Denarius of Lucius Manlius Torquatus, 113–112 BC. The obverse depicts the head ofRoma within a torque, the emblem of the Manlii Torquati. The reverse depicts a warrior charging into battle on horseback, beneath the letter 'Q', signifying Torquatus' quaestorship.
Thegens Manlia (Mānlia)[1] was one of the oldest and noblestpatrician houses atRome, from the earliest days of theRepublic until imperial times. The first of thegens to obtain theconsulship wasGnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus, consul in 480 BC, and for nearly five centuries its members frequently held the most importantmagistracies. Many of them were distinguished statesmen and generals, and a number of prominent individuals under theEmpire claimed the illustrious Manlii among their ancestors.[2]
The Manlii were said to hail from the ancientLatin city ofTusculum. ThenomenManlia may be a patronymic surname, based on thepraenomenManius, presumably the name of an ancestor of the gens.[3] Thegens Manilia was derived from the same name, and its members are frequently confused with the Manlii, as are theMallii.[2] However,Manius was not used by any of the Manlii in historical times. The Manlii were probably numbered amongst thegentes maiores, the greatest of the patrician families. As with many patrician gentes, the Manlii seem to have acquired plebeian branches as well, and one of the family wastribune of the plebs in the time ofCicero. The plebeian Manlii were probably descended fromfreedmen of the patricians, from members who had gone over to the plebeians, or from unrelated persons who acquired the nomen after obtainingthe franchise from one of the Manlii.
The Manlii used the praenominaPublius,Gnaeus,Aulus,Lucius, andMarcus. The Manlii Torquati also favored the nameTitus, using primarily that,Aulus, andLucius.
A well-known story relates that afterMarcus Manlius Capitolinus was condemned for treason, theRoman Senate decreed that henceforth none of the gens should bear the praenomenMarcus. However, this legend may have originated as a way to explain the scarcity of the name amongst the Manlii, as the name was rarely used in later generations.
Denarius of Lucius Manlius Torquatus, 65 BC. The obverse depicts the head of theSibyl, while a tripod and amphora, instruments of thequindecimviri sacris faciundis, appear within a torque on the reverse.
The earliestcognomen found amongst the Manlii isCincinnatus, better known from theQuinctia gens. This name originally referred to a person with fine, curly hair. The descendants of Gnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus bore the surnameVulso, meaning "plucked", perhaps chosen for its contrast toCincinnatus.[4]Münzer, noting that the cognomenCincinnatus is missing from the older historians, supposed that it might be a mistake, and thatVulso was the original surname of the Manlian gens.[5][6] The Manlii Vulsones flourished for over three hundred years.[7]
The Manlii Capitolini were descended from the Vulsones, and first appear in the second half of the fifth century BC. The surnameCapitolinus probably indicates that the family lived on theCapitoline Hill, although the role of Marcus Manlius in saving the Capitol from theGauls during thesack of Rome in 390 BC is also credited with establishing the name in his family.[8] The surname was relatively short-lived amongst the Manlii, being replaced by that ofTorquatus. This surname was first acquired byTitus Manlius Imperiosus, who defeated a giant Gaul during a battle in 361 BC, and took historque as a trophy, placing it around his own neck.[9] The descendants of Torquatus remained prominent until the final decades of the Republic, and adopted the torque as an emblem upon their coins.Imperiosus, a cognomen borne by Torquatus and his father, was bestowed on account of their imperious manner.[10][11] The Manlii Torquati were firmly aligned with the aristocratic party toward the end of the Republic, siding first withSulla, then withPompeius and theLiberatores. In later times,Torquatus was borne by theJunii Silani, who were descended from the Manlii.
The Manlii Acidini rose to prominence during theSecond Punic War, but achieved only one consulship, in 179, before fading into relative obscurity. They still flourished in the time of Cicero, who praises their nobility.[12][13]
From coins of the Manlii featuring the inscriptionsSER andSERGIA, Münzer concluded that onestirps of this gens bore the cognomenSergianus, indicating descent from theSergia gens. However, this probably referred to thetribus Sergia; a plebeian branch of the Manlii used the name of their tribe to distinguish themselves from the patrician Manlii, a practice also found among theMemmii.[14][15][16][17]
Towards the end of the Republic, several early Manlii appear without cognomina, such as Quintus and Gnaeus Manlius, tribunes of the plebs in 69 and 58 BC.[2]
Gnaeus Manlius Cn. f. P. n. Vulso,[i] consul in 474 BC, marched againstVeii, who agreed to a forty-year truce, for which Manlius received anovation. A number of scholars identify him with thedecemvir of 451, but this seems doubtful on chronological grounds; he was probably the decemvir's father.[22][23][24][25][26]
Lucius Manlius Cn. f. L. n. Vulso, praetor in 197 BC, receivedSicilia as his province. He was also legate to his brother Gnaeus, the consul of 189, during his campaign in Asia. In 188, he demanded from Antiochus III his oath to uphold the Treaty of Apamea.[43][44][45]
Publius Manlius Vulso, praetor in 195 BC, was later again praetor in 182 BC.[46][47]
Aulus Manlius Cn. f. L. n. Vulso, one of the triumvirs appointed to establish a colony in the territory of Thurii andFrentinum from 194 to 192 BC. He was praetorsuffectus in 189, and consul in 178. He was assigned the province of Cisalpine Gaul, whence he attacked and conqueredIstria.[48]
Titus Manlius A. f. Cn. n. Vulso Capitolinus, the father of Marcus, consul in 392 BC, and Aulus, four times consular tribune. He is only known from his sons' filiation.
