The gens Rusticelia, occasionally spelled Rusticellia, was an obscure
plebeian family at
ancient Rome. Hardly any members of this
gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
Origin
The
nomenRusticelius belongs to a class of gentilicia formed from
cognomina ending in the diminutive suffixes -illus and -ellus. It appears to be derived from rusticellus, clownish, probably a diminutive of rusticus, rural or unsophisticated, rustic.[1][2]
Praenomina
The chief
praenomina of the Rusticelii were Gaius, Lucius, Aulus, and Quintus, all of which were very common throughout Roman history. Other praenomina are found infrequently, including Marcus and Publius, otherwise common names.
Branches and cognomina
The Rusticelii bore a variety of surnames in
imperial times, most of which seem to have been personal cognomina. A number of Rusticelii lived at
Ostia, Rome's ancient seaport, where several of them bore the surname Felix, fortunate or happy.[3][4]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Lucius Rusticelius Communis, buried at Rome in a tomb built by his mother, Mammia Liccaea.[21]
Lucius Rusticelius Cosmus,
aedile in an uncertain year between 40 and 20 BC, made an offering to
Neptune at
Tarentum in
Calabria.[22]
Rusticelius C. f. Crispus, son of Gaius Rusticelius Crispus and Clodia Herais, buried in the family sepulchre built by his father at Ostia, dating to the late second or early third century.[23]
Gaius Rusticelius Crispus, a freedman, built a tomb at Ostia for himself, his wife, Clodia Herais, his son, Rusticelius Crispus, and Gaius Rusticelius Felix, dating to the late second or early third century.[23]
Rusticelia M. l. Cytheris, a freedwoman named in a funerary inscription from Rome, dating to AD 10.[24]
Lucius Rusticelius Dolabella, a rhetorician buried at Rome, aged twenty-six years and six months, leaving a daughter, Rusticelia Selene, and a son, Zosimus Rusticelianus, a slave belonging to the imperial household. Publius Aelius Strato, a freedman of the emperor, paid for his tomb.[25]
Aulus Rusticelius Dorus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Rusticelia Eromene, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Aulus Rusticelius Eros, a freedman buried at
Casilinum in
Campania, together with Rusticelia Euhemera.[26]
Quintus Rusticelius Q. l. Eros, a freedman buried at Rome with his son, Quintus Rusticelius Paratus.[27]
Rusticelia A. l. Euhemera, a freedwoman buried at Casilinum, together with Aulus Rusticelius Eros.[26]
Gaius Rusticelius Euhemerus, dedicated a tomb at Rome for his friend, Clymenus.[28]
Gaius Rusticelius Faustus, built a tomb at Rome for himself and his son, Gaius Rusticelius Minervius.[29]
Rusticelius Felix, buried at
Carales in Sardinia, aged fifty.[30]
Rusticelius Felix, named in an inscription from
Ostia in Latium, dating to AD 198.[31]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix, named in an inscription from Ostia.[32]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix, buried at Ostia, in a tomb built by Gaius Rusticelius Crispus.[23]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix,[ii] a native of
Africa, was a maker of figurines. He was buried at Rome, aged fifty, with a tomb dedicated by Oppia.[33][34][35][36]
Rusticelius Fortunatus, named in an inscription from Pompeii.[37]
Rusticelia Gemella, buried at Rome, aged nineteen.[38]
Aulus Rusticelius Hilarus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Quintus Rusticelius C. f. Honoratus, buried at Madaurus, aged thirty-six years, four months.[39]
Lucius Rusticelius Hospes, buried at Castellum Celtianum, aged sixty.[40]
Gaius Rusticelius Ingenuus, made an offering to
Saturn at
Carthage in Africa Proconsularis.[41]
Rusticelia Lemnias, buried at Rome, aged twenty-five, with a tomb dedicated by her
