The gens Postumia was a noble
patrician family at
ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the
Republic, the Postumii frequently occupied the chief
magistracies of the Roman state, beginning with
Publius Postumius Tubertus,
consul in 505 BC, the fifth year of the Republic. Although like much of the old Roman aristocracy, the Postumii faded for a time into obscurity under the
Empire, individuals bearing the name of Postumius again filled a number of important offices from the second century AD to the end of the
Western Empire.[2]
Origin
The
nomenPostumius is a patronymic surname, derived from the
praenomenPostumus, which presumably belonged to the ancestor of the gens. That name is derived from the Latin adjective, postremus, meaning "last" or "hindmost," originally indicating a last-born or youngest child. However, its meaning has long been confounded with that of posthumous, indicating a child born after the death of the father; this misunderstanding is fostered by the fact that a posthumous child is also necessarily the youngest.[3]
Praenomina
The most prominent families of the Postumii during the early Republic favored the praenomina Aulus, Spurius, and Lucius, with Marcus, Publius, and Quintus receiving lesser use. Other names are occasionally found toward the end of the Republic, including Gaius, Gnaeus, and Titus.
Branches and cognomina
The earliest family of the Postumii to occur in history bore the
cognomenTubertus, derived from tuber, a lump or swelling. But by far the greatest family of the Postumii bore the surname Albus, white, which in later generations became Albinus, whitish. This family flourished from the beginning of the Republic down to its end, in the first century BC, and for a century all of its members bore the
agnomenRegillensis, in memory of the
Battle of Lake Regillus, where the
Roman dictatorAulus Postumius Albus won everlasting renown by defeating the
Latin League, led by
Octavius Mamilius and
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last
King of Rome, and securing the future of the Republic.[i][2][4][5]
In the later Republic other surnames are found among the Postumii, including Megellus; Pyrgensis, from the Etruscan city of
Pyrgi; Tempsanus, from
Temesa, a city of
Magna Graecia; and Tympanus, from tympanum, a drum. A few of Postumii without cognomina are known from various sources.[2][6][7]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Postumii Tuberti
Quintus Postumius Tubertus, father of Publius Postumius Tubertus, consul in 505 and 503 BC.
Aulus Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus, served under
Aemilius Paullus in 168 BC, he was given custody of
Perseus. As consul in 151, he was imprisoned by the tribunes of the plebs for pursuing the levy with too much vigor. Later an ambassador to Greece, where he was well received, he wrote extensively in Greek, including a history of Rome, which was poorly regarded by other writers.[59][60][61][62]
Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus, a rhetorician whom
Cicero describes in Brutus, as the author of many extant orations. He was consul in 148 BC, and during his year of office, much of the city was destroyed in a great fire.[63][64]
Spurius Postumius (Sp. f.) Albinus, consul in 110 BC, had command of the war against
Jugurtha, but took no offensive action, either through indecision, susceptibility to the deceptions of the Numidian king, or, some alleged, bribery. He was subsequently condemned by the lex Mamilia, a law punishing those who had aided Jugurtha.[65][66][67][68]
Aulus Postumius (Sp. f.) Albinus, legate under his brother, the consul Spurius, during the Jugurthine war, he was lured into an ambush and defeated by Jugurtha, and forced to submit. He was consul in 99 BC, and ten years later commander of a Roman fleet during the
Social War, in the course of which he was murdered by his own men.[69][70][71][72][73][74]
Aulus Postumius Albinus, placed in command of Sicily by
Caesar in 48 BC.[77]
Decimus Junius (D. f. D. n.) Brutus Albinus, a descendant of the Junii Bruti, was adopted by an unknown Aulus Postumius Albinus. Caesar placed him in command of his fleet during the Civil War, but Brutus would become one of his assassins.
Postumii Megelli
Lucius Postumius S. f. (Megellus), father of Lucius Postumius Megellus, consul in 305, 294, and 291 BC.
