The
nomenAtinius belongs to a class of gentilicia originally derived from surnames ending in -inus.[2] The geographical and ethnic origin of this gens is not stated in any surviving authority, but if based on the town of
Atina—originally a
Volscian city in eastern
Latium, subsequently occupied by the
Samnites, then a Roman
municipium following the
Samnite Wars—it would follow the pattern of numerous other localities that gave rise to Roman gentes.[3][4] With the exception of Titus Atinius, a figure ascribed to the mythology of the early Republic, all of the Atinii occurring in history belong to the period following the
Second Punic War.
Branches and cognomina
The only distinct family of this gens bore the
cognomenLabeo, a surname originally referring to someone with thick or prominent lips, one of an abundant class of cognomina derived from the physical characteristics of an individual.[1][5]
Members
Titus Atinius, according to legend, 491 BC had visions foretelling catastrophe unless the
Great Games were held on a grand scale. The
senate heeded his warning, and held the festival, averting divine wrath.[6]