The gens Quinctia, sometimes written Quintia, was a patrician family at ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the Roman Republic, its members often held the highest offices of the state, and it produced some men of importance even during the imperial period. For the first forty years after the expulsion of the kings the Quinctii are not mentioned, and the first of the gens who obtained the Roman consul was Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus in 471 BC; but from that year their name constantly appears in the Fasti consulares.[ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, pp. 633, 634 ("").][Livy, i. 30.][Niebuhr, History of Rome, ii. 291, 292.]
As with other patrician families, in later times there were also plebeian Quinctii. Some of these may have been the descendants of freedman of the gens, or of patrician Quinctii who had voluntarily gone over to the plebs. There may also have been unrelated persons who happened to share the same nomen.
Pliny the Elder relates that it was the custom in the Quinctia gens for even the women not to wear any ornaments of gold.[Pliny the Elder, xxxiii. 1. s. 6.]
Origin
The Quinctia gens was one of the
Alban people houses removed to Rome by
Tullus Hostilius, and enrolled by him among the patricians. It was consequently one of the
minores gentes. The nomen Quinctius is a patronymic surname based on the
praenomen Quintus. The spelling
Quintius is common in later times, but
Quinctius is the ancient and more correct form, which occurs on coins and in the Fasti Capitolini.
Praenomina
The main praenomina used by the Quinctii were
Lucius and
Titus. The family also used the names
Caeso, Gnaeus, and
Quintus. All were very common throughout Roman history, except Caeso, which initially was principally borne among the patrician
Fabia gens.
Ernst Badian therefore suggests that the use of Caeso may reflect an old family connection between the Fabii and the Quinctii.
[Badian, "Family and Early Career", p. 105.] Other praenomina were used by the plebeian Quinctii, such as
Decimus,
Titus, or
Publius.
Branches and cognomina
The three great patrician families of the Quinctia gens bore the
cognomen Capitolinus, Cincinnatus, and
Flamininus. Besides these we find Quinctii with the surnames
Atta, Claudus, Crispinus, Hirpinus, Scapula,
Trogus, and Valgus. A few members of the gens bore no cognomen. The only surname that occurs on coins is that of
Crispinus Sulpicianus, which is found on coins struck in the time of
Augustus.
[Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum, v. 291.] The cognomen Flamininus is also implied on a denarius.
The eldest branches of the gens, those that bore the surnames Capitolinus and Cincinnatus, may have sprung from two brothers, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, six times consul, and Cincinnatus, twice Roman dictator, two of the greatest men of their age. The Fasti show that both men were the son and grandson of Lucius, and the two were well acquainted with one another.[ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 605 ("", No. 1).]
The cognomen Capitolinus is derived from the Capitoline Hill, or Capitoline Hill, one of the famous seven hills of Rome.[ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 603 ("").] The agnomen Barbatus of this family means "bearded".[Chase, pp. 109, 110.] The surname Cincinnatus refers to someone with fine, curly hair, as does the agnomen Crispinus, which belonged to the later Capitolini.[Isidore of Seville, xix. 19.][ Cassell's Latin & English Dictionary.]
Claudus appeared in the beginning of the third century, but was rapidly replaced by Flamininus, which derived from flamen, and also gave rise to the Flaminia gens. This cognomen was likely adopted by the descendants of Lucius Quinctius, who was Flamen Dialis during the third quarter of the third century BC.[Münzer, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families, pp. 110, 117.] The family remained prominent over the next century; their most famous member was Titus Quinctius Flamininus, who defeated Philip V of Macedon in 197 BC.[ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. II, p. 161 ("").][Chase, pp. 111, 112.]
Members
Quinctii Capitolini et Crispini
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Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, consul in 471, 468, 465, 446, 443, and 439 BC.
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Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, consul in 421 BC.
[Livy, iv. 43.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Capitolinus Barbatus, consular tribune in 405 BC.
[Livy, iv. 61.][Zonaras, vii. 20.]
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Titus Quinctius (T. f. L. n. Cincinnatus) Capitolinus, tribunus militum consulari potestate in 385 BC, and magister equitum in the same year to the dictator Aulus Cornelius Cossus.
