The nomen Scribonius belongs to a large class of gentilicia derived from
cognomina ending in -o, most of which were of plebeian origin. The root of the name is scribo, a writer.[2]
Praenomina
The only
praenomina known to have been used by the main families of the Scribonii are Lucius, used by the Scribonii Libones, and Gaius, used by the Curiones. Other praenomina are practically non-existent among the Scribonii appearing in history; the only exception is Marcus, found among one or two of the later Libones, who seem to have adopted it from the
Livii.
Branches and cognomina
The two main families of the Scribonii under the
Republic bore the cognomina Libo and Curio. Other surnames are found under the
Empire.[1]
Libo, the only surname of the Scribonii to occur on coins, is apparently derived from libere, to sprinkle or pour, and was probably given to an ancestor of the family who poured
libations.[3] The Scribonii Libones were long associated with a sacred structure in the
forum known as the Pueal Scribonianum or Puteal Libonis, frequently depicted on their coins. So called because it resembled a puteal, or wellhead, the structure enclosed a "bidental", a place that had been struck by lightning, or in one tradition the spot where the
whetstone of the
augurAttius Navius had stood, in the time of
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. The Puteal Scribonianum was dedicated by one of the Scribonii Libones, probably either the praetor of 204 BC, or the
tribune of the plebs in 149. It was renovated by Lucius Scribonius Libo, either the praetor of 80 BC, or his son, the consul of 34.[4]
Curio became hereditary in one branch of the Scribonii after the first of the family was chosen curio maximus in 174 BC.[5][6]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Scribonii Libones
Lucius Scribonius Libo,
tribune of the plebs in 216 BC, unsuccessfully petitioned the
senate to ransom the Roman soldiers taken prisoner at
Cannae. He was
praetorperegrinus in 204, and assigned the province of
Gaul.[7][8]
Lucius Scribonius (L. f.) Libo, as
curule aedile in 194 BC, presided over the first celebration of the
Megalesia at Rome. Praetor peregrinus in 192, he was assigned to prepare ships to bring the Roman army to
Epirus. In 186, he was one of the commissioners to re-establish colonies at
Sipontum and
Buxentum.[9]
Lucius Scribonius Libo, curator of the banks of the Tiber during the reign of
Claudius.[38]
Scribonii Curiones
Gaius Scribonius Curio,
plebeian aedile in 196 BC, and praetor urbanus in 193, was named Curio Maximus in 174 BC, after his predecessor died in a pestilence.[39][40]
Gaius Scribonius Curio, praef soc 181 BC, probably son of the above, maybe also to be identical with the C. Scribonius who was moneyer in 154 BC.[41]
Gaius Scribonius Curio, praetor in 121 BC, was a famous orator, greatly admired by
Cicero, who laments that the speeches of Curio had been largely forgotten. He was noted for his defense of
Servius Fulvius Flaccus, the consul of 135 BC, on a charge of incestum.[42][43]
Scribonius Aphrodisius, a
Latingrammarian, had been a slave of the grammarian
Lucius Orbilius Pupillus, but was purchased by Scribonia, the wife of Augustus, who gave him his freedom.[68]
Scribonius, an usurper who attempted briefly seized the throne of the
Bosporan Kingdom about 16 BC, by claiming to be a descendant of
Mithridates. His deception was soon discovered, and he was put to death.[69][70]
Scribonius Proculus, a
senator in the time of
Caligula, slain by his fellows at the prompting of Protogenes, one of the emperor's creatures.[71]
Scribonius Largus, a physician of
Claudius, whom he accompanied to
Britain, and the author of De Compositione Medicamentorum, quoted by
Galen, as well as several other works that do not survive.[72][73][74]
Scribonius Proculus, the brother of Scribonius Rufus, was governor of either
Germania Superior or
Germania Inferior in the time of
Nero, while his brother was governor of the other province. Both were accused, and summoned to account to Nero in Greece, where they took their own lives, upon perceiving no hope of survival.[75][76]
Scribonius Rufus, the brother of Scribonius Proculus, took his life when denounced to Nero.[75][76]
^Surprisingly for a central figure in the imperial family, Scribonia's first two husbands have long defied identification. Scribonia had a daughter named
Cornelia, and seemingly a son named Lentulus Marcellinus.
References
^
abDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 758 ("
Scribonia Gens").
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, De Vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars, or The Twelve Caesars), De Claris Rhetoribus (On the Eminent Orators), De Illustribus Grammaticis (On the Illustrious Grammarians).
Lucius Annaeus Florus, Epitome de T. Livio Bellorum Omnium Annorum DCC (Epitome of Livy: All the Wars of Seven Hundred Years).
Appianus Alexandrinus (
Appian), Bella Mithridatica (The Mithridatic Wars), Bellum Civile (The Civil War).
Aelius Galenus (
Galen), De Compositione Medicamentorum Secundum Locos Conscriptorum (On the Composition of Medications According to the Place Prescribed).
T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952–1986).
Hewson Crawford, Michael (1974). Roman Republican Coinage. Vol. 1 (new ed.). Cambridge University Press.
ISBN9780521074926.
Hallett, Judith P. (2014). Fathers and Daughters in Roman Society: Women and the Elite Family. Princeton Legacy Library. Vol. 682. Princeton University Press.
ISBN9781400855322.