Thegens Calpurnia was aplebeian family atancient Rome, which first appears in history during the third century BC. The first of thegens to obtain theconsulship wasGaius Calpurnius Piso in 180 BC, but from this time their consulships were very frequent, and the family of the Pisones became one of the most illustrious in the Roman state. Two important pieces of Republican legislation, thelex Calpurnia of 149 BC andlex Acilia Calpurnia of 67 BC were passed by members of the gens.[1]
The Calpurnii claimed descent from Calpus, the son ofNuma Pompilius, the secondKing of Rome, and accordingly the head of Numa is found on some of the coins of this gens.[2][3][4][5]
The family-names of the Calpurnii under theRepublic wereBestia, Bibulus, Flamma,Lanarius, andPiso.
Piso was the name of the greatest family of the Calpurnia gens. Like many othercognomina, this name is connected with agriculture, and comes from the verbpisere orpinsere, which refers to the pounding or grinding of corn. The family first rose from obscurity during theSecond Punic War, and from that time it became one of the most distinguished in the Roman state. It preserved its celebrity under the empire, and during the first century was second to the imperial family alone. Many of the Pisones bore this cognomen alone, but others bore theagnominaCaesoninus andFrugi.[1]
Of the other surnames of the Republican Calpurnii,Bestia refers to a "beast", "an animal without reason".Bibulus translates as "fond of drinking", or "thirsty", whileFlamma refers to a flame.[7]
Lucius Calpurnius L. f. L. n. Piso Caesoninus, elder son of the consul of 15 BC.
Lucius Calpurnius Piso (Frugi or Caesoninus),tribune of the plebs in 90 BC, possibly identical with astrategos of that name inAsia, whose activity has been dated variously from shortly before 90 to as late as 83.[19]
Publius Calpurnius,triumvir monetalis in 133 BC, was perhaps the father of Lanarius, since the name Publius appears in no other branch of the gens.[32]
Calpurnius (P. f.) Lanarius, an officer during the war againstSertorius in 81 BC, he defeated and killed Sertorius' legate, Lucius Julius Salinator, in thePyrenees. Under whom he served is unclear; he may have initially been a partisan of Sertorius, making his battle against Salinator an act of betrayal.[33][34]
Publius Calpurnius (P. f.) Lanarius, the purchaser of a house from a certain Claudius Centumalus. He might be the same man who fought against Sertorius.[35]
Lucius Calpurnius Bestia, consul in 111 BC, prosecuted theJugurthine War, at first with much vigor, but through the payment of a substantial sum of money he was induced to conclude a peace. He or his son was exiled under theVarian law in 90 BC.[36]
Lucius Calpurnius L. f. Bestia, son of the Lucius Calpurnius Bestia who was consul in 111 BC. He may have been the Bestia who went into exile when threatened with prosecution under thelex Varia in 90 BC.[37]
Calpurnia L. f., the wife ofPublius Antistius, and mother-in-law ofPompey. Upon her husband's murder, she stabbed herself in the chest.[38]
Lucius Calpurnius Bestia, a supporter ofCatilina, became tribune of the plebs in 62 BC, following the failure of the conspiracy. He attacked Cicero for his actions as consul.[39][40]
Lucius Calpurnius Bestia, aedile in 57 BC, was a candidate for the praetorship. The following year, Cicero successfully defended him on a charge of electoral bribery. He later went into exile, but regained his status and became a follower ofMark Antony.[41]
Lucius Sempronius L. f. L. n. Atratinus, consul in 34 BC, was the natural son of a Calpurnius Bestia. His father was probably the Lucius Calpurnius Bestia who was aedile in 57 BC. His mother may have been a Sempronia.[37][42]
Gaius Calpurnius M. f. C. n. Bibulus, the second son of the consul Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, was also killed by the Gabiniani in Egypt in 50 BC.[45][46][47]
Calpurnia M. f. C. n., daughter of the consul Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus,[ii]
(Gaius) Calpurnius M. f. C. n. Bibulus,[iii] the fourth son of the consul Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, and the only attested son by his second wife,Porcia, became the stepson ofMarcus Junius Brutus upon her remarriage.[47]
Gaius (Calpurnius) Bibulus, aedile in AD 22, may have been the son of Gaius Calpurnius Bibulus, Brutus' stepson.[50][47]
Altar ofFortuna, dedicated by Gnaeus Calpurnius Verus,prefect of a cohort of soldiers stationed at Castellum apud Confluentes, modernKoblenz.
Lucius Calpurnius, sent as ambassador to theAchaians atSicyon in 198 BC.[51]
Calpurnius, a praetorian senator around 90 BC, may be identical with Publius, themonetalis in 133.[52]
Calpurnius, standard-bearer of thefirst legion inGermania at the accession of Tiberius in AD 14, he prevented the soldiers ofGermanicus from murdering Munatius Plancus, the envoy of thesenate.[53]
Calpurnia, a woman of high rank, exiled due to the jealousy ofAgrippina, the wife of Claudius, but recalled by Nero in AD 60, after Agrippina's murder.[57]
Calpurnia, the third wife of Pliny the Younger.[59]
Calpurnius Asprenas, appointed governor ofGalatia andPamphylia by the emperorGalba, induced the partisans of the false Nero to put the usurper to death.[60]
Marcus Calpurnius [...]icus, consulsuffectus in AD 96.[61][62][63]
Gaius Calpurnius Rufinus, a third-century senator who constructed the Sanctuary of Panoias, dedicated toSerapis and other divinities of the underworld, now inVila Real, Portugal.[71]
Titus Calpurnius Siculus, a poet, who probably flourished in the latter half of the third century.
^Piso himself seems to be a historical figure, but most of what is known of him comes from theHistoria Augusta, the account of which is considerably embellished. The source attributes to Piso the surnameFrugi and claims he was descended from the Calpurnii of the Republic, but this is probably an invention of the author; if indeed the nameFrugi was bestowed on him, it might be because that name had previously been associated with the Calpurnii Pisones, rather than because he was one of them. It is unlikely that Piso ever proclaimed himself emperor.
^Generally assumed to be a daughter by Bibulus first wife, but Zmeskal believes that this woman is the daughter of Porcia, as two children of Porcia are known to have existed, but it is not certain who the second one was and first wife ofMarcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus.[48][47][49]
^His praenomen may have beenMarcus instead ofGaius, but most historians such as Syme[47] and Strachan[43] lean towardGaius.
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R. J. Tarrant (editor), "unknown article", inHarvard Studies in Classical Philology, Harvard University Press, vol. XCI, pp. 198ff. (1987)ISBN9780674379398.
Ronald Syme, "M. Bibulus and Four Sons", inHarvard Studies in Classical Philology, Harvard University Press, vol. 91, pp. 185–198 (1987).
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