarily as cognomina of the Aemilii and the Pinarii, although the Aemilii continued to use it as
912-481: The Alban's first refusal, Tullus was justified in declaring war. Livy describes the war as being akin to a civil war because the Romans were said to be descended from the Albans. The king of the Albans, Cluilius, marched with his army into Roman territory, established a camp, and dug a huge trench around Rome, which became known as the Cluilian trench . However, Cluilius died in the camp of unspecified causes, whereupon
960-450: The Albans appointed Mettius Fufetius as dictator to lead the army in his place. Tullus emerged from Rome with his army, passed the Alban camp at night and marched into Alban territory. Mettius followed, camped near the Roman army, and then sent a representative to invite Tullus to confer before any engagement. Tullus accepted the invitation. However, both sides were drawn up for battle while
1008-574: The Convent of St. Paul at Palazzola near Albano , Coste Caselle near Marino , and Castel Gandolfo . The last named of these places in fact occupies the site of the Villa of Domitian which, according to Juvenal , was situated on the arx of Alba. The Roman tradition held that Alba Longa was an urbanised city-state which founded a number of Latin colonies which it then organised into a Latin League . This narrative
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#17328444576091056-470: The Latins and his son Ascanius (also called Iulus) his successor. A few years later, Aeneas was killed in battle, like Latinus, and Ascanius became king of the Latins . Ascanius is said to have built Alba Longa as his capital on the slope of Mount Alba, resettling six hundred families there as a colony of Lavinium in 1151 BC, only thirty years after Lavinium itself was founded. His descendants then ruled
1104-552: The Latins for another five hundred years. According to Festus , these kings were considered the source of the red or Tyrian purple calceus mulleus later worn by the Roman patricians . Alba Longa was reportedly the leading city of the roughly thirty cities, its colonies, that it led in the Latin League . The league's conferences were held by the Ferentine spring , in the scenic part of
1152-542: The Romans called Penates . Roman mythology claims that the Penates were Trojan gods first introduced to Italy by Aeneas. Among these household gods must have been Vesta who has been referred to as Vesta Iliaca (Vesta of Troy), with her sacred hearth being named Iliaci foci (Trojan hearth). The priestesses of Vesta, known as Vestal Virgins , administered her temple and watched the eternal fire. Their existence in Alba Longa
1200-532: The arrival of Aeneas. Roman tradition held that Rome itself was founded as a colony of Alba Longa, by Romulus and Remus, two of the city's princes, who had been banished at birth in a dynastic struggle. The ancient Romans dated this event to the middle of the eighth century BC. In the seventh century BC, the Roman king Tullus Hostilius succeeded Numa Pompilius . During his reign, Rome's attitude toward its neighbours no longer reflected Numa's peaceful nature. Now it reflected Tullus's own predilection for war. When
1248-456: The bloodline of Aeneas , a son of Venus . According to Livy , Roman patrician families such as the Julii , Servilii , Quinctii , Geganii , Curiatii and Cloelii originated in Alba Longa. Livy said of Alba Longa that it was founded by Ascanius to relieve crowding at Lavinium . He placed it at the foot of the Alban Mount and said that it took its name from being extended along
1296-467: The city, which at the time of its founding only occupied the top of the hill: the hearth of Vesta would not ordinarily be built outside a city's walls. Worship of Vesta in Italy began in Lavinium , the mother-city of Alba Longa. From Lavinium worship of Vesta was transferred to Alba Longa. Upon entering higher office, Roman magistrates would go to Lavinium to offer sacrifice to Vesta and the household gods
1344-509: The first century AD. In the final decades of the Republic, they revived a number of names originally belonging to older stirpes of the Aemilian gens, including Mamercus as a praenomen, Regillus as a cognomen, and Paullus as both. The last generations were related by marriage to the imperial family . The Aemilii Scauri flourished from the beginning of the second century BC to the beginning of
1392-407: The first century AD. Their surname, Scaurus , referred to the appearance of the feet or ankles; Chase suggests "swollen ankles". The cognomina Regillus and Buca apparently belonged to short-lived families. Regillus appears to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum, perhaps alluding to the Sabine origin of the gens. The Aemilii Regilli flourished for about two generations, beginning at
1440-419: The gens Aemilia Emilia (region of Italy) Via Aemilia , a Roman road Other uses [ edit ] Aemilia (moth) 159 Aemilia , an asteroid Dutch ship Aemilia (1632) , a Dutch ship of the line See also [ edit ] Emily (given name) Emilia (given name) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
1488-403: The late Republic, a number of minor families claimed descent from the figures of Rome's legendary past, including through otherwise unknown sons of Numa. Modern historians dismiss these as late inventions, but the claim of the Aemilii was much older, and there was no corresponding need to demonstrate the antiquity of a gens that was already prominent at the beginning of the Republic. In any case,
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1536-408: The leaders met between the two forces. At the conference, Mettius proposed that the dispute be resolved by some means other than mass bloodshed, citing the concern that the nearby Etruscans would fall upon the two Latin states if these were weakened by war and unable to defend themselves. It was agreed that a set of triplets from each side, three brothers Horatii and three Curiatii, would battle for
1584-517: The name toward the end of the Republic, when it was fashionable for younger branches of aristocratic families to revive the surnames of older, more illustrious stirpes. The cognomen Lepidus belongs to a class of surnames derived from the habits of the habits of the bearer, and evidently referred to someone with a pleasant demeanor. The Aemilii Lepidi appear only a generation after the Aemilii Paulli, beginning with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 285 BC, and produced many illustrious statesmen down to
