The gens Decimia was a
plebeian family at
ancient Rome. Members of this
gens are first mentioned towards the end of the third century BC, participating on the Roman side during the
Second Punic War.[1]
Origin
The first of the Decimii appearing in history was from
Bovianum, a town of the
Samnites, and those Decimii occurring in later times were likely his descendants, who settled at Rome after obtaining
Roman citizenship. The
nomenDecimius is a patronymic surname, formed from the
praenomenDecimus, the
Latin equivalent of the
Oscan name Dekis, usually Latinized as Decius. The same root gave rise to the Roman
gens Decia.[2]
Praenomina
The main
praenomina of the Decimii at Rome were Gaius, Marcus, and Lucius, the three most abundant names at all periods of Roman history. The earliest member of this gens to occur in Roman writers bore the praenomen Numerius, a name common among the Oscan-speaking peoples of Italy, but comparatively scarce at Rome.
Branches and cognomina
The only cognomen found among the Decimii of the
Republic is Flavus, meaning "golden" or "golden-brown", originally indicating someone with fair hair.[1][3]
Members
Numerius Decimius, a native of
Bovianum in
Samnium, is described by
Livy as a man of great wealth and nobility. In 217 BC, early in the
Second Punic War, he led a force of eight thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry, as part of the army of the
Roman dictatorQuintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus. Attacking
Hannibal from the rear, he turned the tide of battle, saving the
magister equitum, and giving the Romans a hard-fought victory.[4]
Marcus Decimius, one of the ambassadors sent to Crete and Rhodes in 172 BC, shortly before the beginning of the
Third Macedonian War. Decimius and
Tiberius Claudius Nero were charged with determining whether these Roman allies could be counted upon in the event of hostilities, or whether
Perseus of Macedon had attempted to gain their allegiance.[5]
Lucius Decimius, sent to win the favour of the
Illyrian king
Gentius in 171 BC, and prevent him from joining forces with Perseus. His embassy produced no result, and it was rumoured that Gentius had bribed him.[6]
Gaius Decimius, a former
quaestor, in the party of
Pompeius. He was at
Cercina in 47 BC, in charge of procuring supplies, but fled in a small ship upon the arrival of
Sallust, then one of
Caesar's generals. He should probably be identified with Gaius Decimius, the friend of
Titus Pomponius Atticus.[7][8]
Decimius Hilarianus Hesperius, the son of Ausonius, was proconsul of Africa from 376 to 377, and
praetorian prefect of Gaul and Italy from 378 to 379.[9][10]
Decimii Flavi
Gaius Decimius Flavus, a
military tribune in 209 BC, serving under
Marcus Claudius Marcellus. His forces withstood a charge by Hannibal's elephants, preserving Marcellus from defeat. He might be the same person as Gaius Decimius Flavus, praetor in 184 BC.[11]
Gaius Decimius Flavus,
praetorurbanus in 184 BC, dying during his year of office. If not identical with the Flavus who was military tribune in 209 BC, he was probably his son.[12]
Gaius Decimius (Flavus), an ambassador to
Crete in 171 BC. As praetor peregrinus in 169, he was sent to reconcile
Antiochus IV and
Ptolemy VI. He also visited
Rhodes, and reported favourably on their conduct to the
Senate. Possibly a son of Gaius Decimius Flavus, praetor urbanus in 184.[13][14]
(Gaius) Decimius Flavus,
moneyer in 150 BC, perhaps a grandson of Gaius Decimius Flavus, praetor urbanus in 184.[15]
Pierre Gaspard Hubert Willems, Le Sénat de la République Romaine, Ch. Peeters, Louvain, Ernest Thorin, Paris (1878–1885); Ayers Company Publishers (1975).
George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII, pp. 103–184 (1897).
T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952–1986).