Lucius Postumius L. f. S. n. Megellus, consul in 305 BC, during the Second Samnite War, captured a number of towns from the Samnites. Consul for the second time in 294, during the Third Samnite War, he defeated the Samnites and the
Etruscans, and received a triumph. In his third consulship, BC 291, he captured Cominium, but made a number of enemies through his conduct, and was fined a previously unheard-of 500,000 asses.[78][79][80][81]
Postumia, a
Vestal Virgin, was accused of unchastity in 420 BC, apparently due to her taste in fashionable clothing and unseemly gregariousness. Although reprimanded by the
Pontifex Maximus for her lack of humility, she was acquitted of the charges.[87][88][89]
Marcus Postumius Pyrgensis, a
publican during the Second Punic War, was tried for peculatio (embezzlement) and fraud in 212 BC. He was condemned despite considerable support from the other publicani and one of the
tribunes of the plebs, but went into exile before sentence could be passed.[90]
Lucius Postumius Tempsanus,
praetor in 185 BC, was sent to deal with an insurrection in the neighborhood of
Tarentum, which he put down with great severity. He also sought out fugitives alleged to have celebrated the
Bacchanalia, after the panic attending the discovery of the rites at Rome.[92]
Postumius, divined that
Sulla would succeed in his endeavours, either before a battle with the Samnites in 90 BC, or during his march on Rome in 88. Postumius volunteered to be placed in chains, and put to death if he proved mistaken.[95][96][97]
Lucius Postumius, praetor in 90 BC, was killed by the Samnites at Nola.[98][99]
Marcus Postumius, a quaestor serving under
Verres during his administration of Sicily in 73 BC.[100]
Titus Postumius, praised by
Cicero as an orator of some merit. He may be the same Postumius who refused the command in Sicily in 49 BC.[102]
Postumius, a partisan of
Pompeius on the outbreak of the
Civil War in 49 BC, was appointed to the government of
Sicily, but refused to take up the office unless accompanied by
Cato.[103]
Postumius, a
legate of
Caesar in 48 BC. Caesar sent him to Italy in order to arrange the passage of his army.[104]
Quintus Postumius, a
Roman senator who, having initially supported
Marcus Antonius, wavered and thought of going over to
Octavian in 31 BC. Antonius had him murdered.[106]
Gaius Postumius Pollio, an architect, and probably the builder of the temple of
Apollo at
Tarracina. He was the master of Gaius Cocceius, who after receiving his freedom built the temple of Augustus at
Puteoli.[107]
^Niebuhr suggests that the Postumii bore the surname Regillensis as a result of having come from the town of
Regillum, rather than from the battle. This is how the same cognomen came to be used by the early
Claudii, who were residents of Regillum.
Livy states that
Scipio Africanus was the first to acquire a surname as the result of his military feats. However, the Romans themselves believed that the Postumii bore the surname Regillensis as a consequence of the battle, while the Claudii obtained it from their residence.
References
^
abcdeCrawford, Roman Republican Coinage, pp. 281, 335, 389.
^
abcDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 510 ("
Postumia Gens").
The gens Postumia was a noble
patrician family at
ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the
Republic, the Postumii frequently occupied the chief
magistracies of the Roman state, beginning with
Publius Postumius Tubertus,
consul in 505 BC, the fifth year of the Republic. Although like much of the old Roman aristocracy, the Postumii faded for a time into obscurity under the
Empire, individuals bearing the name of Postumius again filled a number of important offices from the second century AD to the end of the
Western Empire.[2]
Origin
The
nomenPostumius is a patronymic surname, derived from the
praenomenPostumus, which presumably belonged to the ancestor of the gens. That name is derived from the Latin adjective, postremus, meaning "last" or "hindmost," originally indicating a last-born or youngest child. However, its meaning has long been confounded with that of posthumous, indicating a child born after the death of the father; this misunderstanding is fostered by the fact that a posthumous child is also necessarily the youngest.[3]
Praenomina
The most prominent families of the Postumii during the early Republic favored the praenomina Aulus, Spurius, and Lucius, with Marcus, Publius, and Quintus receiving lesser use. Other names are occasionally found toward the end of the Republic, including Gaius, Gnaeus, and Titus.
Branches and cognomina
The earliest family of the Postumii to occur in history bore the
cognomenTubertus, derived from tuber, a lump or swelling. But by far the greatest family of the Postumii bore the surname Albus, white, which in later generations became Albinus, whitish. This family flourished from the beginning of the Republic down to its end, in the first century BC, and for a century all of its members bore the
agnomenRegillensis, in memory of the
Battle of Lake Regillus, where the
Roman dictatorAulus Postumius Albus won everlasting renown by defeating the
Latin League, led by
Octavius Mamilius and
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last
King of Rome, and securing the future of the Republic.[i][2][4][5]
In the later Republic other surnames are found among the Postumii, including Megellus; Pyrgensis, from the Etruscan city of
Pyrgi; Tempsanus, from
Temesa, a city of
Magna Graecia; and Tympanus, from tympanum, a drum. A few of Postumii without cognomina are known from various sources.[2][6][7]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Postumii Tuberti
Quintus Postumius Tubertus, father of Publius Postumius Tubertus, consul in 505 and 503 BC.
