Nephele Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 The Manlii, in terms of patrician prestige and influence, were not far behind the five princely clans of the Aemilii, Claudii, Cornelii, Fabii, and Valerii. In fact, the 19th century classicist Mommsen included the Manlii among these aforementioned gentes maiores, from whose ranks the patrician princeps senatus -- "chief of the senate" -- was always chosen. This was because, in the year 209 BCE, a member of the Manlii was proposed as princeps senatus... ...read the full article of the Surnames of the Manlii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Another nice addition, Nephele! To add a bit to your discussion of Imperiosus Torquatus: the double-meaning of Imperiosus is nicely illustrated by Livy's morality tale about just one T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus. When he is first introduced, he is portrayed as threatening a tribune at knife-point to induce the tribune to drop charges against his father, who had over-stayed his welcome in the office of dictator. Here the son is clearly illustrating the negative side of "Imperiosus," by haughtily placing family over the republic. Of course, when we next meet T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus, he illustrates the flip side of "Imperiosus" by justly condemning his own son (with the chilling words, "Lictor, tie him to a post") for his son's disobedient heroics on the battlefield. Now, as a man, T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus is meant (by Livy anyway) to illustrate the positive side of "Imperiosus", by placing the republic over family. I'll never forget my Roman history professor's comment on this morality tale, "The Romans were not ... a cuddly people." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 What a great story, MPC! Thanks for sharing that here! I'll never forget my Roman history professor's comment on this morality tale, "The Romans were not ... a cuddly people." Hahaha! Too true! That and your story remind me of Nova Roma's amusing raison d'etre: "Because Roman Virtues mean more than Family Values." Which, I suppose, ironically illustrates how our American Republican Party (touting "Family Values") differs from Republican Rome. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Another fine addition to the surname research. I think we need to put them all in one place and make it a front page article, or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 (edited) Great work again Neph! One of the things I love about your "Surnames......" is that it always inspires me to try and do a bit of my own research on the families and names that you list, not in anyway to try and prove you wrong or come up with something that you may have over looked or any thing like that, because knowing you for as long as I have now on UNRV it's clear that everything that you post is of the highest order. It's just something that I've developed a great interest in as well. While sniffing around the Manlius name I did come across a certain Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, now I know this guy probably wouldn't have made your compilation because yours are all, or mostly taken from Republican times, right? But I just found it strange that a man who was born in 475-7 CE and died in 526 CE? carried the name of the Manlii gens. This man has quite an illustrious history, he has long been recognized as one of the most important intermediaries between ancient philosophy and the Latin Middle Ages with his Consolation of Philosophy, which was just one of his many well respected literary works. It does appear that he was born into the Roman aristocracy so is their any chance that he could trace his line all the way back to those illustrious men of the Republic mentioned in your list? Also Neph, the cognomen Boethius, what did that mean? Cheers. Edited December 17, 2008 by Gaius Paulinus Maximus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Thank you, Ursus, and GPM! GPM, thanks for bringing up this interesting member of the Manlii. You being inspired by my surnames project has served to introduce me to someone new! I had a look in my Smith's Dictionary, and it mentions that Boethius' praenomen may have been Flavius, and that "the Anician family had for the two preceding centuries been the most illustrious in Rome (see Gibbon, c. 31), and several of its members have been reckoned amongst the direct ancestors of Bo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 It would be interesting if somebody here can find a genealogy for Boethius. Smith mentions that sometimes Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius had the additional surname of "Torquatus" in some of his manuscripts -- so I wonder whether this might indicate that Boethius may have been descended from the Manlii Torquati? Thanks for your reply Neph. Indeed, a genealogy for Boethius would be very interesting but I think we're clutching at straws with that one, there's a few sites, biographies and things like that out there but I've been unable to find any thing substantial on the net. But surely the Manilus and Torquatus link has got to be more than just a coincidence hasn't it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted April 12, 2010 Report Share Posted April 12, 2010 ...thanks Nephele for another great article, it has now its own page cheers viggen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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