[Livy, vi. 11.]
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Gnaeus Quinctius Capitolinus, one of the first two Curule aediles elected in 366 BC.
[Livy, vii. 1.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. Pennus Capitolinus Crispinus, Roman dictator in 361 BC, and consul in 354 and 351.
[Broughton, vol. I, pp. 119 (note 2), 124, 127 (note 1).]
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Gnaeus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Capitolinus, dictator clavum fingere in 331 BC.
[ Fasti Capitolini.][Livy, viii. 18.][His nomen is given as Quinctilius by Livy, but this seems an error, and Gnaeus was not a praenomen used by the Quinctilii.]
-
Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Crispinus, praetor in 209 BC, then consul in 208 with Marcus Claudius Marcellus, during the Second Punic War; wounded near Taranto, and died at the close of the year.
[Broughton, vol. I, pp. 286, 289, 290.]
-
Lucius Quinctius Crispinus, praetor in 186 BC, was assigned Hither Spain as his province.
[Münzer, Römische Adelsparteien und Adelsfamilien, p. 117][Broughton, vol. I, p. 371.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. Crispinus Sulpicianus, consul in 9 BC.
[ Fasti Magistrorum Vici, .][Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy, p. 57.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Crispinus Valerianus, consul suffectus in AD 2, and a member of the Arval Brethren from at least AD 14 to after 21.
[Lewis, The Official Priests of Rome, p. 122.]
Quinctii Cincinnati
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Cincinnatus, consul in 460 BC, and dictator in 458 and 439.
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Caeso Quinctius, son of the dictator, died in exile.
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Lucius Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 438, 425, and 420 BC, and magister equitum in 437.
[Livy, iv. 16, 17, 35, 44.][Diodorus Siculus, xii. 38, xii. 81.]
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Titus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus Pennus, consul in 431 and 428 BC, and consular tribune in 426.
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Quintus Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 415 and 405 BC.
[Livy, iv. 49, 61.][Diodorus Siculus, xiii. 34, xiv. 17.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Cincinnatus Capitolinus, consular tribune in 388 and 384 BC, and dictator in 380.
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Lucius Quinctius (L. f. L. n.) Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 386, 385, and 377 BC.
[Livy, vi. 6, 32, 33.][Diodorus Siculus, xv. 25, 28, 61.]
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Gaius Quinctius Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 377 BC.
[Livy, vi. 32.]
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Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus, consular tribune in 369 BC.
[Livy, vi. 36.]
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Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus Capitolinus, consular tribune in 368 BC, and magister equitum in 367.
[Livy, vi. 38, 42.][Diodorus Siculus, xv. 78.]
Quinctii Claudi et Flaminini
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Lucius Quinctius Cn. f. T. n. (Claudus), a military tribune in 326 BC under Quintus Publilius Philo. He was probably the son of Gnaeus Quinctius Capitolinus, dictator in 331, and the father of Caeso Quinctius Claudus, consul in 271.
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Caeso Quinctius L. f. Cn. n. Claudus, consul in 271 BC.
[ Fasti Capitolini.][Cassiodorus, 354.][Broughton, vol. I, p. 198.]
-
Lucius Quinctius K. f. L. n. (Claudus), Flamen Dialis during the third quarter of the third century BC. He was probably a son of Caeso Quinctius Claudus, consul in 271.
[Münzer, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families, pp. 110, 117, who thought that he was the consul's brother.][Rüpke, Fasti Sacerdotum, p. 864 (notes 5, 6).]
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Titus Quinctius L. f. K. n. Flamininus, son of Lucius Quinctius, the Flamen Dialis, and father of Titus and Lucius Quinctius Flamininus, the consuls of 198 and 192 BC.
-
Caeso Quinctius L. f. K. n. Flamininus, one of the duumviri ordered to contract for the building of the temple of Concordia, in 217 BC.
[Livy, xxii. 33.]
-
Quinctius L. f. K. n. Claudus Flamininus, praetor in 208 BC, sent to Taranto, where he stayed as propraetor until 205. He was either the third son of Lucius Quinctius, the Flamen Dialis, or the same man as Caeso Quinctius Flamininus, the duumvir of 217.