patron, Gaius Rusticelius Athenio.[16]
Aulus Rusticelius Martialis, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Gaius Rusticelius C. f. Minervius, buried at Rome, in a tomb built by his father, Gaius Rusticelius Faustus.[29]
Rusticelia Namphadora, a girl buried at Madaurus, age ten.[42]
Rusticelia Octavianilla, buried at
Ammaedara in Africa Proconsularis, aged twenty-eight years, eight days, with a tomb built by her husband, Julius Pallans.[43]
Aulus Rusticelius Paratus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Aulus Rusticelius Paratus, buried at Rome, aged thirty, with a monument from his parents.[44]
Quintus Rusticelius Q. l. Paratus, a freedman, buried at Rome with his father, Quintus Rusticelius Eros.[27]
Lucius Rusticelius Philomusus, buried at
Tibur in Latium, with a tomb dedicated by his wife, Rusticelia Triumphalis.[45]
Rusticelia Plaste, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Gaius Rusticelius Primitivus, a member of the shipwrights' guild at Ostia in AD 152.[46]
Gaius Rusticelius Proculus, a priest at Ammaedara, who together with his wife, Faonia Doniatula, made a libationary offering to the imperial family at the beginning of the third century AD.[47]
Rusticelia Ɔ. l. Rufa, a freedwoman, perhaps the wife of Lucius Plautius Scurra, and mother of Lucius Plautius and Plautia Tertia, whose names appear on the monument of their father at
Signia in Latium, dating to the middle of the first century BC.[48]
Publius Rusticelius Saltator, dedicated a monument to
Hercules at Tibur.[49]
Jan Gruter, Inscriptiones Antiquae Totius Orbis Romani (Ancient Inscriptions from the Whole Roman World), Heidelberg (1603).
Raffaele Fabretti, Inscriptionum Antiquarum, Domenico Antonio Ercole, Rome (1699).
Johann Caspar von Orelli, Inscriptionum Latinarum Selectarum Amplissima Collectio (An Extensive Collection of Select Latin Inscriptions), Orell Füssli, Zürich (1828).
The gens Rusticelia, occasionally spelled Rusticellia, was an obscure
plebeian family at
ancient Rome. Hardly any members of this
gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
Origin
The
nomenRusticelius belongs to a class of gentilicia formed from
cognomina ending in the diminutive suffixes -illus and -ellus. It appears to be derived from rusticellus, clownish, probably a diminutive of rusticus, rural or unsophisticated, rustic.[1][2]
Praenomina
The chief
praenomina of the Rusticelii were Gaius, Lucius, Aulus, and Quintus, all of which were very common throughout Roman history. Other praenomina are found infrequently, including Marcus and Publius, otherwise common names.
Branches and cognomina
The Rusticelii bore a variety of surnames in
imperial times, most of which seem to have been personal cognomina. A number of Rusticelii lived at
Ostia, Rome's ancient seaport, where several of them bore the surname Felix, fortunate or happy.[3][4]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Lucius Rusticelius Communis, buried at Rome in a tomb built by his mother, Mammia Liccaea.[21]
Lucius Rusticelius Cosmus,
aedile in an uncertain year between 40 and 20 BC, made an offering to
Neptune at
Tarentum in
Calabria.[22]
Rusticelius C. f. Crispus, son of Gaius Rusticelius Crispus and Clodia Herais, buried in the family sepulchre built by his father at Ostia, dating to the late second or early third century.[23]
Gaius Rusticelius Crispus, a freedman, built a tomb at Ostia for himself, his wife, Clodia Herais, his son, Rusticelius Crispus, and Gaius Rusticelius Felix, dating to the late second or early third century.[23]
Rusticelia M. l. Cytheris, a freedwoman named in a funerary inscription from Rome, dating to AD 10.[24]
