The gens Claudia ( Latin: [ˈkɫau̯di.a] ), sometimes written Clodia , was one of the most prominent patrician houses at ancient Rome . The gens traced its origin to the earliest days of the Roman Republic . The first of the Claudii to obtain the consulship was Appius Claudius Sabinus Regillensis , in 495 BC, and from that time its members frequently held the highest offices of the state, both under the Republic and in imperial times .
31-512: Claudia may refer to: People [ edit ] Ancient Romans [ edit ] Any woman from the Roman Claudia gens Claudia (vestal) , a Vestal Virgin who protected her father Appius Claudius Pulcher in 143 BC Claudia Augusta (63–63 AD), infant daughter of Nero by his second wife Claudia Capitolina , princess of Commagene originally from Roman Egypt Claudia Marcella , women of
62-480: A 2019 TV episode Films [ edit ] Claudia (1943 film) Claudia (1959 film) , an East German film Claudia/Jasmine [ id ] , an Indonesian comedy drama film released in 2008 Music [ edit ] Claudia Quintet , an ensemble formed by drummer and composer John Hollenbeck Claudia Rossi, former drummer of Jack Off Jill known mononymously as Claudia Other media [ edit ] Claudia (play) , adapted into
93-508: A series of childhood parental names: "atta, tata, acca," and the like, becoming such names as Tatius (also Sabine) and Atilius . During the late Republic and early Empire, the Claudii Nerones, who gave rise to the Imperial family, adopted the praenomen Decimus , seldom used by any patrician family. Subsequently they began to exchange traditional praenomina for names that first entered
124-455: Is "strong and sturdy." It may be the same as the Umbrian praenomen Nerius . This family was distinguished throughout the latter Republic, and gave rise to several of the early emperors, including Tiberius , Claudius , and Nero . An oddity of the names by which these emperors are known today is that several of their ancestors bore the name Tiberius Claudius Nero ; of three emperors belonging to
155-515: Is a Sabine word becoming clod- in Latin. The name could have come from Greek settlers in Latium, but there is no evidence in favor of this hypothesis. The early Claudii favored the praenomina Appius , Gaius , and Publius . These names were used by the patrician Claudii throughout their history. Tiberius was used by the family of the Claudii Nerones, while Marcus , although used occasionally by
186-618: Is occasionally found in other gentes. However, since there is no tradition that any of the early Claudii were lame, the nomen might refer to some ancestor of Attius Clausus. It could also have been metaphorical, or ironic, and the possibility remains that this derivation is erroneous. The metathesis of Clausus into Claudius , and its common by-form, Clodius , involves the alternation of 'o' and 'au', which seems to have been common in words of Sabine origin. The alternation of 's' and 'd' occurs in words borrowed from Greek: Latin rosa from Greek rhodon ; but in this instance clausus or *closus
217-901: The Claudii Marcelli Claudia Octavia (died 62 AD), first wife of Nero Claudia Procula, a name traditionally attributed to Pontius Pilate's wife Claudia Pulchra , a relative of the imperial family, accused of immorality and treason Claudia Rufina , a woman of British descent who lived in Rome c. 90 AD and was known to the poet Martial Claudia Quinta , who helped bring the statue of Cybele from Pessinus to Rome Claudia Tisamenis , sister of Herodes Atticus Saint Claudia , mentioned in 2 Timothy Modern people [ edit ] Claudia (given name) Media [ edit ] Television [ edit ] Claudia (American TV series) Claudia (telenovela) , Mexican TV series "Claudia" ( Criminal: Germany ) ,
248-612: The Roman Republic was fought. The same cognomen was borne by a family of the Postumii , although in this instance the surname is supposed to have been derived from the Battle of Lake Regillus , in which the victorious Roman general was the dictator Aulus Postumius Albus . Crassus , sometimes given as the diminutive Crassinus , was a common surname usually translated as "thick, solid," or "dull". This cognomen succeeded that of Sabinus as
279-642: The Romans, bringing with him no fewer than five hundred men able to bear arms, according to Dionysius . Clausus, who exchanged his Sabine name for the Latin Appius Claudius , was enrolled among the patricians, and given a seat in the Senate , quickly becoming one of its most influential members. His descendants were granted a burial site at the foot of the Capitoline Hill , and his followers allotted land on
