Denarius of Lucius Aurelius Cotta, 105 BC. The obverse is identical to the coins ofLipara, captured by Gaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. The reverse depicts the triumph awarded for this victory.[1]
Thegens Aurelia was aplebeian family atancient Rome, which flourished from the third century BC to the latest period of theEmpire. The first of the Aureliangens to obtain theconsulship wasGaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. From then to the end of theRepublic, the Aurelii supplied many distinguished statesmen, before entering a period of relative obscurity under the early emperors. In the latter part of the first century, a family of the Aurelii rose to prominence, obtainingpatrician status, and eventually the throne itself. A series of emperors belonged to this family, through birth or adoption, includingMarcus Aurelius and the members of theSeveran dynasty.[2]
ThenomenAurelius is usually connected with theLatin adjectiveaureus, meaning "golden", in which case it was probably derived from the color of a person's hair. However,Festus reports that the original form of the nomen wasAuselius, and that the medial 's' was replaced by 'r' at a relatively early period; the same process occurred with the archaic nominaFusia, Numisia, Papisia, Valesia, andVetusia, which becameFuria, Numeria, Papiria, Valeria, andVeturia in classicalLatin. According to Festus,Auselius was derived from aSabine word for the sun.[4][5]
All of thepraenomina used by the chief families of the Aurelii were common throughout Roman history. The Aurelii of the Republic primarily usedGaius,Lucius,Marcus, andPublius, to which the Aurelii Orestides addedGnaeus. The Aurelii Fulvi of imperial times usedTitus, Marcus, andLucius, while the Aurelii Symmachi usedQuintus andLucius.
There were three main stirpes of the Aurelii in republican times, distinguished by thecognominaCotta (also spelledCota), Orestes, andScaurus.Cotta andScaurus appear on coins, together with a fourth surname,Rufus, which does not occur among the ancient writers. A few personal cognomina are also found, includingPecuniola, apparently referring to the poverty of one of the Aurelii during theFirst Punic War.[2]
Cotta, the surname of the oldest and most illustrious branch of the Aurelii under the Republic, probably refers to a cowlick, or unruly shock of hair; but its derivation is uncertain, and an alternative explanation might be that it derives from a dialectical form ofcocta, literally "cooked", or in this case "sunburnt".[7] Marcus Aurelius Cotta, moneyer in 139 BC, minted an unusual denarius, featuring Hercules in abiga driven bycentaurs, presumably alluding to some mythological event connected with the gens, but the exact symbolism is unknown. The Aurelii Cottae were prominent from the First Punic War down to the time ofTiberius, after which they faded into obscurity. The last of this family appearing in history includeMarcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus, a friend ofTiberius, who squandered his family fortune through reckless prodigality, and his son, who received a stipend fromNero in order to maintain his household in a manner befitting his illustrious forebears.[8] The Cottae were related toJulius Caesar andAugustus throughAurelia Cotta, who was Caesar's mother.
The Aurelii Scauri were a relatively small family, which flourished during the last two centuries of the Republic. Their surname,Scaurus, belongs to a common class of cognomina derived from an individual's physical features, and referred to someone with swollen ankles.[9][10][7]
Orestes, the surname of a family that flourished for about a century toward the end of the Republic, was a Greek name, and belonged to a class of surnames of foreign origin, which appear during the middle and late Republic.[11] In Greek mythology,Orestes was the son ofAgamemnon andClytemnestra, and avenged his father's murder by slaying his own mother, and after escaping the judgment of theErinyes, became king ofMycenae. The circumstances by which the name became attached to a branch of the Aurelii are unclear, but perhaps allude to some heroic deed, or military service in Greece.[12]