Aulus Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus, served under
Aemilius Paullus in 168 BC, he was given custody of
Perseus. As consul in 151, he was imprisoned by the tribunes of the plebs for pursuing the levy with too much vigor. Later an ambassador to Greece, where he was well received, he wrote extensively in Greek, including a history of Rome, which was poorly regarded by other writers.[59][60][61][62]
Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus, a rhetorician whom
Cicero describes in Brutus, as the author of many extant orations. He was consul in 148 BC, and during his year of office, much of the city was destroyed in a great fire.[63][64]
Spurius Postumius (Sp. f.) Albinus, consul in 110 BC, had command of the war against
Jugurtha, but took no offensive action, either through indecision, susceptibility to the deceptions of the Numidian king, or, some alleged, bribery. He was subsequently condemned by the lex Mamilia, a law punishing those who had aided Jugurtha.[65][66][67][68]
Aulus Postumius (Sp. f.) Albinus, legate under his brother, the consul Spurius, during the Jugurthine war, he was lured into an ambush and defeated by Jugurtha, and forced to submit. He was consul in 99 BC, and ten years later commander of a Roman fleet during the
Social War, in the course of which he was murdered by his own men.[69][70][71][72][73][74]
Aulus Postumius Albinus, placed in command of Sicily by
Caesar in 48 BC.[77]
Decimus Junius (D. f. D. n.) Brutus Albinus, a descendant of the Junii Bruti, was adopted by an unknown Aulus Postumius Albinus. Caesar placed him in command of his fleet during the Civil War, but Brutus would become one of his assassins.
Postumii Megelli
Lucius Postumius S. f. (Megellus), father of Lucius Postumius Megellus, consul in 305, 294, and 291 BC.
Lucius Postumius L. f. S. n. Megellus, consul in 305 BC, during the Second Samnite War, captured a number of towns from the Samnites. Consul for the second time in 294, during the Third Samnite War, he defeated the Samnites and the
Etruscans, and received a triumph. In his third consulship, BC 291, he captured Cominium, but made a number of enemies through his conduct, and was fined a previously unheard-of 500,000 asses.[78][79][80][81]
Postumia, a
Vestal Virgin, was accused of unchastity in 420 BC, apparently due to her taste in fashionable clothing and unseemly gregariousness. Although reprimanded by the
Pontifex Maximus for her lack of humility, she was acquitted of the charges.[87][88][89]
Marcus Postumius Pyrgensis, a
publican during the Second Punic War, was tried for peculatio (embezzlement) and fraud in 212 BC. He was condemned despite considerable support from the other publicani and one of the
tribunes of the plebs, but went into exile before sentence could be passed.[90]
Lucius Postumius Tempsanus,
praetor in 185 BC, was sent to deal with an insurrection in the neighborhood of
Tarentum, which he put down with great severity. He also sought out fugitives alleged to have celebrated the
Bacchanalia, after the panic attending the discovery of the rites at Rome.[92]
Postumius, divined that
Sulla would succeed in his endeavours, either before a battle with the Samnites in 90 BC, or during his march on Rome in 88. Postumius volunteered to be placed in chains, and put to death if he proved mistaken.[95][96][97]
Lucius Postumius, praetor in 90 BC, was killed by the Samnites at Nola.[98][99]
Marcus Postumius, a quaestor serving under
Verres during his administration of Sicily in 73 BC.[100]
Titus Postumius, praised by
Cicero as an orator of some merit. He may be the same Postumius who refused the command in Sicily in 49 BC.[102]
Postumius, a partisan of
Pompeius on the outbreak of the
Civil War in 49 BC, was appointed to the government of
Sicily, but refused to take up the office unless accompanied by
Cato.[103]
Postumius, a
legate of
Caesar in 48 BC. Caesar sent him to Italy in order to arrange the passage of his army.[104]
Quintus Postumius, a
Roman senator who, having initially supported
Marcus Antonius, wavered and thought of going over to
Octavian in 31 BC. Antonius had him murdered.[106]
Gaius Postumius Pollio, an architect, and probably the builder of the temple of
Apollo at
Tarracina. He was the master of Gaius Cocceius, who after receiving his freedom built the temple of Augustus at
Puteoli.[107]
^Niebuhr suggests that the Postumii bore the surname Regillensis as a result of having come from the town of
Regillum, rather than from the battle. This is how the same cognomen came to be used by the early
Claudii, who were residents of Regillum.
Livy states that
Scipio Africanus was the first to acquire a surname as the result of his military feats. However, the Romans themselves believed that the Postumii bore the surname Regillensis as a consequence of the battle, while the Claudii obtained it from their residence.
References
^
abcdeCrawford, Roman Republican Coinage, pp. 281, 335, 389.
^
abcDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 510 ("
Postumia Gens").