Lucius Rusticelius Dolabella, a rhetorician buried at Rome, aged twenty-six years and six months, leaving a daughter, Rusticelia Selene, and a son, Zosimus Rusticelianus, a slave belonging to the imperial household. Publius Aelius Strato, a freedman of the emperor, paid for his tomb.[25]
Aulus Rusticelius Dorus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Rusticelia Eromene, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Aulus Rusticelius Eros, a freedman buried at
Casilinum in
Campania, together with Rusticelia Euhemera.[26]
Quintus Rusticelius Q. l. Eros, a freedman buried at Rome with his son, Quintus Rusticelius Paratus.[27]
Rusticelia A. l. Euhemera, a freedwoman buried at Casilinum, together with Aulus Rusticelius Eros.[26]
Gaius Rusticelius Euhemerus, dedicated a tomb at Rome for his friend, Clymenus.[28]
Gaius Rusticelius Faustus, built a tomb at Rome for himself and his son, Gaius Rusticelius Minervius.[29]
Rusticelius Felix, buried at
Carales in Sardinia, aged fifty.[30]
Rusticelius Felix, named in an inscription from
Ostia in Latium, dating to AD 198.[31]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix, named in an inscription from Ostia.[32]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix, buried at Ostia, in a tomb built by Gaius Rusticelius Crispus.[23]
Gaius Rusticelius Felix,[ii] a native of
Africa, was a maker of figurines. He was buried at Rome, aged fifty, with a tomb dedicated by Oppia.[33][34][35][36]
Rusticelius Fortunatus, named in an inscription from Pompeii.[37]
Rusticelia Gemella, buried at Rome, aged nineteen.[38]
Aulus Rusticelius Hilarus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Quintus Rusticelius C. f. Honoratus, buried at Madaurus, aged thirty-six years, four months.[39]
Lucius Rusticelius Hospes, buried at Castellum Celtianum, aged sixty.[40]
Gaius Rusticelius Ingenuus, made an offering to
Saturn at
Carthage in Africa Proconsularis.[41]
Rusticelia Lemnias, buried at Rome, aged twenty-five, with a tomb dedicated by her
patron, Gaius Rusticelius Athenio.[16]
Aulus Rusticelius Martialis, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Gaius Rusticelius C. f. Minervius, buried at Rome, in a tomb built by his father, Gaius Rusticelius Faustus.[29]
Rusticelia Namphadora, a girl buried at Madaurus, age ten.[42]
Rusticelia Octavianilla, buried at
Ammaedara in Africa Proconsularis, aged twenty-eight years, eight days, with a tomb built by her husband, Julius Pallans.[43]
Aulus Rusticelius Paratus, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Aulus Rusticelius Paratus, buried at Rome, aged thirty, with a monument from his parents.[44]
Quintus Rusticelius Q. l. Paratus, a freedman, buried at Rome with his father, Quintus Rusticelius Eros.[27]
Lucius Rusticelius Philomusus, buried at
Tibur in Latium, with a tomb dedicated by his wife, Rusticelia Triumphalis.[45]
Rusticelia Plaste, buried in a family sepulchre at Rome.[14]
Gaius Rusticelius Primitivus, a member of the shipwrights' guild at Ostia in AD 152.[46]
Gaius Rusticelius Proculus, a priest at Ammaedara, who together with his wife, Faonia Doniatula, made a libationary offering to the imperial family at the beginning of the third century AD.[47]
Rusticelia Ɔ. l. Rufa, a freedwoman, perhaps the wife of Lucius Plautius Scurra, and mother of Lucius Plautius and Plautia Tertia, whose names appear on the monument of their father at
Signia in Latium, dating to the middle of the first century BC.[48]
Publius Rusticelius Saltator, dedicated a monument to
Hercules at Tibur.[49]
Jan Gruter, Inscriptiones Antiquae Totius Orbis Romani (Ancient Inscriptions from the Whole Roman World), Heidelberg (1603).
Raffaele Fabretti, Inscriptionum Antiquarum, Domenico Antonio Ercole, Rome (1699).
Johann Caspar von Orelli, Inscriptionum Latinarum Selectarum Amplissima Collectio (An Extensive Collection of Select Latin Inscriptions), Orell Füssli, Zürich (1828).