310-435: The aforementioned 1943 film Claudia and David (radio program) , a 1940s radio program, sometimes referred to as simply Claudia Claudia (magazine) , a Polish magazine published by Editora Abril Other uses [ edit ] Hurricane Claudia , the name given to various storms Ethinylestradiol/cyproterone acetate , a birth control pill sometimes sold under the brand name Claudia Claudia (gens) , one of
341-474: The course of centuries produced several very eminent, few great men; hardly a single noble-minded one. In all ages it distinguished itself alike by a spirit of haughty defiance, by disdain for the laws, and iron hardness of heart. During the Republic, no patrician Claudius adopted a member of another gens; the emperor Claudius was the first who broke this custom, by adopting Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, afterwards
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#1732844901482372-493: The earliest patrician Claudii, was favored by the plebeian branches of the family. According to Suetonius, the gens avoided the praenomen Lucius because two early members with this name had brought dishonor upon the family, one having been convicted of highway robbery, and the other of murder. However, the name was used by at least one branch of the Claudii in the final century of the Republic, including one who, as Rex Sacrorum ,
403-518: The emperor Nero . According to legend, the first of the Claudii was a Sabine , by the name of Attius Clausus , who came to Rome with his retainers in 504 BC, the sixth year of the Republic . At this time, the fledgling Republic was engaged in regular warfare with the Sabines, and Clausus is said to have been the leader of a faction seeking to end the conflict. When his efforts failed, he defected to
434-412: The family as cognomina, such as Nero , Drusus , and Germanicus . The patrician Claudii bore various surnames, including Caecus , Caudex , Centho , Crassus , Nero , Pulcher , Regillensis , and Sabinus . The latter two, though applicable to all of the gens, were seldom used when there was a more definite cognomen. A few of the patrician Claudii are mentioned without any surname. The surnames of
465-410: The family who had passed over to the plebeians, while others were probably the descendants of freedmen of the gens. In the later Republic, one of its patrician members voluntarily converted to plebeian status and adopted the spelling " Clodius ". In his life of the emperor Tiberius , who was a scion of the Claudii, the historian Suetonius gives a summary of the gens, and says, "as time went on it
496-538: The far side of the Anio , where they formed the core of what became the " Old Claudian " tribe. The emperor Claudius is said to have referred to these traditions in a speech made before the senate , in which he argued in favor of admitting Gauls to that body. "My ancestors, the most ancient of whom was made at once a citizen and a noble of Rome, encourage me to govern by the same policy of transferring to this city all conspicuous merit, wherever found." By imperial times,
527-404: The influence of the Claudii was so great that the poet Virgil flattered them by a deliberate anachronism. In his Aeneid , he makes Attius Clausus a contemporary of Aeneas , to whose side he rallies with a host of quirites , or spearmen. The nomen Claudius , originally Clausus , is usually said to be derived from the Latin adjective claudus , meaning "lame". As a cognomen , Claudus
558-506: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claudia&oldid=1251730287 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Claudia gens Plebeian Claudii are found fairly early in Rome's history. Some may have been descended from members of
589-471: The most prominent patrician houses at Rome Claudia (crater) , a crater on the asteroid 4 Vesta See also [ edit ] All pages with titles beginning with Claudia Claudius (disambiguation) Claudias Cláudya (born 1948), Brazilian singer Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Claudia . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
620-567: The name was used by plebeian families such as the Junii and the Annii . Thus, it seems more accurate to say that the Claudii were the only patrician family at Rome known to have used Appius . As for its Sabine equivalent, Attius has been the subject of much discussion by philologists. The form Attus is mentioned by Valerius Maximus , who connected it with the bucolic Greek name Atys. Braasch translated it as Väterchen , "little father," and connected it with