The Aurelii Fulvi, who rose to prominence in imperial times, originally came fromNemausus inGallia Narbonensis.[13]Titus Aurelius Fulvus, the first of the family to attain the consulship, was made a patrician about AD 73 or 74.[14] In the second century, the Aurelii Fulvi obtained the Empire itself, when the consul's grandson, Titus Aurelius Fulvus, was adopted as the successor toHadrian, becoming the emperorAntoninus Pius. Most of the emperors who followed were born or adopted into the gens, through the end of the Severan dynasty.[13] The surnameFulvus was a common surname, referring to someone with yellowish, yellow-brown, tawny, or strawberry blond hair.[15]
The Aurelii Galli were a family that achieved notability during the second century, attaining the consulship on at least three occasions. Their surname,Gallus, had two common derivations, referring either to a cockerel, or to aGaul. In the latter case, it might indicate that the first of this family was of Gallic descent, that he was born in Gaul, that he had performed some noteworthy deed in Gaul, or that in some manner he resembled a Gaul.[16]
The Aurelii Symmachi were one of the last great families of the western empire, holding the highest offices of the Roman state during the fourth and fifth centuries. The Symmachi were regarded as members of the old Roman aristocracy, and acquired a reputation for their wisdom and learning.[17]
Marcus Aurelius M. f. C. n. Cotta, served as the legate ofLucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus during the war againstAntiochus III in 189 BC. He brought Antiochus' ambassadors and other representatives of the east to Rome, where he gave his report to thesenate.[34][35][27]
Marcus Aurelius (L. f. L. n.) Cotta,triumvir monetalis in 139 BC. He married Rutilia, the sister ofPublius Rutilius Rufus, consul in 105, and their three sons Marcus, Gaius, and Lucius became consuls in 74, 75, and 65 respectively.[45][6]
Lucius Aurelius (L. f. L. n.) Cotta,triumvir monetalis in 105 BC andtribune of the plebscirca 103; he tried to obstruct the prosecution ofQuintus Servilius Caepio by the tribuneGaius Norbanus, but failed. He was praetor in an uncertain year; Broughton places his praetorshipcirca 95. Cicero describes him as a mediocre orator, who deliberately presented himself as a rustic.[46][47][1]
Marcus Aurelius M. f. L. n. Cotta, consul in 74 BC, received the province ofBithynia during the war withMithradates. He was defeated, and lost his entire fleet, for which he blamed his quaestor, Publius Oppius, whom Cicero defended. Cotta himself was later condemned for extortion in his province, on the accusation of Gaius Papirius Carbo.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]
Gaius Aurelius M. f. L. n. Cotta, a distinguished orator, praised by Cicero. During theSocial War, he had supported the cause of the allies, and was subsequently exiled until 82 BC. Consul in 75, he attempted to reverse one ofSulla's most onerous laws, arousing the ire of the optimates. He was granted a triumph for his successes asproconsul of Gaul, but died from an old wound on the day before the ceremony.[58][59][60][61]
Marcus Aurelius M. f. M. n. Cotta, son of the consul of 74 BC, upon assuming thetoga virilis, avenged his father by charging Carbo, his father's accuser, of extortion in his province, the same crime for which the elder Cotta had been condemned. Probably the same Cotta who aspropraetor of Sardinia in 49, fled to Africa before the arrival of Caesar's legate, Quintus Valerius Orca.[70][71][72]
Marcus Aurelius M. f. M. n. Cotta, probably a son of the propraetor Marcus, adopted a son ofMarcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, who becameMarcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus.