1632-555: The only references to them contain no surname. Some of these may have been descended from freedmen , and been plebeians . Aemilii with a variety of surnames are found in imperial times. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Smith, William , ed. (1870). "Aemilia gens". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources)
1680-552: The plebs: others become Latin cities. The others were ceded to the Latins to maintain a consistent thirty townships, thirty being of great importance among the Latin kingdoms as twelve was to the Ionians (or 4 divided into 3 parts each). Accordingly, the Latin kingdom of Latinus , and the Rutulian kingdom of Turnus must have had thirty cities each with Laurentum as the Latin capital prior to
1728-504: The praenomina Lucius , Manius , Marcus , and Quintus , and occasionally Mamercus . The Aemilii Mamercini also used Tiberius and Gaius , while the Aemilii Lepidi, who had a particular fondness for old and unusual names, used Paullus , presumably with reference to the family of the Aemilii Paulli, which had died out nearly a century earlier. An obscure family of uncertain date seems to have used Caeso . The daughters of
1776-545: The site was selected by Ascanius , who, having founded Alba, invited all the Latins to celebrate sacrifices there to Jupiter , a custom which eventually led to the annual celebration there of the Feriae Latinae , at which all the cities that belonged to the Latin Confederation would gather under the aegis of Alba, sacrificing a white bull, the flesh of which was distributed among all the participants. After Alba Longa
1824-414: The surname of one branch of the Aemilii, which appears in history for about a century beginning in the time of the Samnite Wars, and accounting for several consulships. Paullus , occasionally found as Paulus , was an old praenomen, meaning "little". As a praenomen, its masculine form had fallen into disuse at Rome, although the feminine form, Paulla , in various orthographies, was very common. As
1872-514: The time of the Samnite Wars . Several other important families, with the surnames Papus, Barbula, Paullus , and Lepidus , date from this period, and were probably descended from the Mamercini. The most illustrious of the family was undoubtedly Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus , three times dictator in the second half of the fifth century BC. The Aemilii Papi occur in history for about a century and
1920-466: The time of the Second Punic War. Buca , probably the same as Bucca , referred to someone with prominent cheeks, or perhaps someone known for shouting or wailing. The Aemilii Buci are known chiefly from coins, and seem to have flourished toward the end of the Republic. As with other prominent gentes of the Republic, there were some Aemilii whose relationship to the major families is unclear, as
1968-404: The title Aemilia . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aemilia&oldid=1160206497 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with given-name-holder lists Feminine given names Hidden categories: Short description
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2016-402: The valley between Albano and Marino , until the middle of the fourth century. The sacrifices of the league were offered on the Alban mountain from which all the country of Latium might be seen. The colonies of Alba Longa were distinct from the Alban townships which must have consisted of Albani plebs , as the genuine Albans were the populus . Among the Alban colonies some become part of
2064-519: The victory of the two states. Livy refers to conflict amongst his own sources as to which set of brothers represented which state, but prefers the view that the Horatii were the Romans, and the Curiatii Albans. Vows were entered into in a most solemn form by each of the Romans and the Albans as to this agreement by which the future of each state would be bound by the outcome of the fight. Marcus Valerius
2112-673: Was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills . The ancient Romans believed it to be the founder and head of the Latin League , before it was destroyed by the Roman Kingdom around the middle of the 7th century BC and its inhabitants were forced to settle in Rome. In legend, Romulus and Remus , founders of Rome, had come from the royal dynasty of Alba Longa, which in Virgil 's Aeneid had been
2160-427: Was appointed Fetial , and Spurius Fusius Pater Patratus , for the purposes of binding Rome by the treaty. The combat commenced. Two of the Romans were the first to fall. Then the remaining Roman, Publius Horatius, slew the three Albans, and thus won victory for Rome. Afterwards, Tullus ordered Mettius to return with his army to Alba, but to be prepared in the event of war with Veii . The Albans became, in substance,
2208-482: Was destroyed and her leadership role was assumed by Rome, tradition records the building of a full-scale temple to Jupiter Latiaris on the Alban Mount in the reign of Tarquinius Superbus ; of which only a few courses of perimeter wall remain today, now removed off site. There are, however, substantial remains of the paved road that connected it to the Via Appia near Aricia . Much of the science fiction story " To Bring
2256-405: Was the son of Pythagoras , who was sometimes said to have taught Numa. However, as Livy observed, this was not possible, as Pythagoras was not born until more than a century after Numa's death, and was still living in the early days of the Republic. This Mamercus is said to have received the name of Aemilius because of the persuasiveness of his language ( δι᾽ αἱμυλίαν λόγου ), although such
2304-413: Was victorious against the Etruscans. After the battle, Tullus executed Mettius for his perfidy. Then, on Tullus' orders, the Roman soldiers demolished the 400-year-old city of Alba Longa, leaving only the temples standing, and the entire population of Alba Longa was transported to Rome, thereby doubling the number of Roman citizens. Tullus enlisted the leading families of Alba amongst the patricians , namely
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