651-522: The plebeian Claudii bore the surname Marcellus , which is a diminutive of the praenomen Marcus . They gained everlasting fame from the exploits of Marcus Claudius Marcellus , one of Rome's finest generals, and a towering figure of the Second Punic War , who was five times consul, and won the spolia opima , defeating and killing the Gallic king, Viridomarus , in single combat. Most of those who used
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#1732844901482682-414: The plebeian Claudii were Asellus , Canina , Centumalus , Cicero , Flamen , Glaber , and Marcellus . The earliest Claudii bore the surname Sabinus , a common surname usually referring to a Sabine, or someone of Sabine descent, which according to all tradition, the Claudii were. This cognomen was first adopted by Appius Claudius, the founder of the gens, and was retained by his descendants, until it
713-447: The same family, one is known by a praenomen, one by a nomen, and one by a cognomen. Some members of the imperial family adopted the fashion of wearing their hair short at the sides and front but long in the back, over the nape of the neck. Describing the appearance of Tiberius, Suetonius calls it a family trait. This style visible on some busts of Tiberius and Caligula , his grandnephew and successor. The most illustrious family of
744-464: The same praenomen, was distinguished by the cognomen Caudex , literally meaning a "treetrunk", although metaphorically it was an insult, meaning a "dolt." According to Seneca , he obtained the surname from his attention to naval affairs. See also Clodius for members of the gens who used the alternate spelling of the name primarily or solely. Claudius (disambiguation) Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 10 BC – 54 AD)
775-562: The spelling Clodius were descended from plebeian members of the gens, but one family by this name was a cadet branch of the patrician Claudii Pulchri, which voluntarily went over to the plebeians, and used the spelling Clodius to differentiate themselves from their patrician relatives. Caecus , the surname of one of the Claudii Crassi, refers to the condition of his blindness, which is well-attested, although it appears that he did not become blind until his old age. Caecus' initial cognomen
806-459: The surname of the main family of the Claudia gens. It was borne by members of the family from the fifth to the third century BC. The other main families of the patrician Claudii were descended from Appius Claudius Caecus , the last recorded member of the Claudii Crassi, who gave a different cognomen to each of his four sons: Russus (or Rufus ), Pulcher, Cento or Centho , and Nero . Pulcher ,
837-440: The surname of the next major branch of the Claudia gens, means beautiful , although it may be that the cognomen was given ironically. The Claudii Pulchri were an extensive family, which supplied the Republic with several consuls, and survived into imperial times. The other main branch of the patrician Claudii bore the surname Nero , originally a Sabine praenomen described as meaning, fortis ac strenuus , which roughly translated
868-504: Was Crassus. According to one legend, he was struck blind by the gods during his censorship , after inducing the ancient family of the Potitii to teach the sacred rites of Hercules to the public slaves. The Potitii themselves were said to have perished as a result of this sacrilege. However, Claudius was relatively young at the time of his censorship in 312 BC, and was elected consul sixteen years later, in 296. Caecus' brother, who shared
899-569: Was certainly patrician. To these names, the plebeian Claudii added Quintus and Sextus , though Elizabeth Rawson has argued that Quintus was acceptable among the Pulchri as well. The praenomen Appius is often said to have been unique to the Claudii, and nothing more than a Latinization of the Sabine Attius . But in fact there are other figures in Roman history named "Appius", and in later times
930-469: Was honoured with twenty-eight consulships, five dictatorships, seven censorships, six triumphs, and two ovations." Writing several decades after the fall of the so-called " Julio-Claudian dynasty ", Suetonius took care to mention both the good and wicked deeds attributed to members of the family. The patrician Claudii were noted for their pride and arrogance, and intense hatred of the commonalty. In his History of Rome, Niebuhr writes, That house during
961-403: Was replaced by Crassus . Regillensis or Inregillensis , a surname of the earliest Claudii, is said to be derived from the town of Regillum , a Sabine settlement, where Appius Claudius lived with his family and retainers before coming to Rome. Its exact location is unknown, but it must have been in the vicinity of Lake Regillus, where one of the most important battles in the early history of