Lucius Manlius A. f. A. n. Capitolinus Imperiosus, dictator in 363 BC, and father of Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus. He was prosecuted in 362 by the tribune Marcus Pomponius for having stayed in power for more than six months, and for his cruelty toward some citizens and his own son, the future Torquatus, who nonetheless forced Pomponius to drop the charges against his father.[63][64]
Titus Manlius L. f. A. n. Imperiosus Torquatus, dictator in 353, 349, and 320; and consul in 347, 344, and 340 BC, was a celebrated general, and won the nameTorquatus for defeating a Gaulish champion in single combat, and taking his torque as a trophy. He is equally remembered for the severe discipline that he imposed upon his eldest son during his final consulship.[66]
Titus Manlius T. f. L. n. Torquatus, while serving as prefect in 340 BC, he was put to death by his father, the consul, after disobeying orders to engage an enemy champion in single combat, hoping to replicate his father's feat.[67]
Titus Manlius T. f. T. n. Torquatus, consul in 235 and 224, censor in 231, propraetor in Sardinia in 215, and dictator in 208 BC. He was awarded a triumph in 235 for his campaign in Sardinia. He was also a pontiff.[72][73]
Aulus Manlius T. f. T. n. Torquatus,tribunus militum in 208 BC, he was killed with the consulMarcus Claudius Marcellus in a Carthaginian ambush nearPetelia.[74]
Titus Manlius T. f. A. n. Torquatus, praetorcirca 136 BC. He was defeated by the revolted slaves ofEunus in Sicily.[77][78]
Decimus Junius Silanus Manlianus, a natural son of Titus Manlius Torquatus, the consul of 165 BC. He was adopted into the Junii Silani. He was praetor in 142.[79][80][81][82][83]
Aulus Manlius T. f. A. n. Torquatus, son of Titus Manlius Torquatus, the consul of 165 BC.[84]
Lucius Manlius T. f. T. n. Torquatus, quaestor between 113 and 112 BC.[iii] He minted coins during his magistracy.[85][86]
Titus Manlius T. f. T. n. Torquatus, son of the praetor ofcirca 136 BC. He died at an old age since he was still alive in 54 to serve as witness on behalf of Gnaeus Plancius.[87][88]
Lucius Manlius L. f. T. n. Torquatus, proquaestor in the staff ofSulla in 82 BC, with whom he minted coins. He was then praetor in 68, perhaps proconsul of Asia in 67, consul in 65, and finally proconsul of Macedonia in 64 and 63.[89][90]
Titus Manlius T. f. T. n. Torquatus, possibly a praetor circa 69 BC. He studied underApollonius Molon inRhodes and was promised to the consulship, but died before he could be eligible.[91][92][93]
Manlia T. f. T. n., married her cousin Aulus Manlius Torquatus, the praetor of 70 BC.[88]
Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, the natural son of theconsul of 65 BC, he was adopted into the Manlii by Titus Manlius Torquatus after the death of his natural son. The adoption was just an artifice to make him eligible to the college of augurs, as it already counted a member of the gens Cornelia[iv] (Faustus Cornelius Sulla), but none of the Manlii. Spinther did not even make the pretext of changing his name.[94][95][96]
Aulus Manlius A. f. T. n. Torquatus,[v] praetor in 70 BC, thenpropraetor ofAfrica in 69, andquaesitor in 52. He was also a legate ofPompeius in 67, tasked with the surveillance of the east of Spain and the Balearic Islands. He married his cousin, Manlia.[97][98][99]
Aureus of Aulus Manlius, 80 BC. Roma is portrayed on the obverse. The reverse depicts an equestrian statue of Sulla, which was placed in front of theRostra.[124] The head of Roma looks like the one on the denarii of his father.[125]
Publius Manlius,[ix]epulo in 196 BC, praetor inHither Spain in 195. He may have been the person expelled from the Senate byCato the Censor for having kissed his wife in front of his daughter.[x] Praetor in 182, he was sent toFarther Spain, where he stayed as promagistrate for two years. He died upon his return from Spain in 180.[128][129][130][131]
Aulus Manlius Q. f.,triumvir monetalis between 118 and 107 BC, and legate ofGaius Marius in 107, during the war againstJugurtha. He was one of the envoys sent to obtain Jugurtha's surrender. From the inscriptions on his coins, Münzer supposes that he bore the cognomenSergianus.[132][133][134]
Titus Manlius Mancinus,triumvir monetalis between 111 and 110 BC and tribune of the plebs in 107.[135]
