Numerius (praenomen)

"Numerius" redirects here. For persons with the nomen Numerius, see Numeria gens. For the Roman emperor, see Numerian.
The Praenestine fibula, a brooch dating to the early seventh century BC, inscribed with one of the oldest known inscriptions in Latin: Manios med fhe fhaked Numasioi, "Manius made me for Numerius".[1]

Numerius (/njuːˈmɛriəs/ new-MERR-ee-əs, Latin: [nʊˈmɛri.ʊs]), feminine Numeria, is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, usually abbreviated N. The name was never especially common, but was used throughout the period of the Roman Republic, and into imperial times.[2] The praenomen also gave rise to the patronymic gens Numeria.[3][4]

Although Numerius was occasionally used by patrician gentes, such as the Furii and the Valerii, the only patrician family to use the name regularly was the gens Fabia. Festus relates the story of how Numerius was introduced to the family after a survivor of the Battle of the Cremera married a daughter of Numerius Otacilius of Maleventum.[5][4][6] The name was used more widely amongst the plebeians and in the countryside, and was relatively common in southern Italy.[6] In Roman law, the name Numerius Negidius was used to refer to a hypothetical defendant.[7]

  1. ^ Arnaldo Momigliano. "Society and Culture in Latium and at Rome". In Ogilvie & Drummond (ed.). Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. 7, part 2. pp. 73, 74 (and fig. 23).
  2. ^ Kajava, pp. 49, 110 ff, 119
  3. ^ Chase, p. 127
  4. ^ a b Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2. p. 1214. ("Numerius").
  5. ^ Festus, p. 171, ed. Müller.
  6. ^ a b Chase, p. 138
  7. ^ Robinson 1997, pp. 80, 89, 90