[Badian, "Family and Early Career", pp. 107, 108, who notes that the mistake predates the composition of Livy's book. Badian also adds that Titus Flamininus, the consul of 198, succeeded his uncle as propraetor of Tarentum in 205 BC, thus making sense of this important appointment very early in Titus' career.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. L. n. Flamininus, consul in 198 BC, and censor in 189; defeated Philip V of Macedon at the Battle of Cynoscephalae.
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Lucius Quinctius T. f. L. n. Flamininus, a general under his elder brother, Titus, during the war against Philip, and consul in 192 BC. He was created augur in 212 BC.
[Livy, xxv. 2.]
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Caeso Quinctius K. f. L. f. Flamininus, praetor in 177 BC. He was the likely son of Caeso Quinctius Flamininus, the duumvir of 217.
[Livy, xli. 12.][Broughton, vol. I, p. 398.][Badian, "Family and Early Career", pp. 105, 106.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. Flamininus, ambassador to Cotys IV, the King of Thrace, in 167 BC; elected augur the same year.
[Livy, xli. 43, xlv. 42, 44.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, consul in 150 BC.
[Cicero, Cato Maior de Senectute, 5, Epistulae ad Atticum, xii. 5.][Pliny the Elder, vii. 36.]
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Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, consul in 123 BC.
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Titus Quinctius T. f. T. n. Flamininus, triumvir monetalis in 126 BC. He was probably the son of the consul of 123.
Others
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Decimus Quinctius, a man of obscure birth, but great military reputation, commanded the Roman fleet at Tarentum in 210 BC, during the Second Punic War, and was slain in a naval engagement that year.
[Livy, xxvi. 39.]
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Titus Quinctius Trogus, accused by the quaestor Marcus Sergius.
[Varro, De Lingua Latina, vi. 90-92, ed. Müller.]
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Titus Quinctius Atta, a Roman comic poet, who died in 78 BC.
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Publius Quinctius, defended by Cicero in his first major oration, Pro Quinctio, in 81 BC.
[Cicero, Pro Quinctio.]
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Lucius Quinctius, praetor in 67 BC, an opponent of the constitution of Sulla, and a rival of Lucullus.
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Titus Quinctius Scapula, a partisan of Pompey during the Civil War.
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Quinctius Hirpinus, a friend of the poet Horace.
[Horace, Carmen Saeculare, ii. 11, Epistulae, i. 16.]
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Gaius Quinctius Atticus, consul suffectus in November and December in AD 69.
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Publius Quinctius Scapula, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as an instance of sudden death.
[Pliny the Elder, vii. 53, s. 54.]
See also
Footnotes
Bibliography
Ancient sources
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Cicero, Cato Maior de Senectute, Epistulae ad Atticum, Pro Quinctio.
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Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica (Library of History).
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Marcus Terentius Varro, De Lingua Latina (On the Latin Language).
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Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), Carmen Saeculare, Epistulae.
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Titus Livius (Livy), History of Rome.
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Valerius Maximus, Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium (Memorable Facts and Sayings).
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Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder), Historia Naturalis (Natural History).
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Cassiodorus, Chronica.
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Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae.
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Joannes Zonaras, Epitome Historiarum (Epitome of History).
Modern sources
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Michael Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge University Press (1974, 2001).
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Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum (The Study of Ancient Coins, 1792–1798).
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Barthold Georg Niebuhr, The History of Rome, Julius Charles Hare and Connop Thirlwall, trans., John Smith, Cambridge (1828).
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Martha W. Hoffman Lewis, The Official Priests of Rome under the Julio-Claudians, American Academy, Rome (1955).
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Friedrich Münzer, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families, translated by Thérèse Ridley, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 (originally published in 1920).
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Jörg Rüpke, Anne Glock, David Richardson (translator), Fasti Sacerdotum: A Prosopography of Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Religious Officials in the City of Rome, 300 BC to AD 499, Oxford University Press, 2008.
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D. P. Simpson, Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York (1963).
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William Smith, ed., Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849).
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