Aulus Manlius A. f. Q. n., quaestor in 80 BC. He minted gold coins during his magistracy, which shows he was a supporter of Sulla.[136]
Gnaeus Manlius,tribune of the plebs in 58 BC, proposed a law granting thelibertini the right to vote as members of anytribe. The law was blocked by the praetorLucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Manlius is sometimes confused with Gaius Manilius, who proposed a similar law in 66 BC.[142]
Titus Manlius T. f., may have been a legate in Spain between 45 and 42 BC, as he is named on a coin of Brutobriga. From the inscription, Münzer supposes that his cognomen wasSergianus.[143][144]
Manlia Silana, wife of theequestrian Lucius Postumius Sergius Fabullus.[145][146]
Quintus Manlius Ancharius Tarquitius Saturninus, consulsuffectus in AD 62, and proconsul of Africa in 72 and 73.[147]
Titus Manlius Valens, consul in AD 96, died the same year.[148][149]
^Livy calls himGaius, a name not otherwise used by the Manlii, but evidently a mistake forGnaeus, given in the filiation of his grandson, Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus, consular tribune in 405, 402, and 397. The two names were nearly always abbreviated, and frequently confounded. Diodorus calls himMarcus, and DionysiusAulus. None of these explicitly identify the decemvir with the consul of 474, nor do Livy or Diodorus state that he had previously been consul, although Dionysius erroneously indicates that he had been consul the previous year. The chronological difficulty in identifying the decemvir with the consul of 474 arises from the decemvir's son serving as consular tribune three times from 405 to 397; unless he were the child of the decemvir's old age, he would have been rather elderly by the time he first achieved high office, if his father were consul nearly seventy years earlier.
^Called "Gaius" by Livy. His cognomen is uncertain; it could also beCapitolinus, or he may have borne both.
^Broughton and Mitchell place his quaestorship much later,circa 94 and 96, respectively. However, Crawford's dating ofcirca 112 fits better with the chronology, as Lucius' son also minted coins with Sulla in 82.
^It was forbidden to have two members of the same gens in the college of pontiffs.
^Broughton and Mitchell suppose that he was the Manlius who was quaestor in 81, but Crawford attributes the coins inscribed "A. Manli A. f. Q[uaestor]" to another Manlius, who was not one of the Torquati.
^Mitchell guesses that his name was Aulus, because typical Roman practice was for an eldest son to be named after his father.
^According to Münzer, he was the son of Lucius Manlius Vulso, praetorperegrinus in 218 BC.
^Münzer and Brougton express doubt as to his filiation, based on the tradition respecting the intentional disuse of the praenomenMarcus following the death of Marcus Manlius Capitolinus in the fourth century BC. Münzer also doubts the existence of a collateral branch of the family, since the adoption of Fulvianus a generation earlier implies that the Acidini were on the verge of extinction.
^Münzer suggests that he was a Vulso, but Broughton disagrees, arguing that because he was succeeded asepulo by a plebeian, he must also have been a plebeian.
^But this person is named asManilius in Plutarch's text.
George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", inHarvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII (1897).
Michael Grant,From Imperium to Auctoritas: a Historical Study of Aes Coinage in the Roman Empire, 49 BC–AD 14, Cambridge University Press (1946).
Lily Ross Taylor, "Augustan Editing in the Capitoline Fasti", inClassical Philology, vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 73–80 (April 1951);The Voting Districts of the Roman Republic, University of Michigan Press (1960).
Broughton, T. Robert S. (1952–1986).The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. American Philological Association.
Sumner, G.V. (1973).The Orators in Cicero'sBrutus: Prosopography and Chronology. University of Toronto Press.ISBN0-8020-5281-9.
Michael Crawford,Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge University Press (1974–2001).
M. Gwyn Morgan, "'Cornelius and the Pannonians': Appian, Illyrica 14, 41 and Roman History, 143–138 B.C.", inHistoria: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, vol. 23, part 2 (2nd Qtr., 1974), pp. 183–216.
