Look up Aelius in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Ancient Roman family
The gens Aelia, occasionally written Ailia, was a
plebeian family in
Rome, which flourished from the fifth century BC until at least the third century AD, a period of nearly eight hundred years. The archaic spelling Ailia is found on coins, but must not be confused with Allia, which is a distinct
gens. The first member of the family to obtain the
consulship was Publius Aelius Paetus in 337 BC.
Under the empire the Aelian name became still more celebrated. It was the name of the emperor
Hadrian, and consequently of the
Antonines, whom he adopted. A number of landmarks built by Hadrian also bear the name Aelius. The Pons Aelius is a bridge in Rome, now known as the Ponte Sant'Angelo. Pons Aelius also refers to a Roman settlement in
Britannia Inferior, now the site of
Newcastle upon Tyne, while Aelia Capitolina was a Roman colony built on the ruins of
Jerusalem.[1]
On the coins of Aelia in 224 BC, the 'H' may stands for
Hatria or Herdonia.[2]
The family-names and surnames of the Aelia gens are Catus, Gallus, Gracilis, Lamia, Ligur, Paetus, Staienus, Stilo, and Tubero. The only
cognomina found on coins are Bala, Lamia, Paetus, and Sejanus. Of Bala nothing is known. Sejanus is the name of the favorite of the emperor
Tiberius, who was adopted by one of the Aelii.[1]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Aelii Paeti
Publius Aelius, one of the first plebeian
quaestors, in 409 BC.[3]
Publius Aelius Paetus,
consul in 337 BC, and one of the first plebeian
augurs in 300 BC.
Quintus Aelius Tubero, tribune of the plebs in 194 BC, proposed the establishment of colonies among the
Bruttii and
Thurii, and appointed a commissioner for the foundation of the latter colony.[8]
Lucius Aelius Lamia, a man of
equestrian rank, who assisted Cicero in the suppression of the
second Catilinarian conspiracy. He was banished for his efforts in 58 BC, but was subsequently recalled. He supported
Caesar during the
Civil War, and served as
aedile in 45. He was praetor elect for 43 BC, but died in unusual and tragic circumstances.[i][11]
Publius Aelius Marullinus, great-great-great-grandfather of the emperor Hadrian, became the first senator in the family, when he was admitted to the senate by
Octavian during the
Second Triumvirate.[18]
Publius Aelius P. f. Marullinus, the great-great-grandfather of Hadrian.
Publius Aelius P. f. P. n. Marullinus, the great-grandfather of Hadrian.
Aelius P. f. P. n. Hadrianus, the brother of Marullinus, according to the Historia Augusta he was an astrologer who prophesied that his grandnephew Hadrian would one day become emperor.[19]
Aelius Catus, a commander, possibly the same as Sextus Aelius Catus.
Lucius Aelius Sejanus, praetorian prefect under the emperor
Tiberius, obtained much of the authority of the Roman state, but was suddenly stripped of his powers and honours, and put to death during his consulship in AD 31.
Lucius Aelius Oculatus, consul suffectus from May to June in AD 73.[22]
Lucius Aelius Magnus, appointed
duumvir at Pompeii by order of
Nero, after helping to rebuild the city following an earthquake. A love letter to his wife, Plotilla, is attested in an inscription on a building now dubbed the "Casa di Plotilla".[23][24][25]
Aelius Spartianus, ostensibly a historian, and one of the authors of the Historia Augusta. The lives of several emperors from Hadrian to
Caracalla are attributed to him.
Aelius Donatus, a fourth-century grammarian and teacher of rhetoric.
^Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. II, p. 714 ("Lamia", no. 1): "This Lamia seems to be the same as the L. Lamia, praetorius vir, who is said to have been placed upon the funeral pile as if dead, and then to have recovered his senses, and to have spoken after the fire was lighted, when it was too late to save him from death."[9][10]