Marcus Aurelius M. f. M. n. Cotta Maximus Messalinus, son ofMarcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, was adopted into the gens Aurelia. He was consul in AD 20, and an intimate friend of the emperorTiberius. He gained a reputation for hostility and cruelty, causing a number of leading senators to accuse him ofmajestas. The emperor, however, defended him in a missive to the senate, whereupon Messalinus was acquitted. He was also the patron ofOvid.[73][74][75][76]
Aurelius M. f. M. n. Cotta, a nobleman who received an annual stipend from the Emperor Nero in AD 58, because he had dissipated his family estate in profligacy. He was doubtless the son of Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus.[77]
Gaius Aurelius L. f. L. n. Orestes, and his brother, Lucius, were orators briefly mentioned by Cicero.[90]
Lucius Aurelius L. f. L. n. Orestes, consul in 103 BC, withGaius Marius as his colleague. Orestes died during his year of office.[23][93][94]
Gnaeus Aurelius Orestes,praetor urbanus in 77 BC, issued a decision that was appealed to the consulMamercus Aemilius Lepidus. Lepidus sustained the appeal, negating Orestes' decision. Broughton identifies him with the consul of 71.[95][96]
Gnaeus Aurelius Cn. f. Orestes, adopted by Gnaeus Aufidius, the historian, assuming the name ofGnaeus Aufidius Orestes. After he failed to win election as tribune of the plebs, he succeeded in obtaining the consulship for 71 BC. Cicero, however, suggests that his election was due largely to the lavish gifts that he distributed among the people.[97][98][99]
Titus Aurelius Fulvus, the grandfather of the emperor Antoninus Pius, was legate of thethird legion during the reign ofNero, and subsequently a supporter ofVespasian, under whom he served as consulsuffectus circa AD 71, and governor ofHispania Citerior from 75 to 78. He was consul for the second time in 85, together with the emperorDomitian. At one time, he waspraefectus urbi.[103][104][105][14]
Titus Aurelius T. f. T. n. Fulvus, afterwards Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Pius, emperor from AD 138 to 161. He had been consul in AD 120, then distinguished himself as Proconsul of Asia, and was adopted by Hadrian shortly before the emperor's death.[108][109]
Marcus Aurelius T. f. T. n. Fulvus Antoninus, a son of Antoninus Pius, who must have died before AD 138, as Antoninus had no living sons when he was adopted by Hadrian.[110][109]
Marcus Galerius Aurelius T. f. T. n. Antoninus, another son of Antoninus Pius, must also have died before AD 138.[110][109]
Aurelia T. f. T. n. Fadilla, daughter of Antoninus Pius, and wife of Lucius Aelius Lamia Silvanus, died shortly after her father was appointed governor of Asia.[109]
Anna Galeria T. f. T. n. Faustina, another daughter of Antoninus Pius, married her cousin, Marcus Aurelius, and was empress from AD 161 to her death, about 175. She was noted for her extravagance and intrigues, which the emperor appears to have indulged, or at least tolerated.[111][112][113][114]
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, born Marcus Annius Verus, a nephew of Antoninus Pius, by whom he was adopted on the orders of Hadrian in AD 138, and whom he succeeded as emperor from 161 to 180.[115][116][117]
Lucius Aurelius Verus, born Lucius Ceionius Commodus, was adopted by Antoninus Pius upon the latter's adoption by Hadrian in AD 138. He was appointed emperor together with Marcus Aurelius in 161, reigning until his death in 169.[118][119][120][121]
Annia Aurelia M. f. Galeria Lucilla, daughter ofMarcus Aurelius, married the emperor Lucius Verus. When he died young, a rumour began that Lucilla had poisoned him. Her second husband was the generalTiberius Claudius Pompeianus, whom she despised as her inferior. She joined a plot against her brother, the emperor Commodus, but after being detected was banished toCapreae, where she was put to death about AD 183.[122][123][124][125]
Titus Aurelius M. f. Fulvus Antoninus Geminus, son of Marcus Aurelius and twin brother of Commodus, died at the age of four,circa AD 165.[117]
Domitia M. f. Faustina, daughter of Marcus Aurelius, apparently died young.[127]
Lucius Aurelius M. f. Commodus Antoninus, son of Marcus Aurelius, emperor from AD 177 to 192. After a promising beginning, he gave himself over to luxury, self-indulgence, and tyranny. He was assassinated at the end of 192.[128][129][122][130]
Quintus Aurelius L. f. Symmachussigno Eusebius, one of the most respected scholars and rhetoricians of the late fourth century, and a passionate defender of Rome's pagan traditions. He waspraefectus urbi in AD 384 and consul in 391.[138][139][140]
Quintus Fabius Q. f. L. n. Memmius Symmachus, held a number of high offices, including the quaestorship and praetorship, before becoming proconsul of Africa in AD 415. He waspraefectus urbi in AD 418.[141]
Publius Aurelius Pecuniola, a kinsman of the consul Gaius Aurelius Cotta, under whom he served during the siege ofLipara in 252 BC. As a result of his negligence, his camp was set on fire, and nearly captured. As a punishment, Pecuniola was scourged, and demoted to the rank of legionary.[142]
Aurelius Cornelius Celsus, a physician, perhaps named Aulus, rather than Aurelius. He probably lived in the time of Augustus, or at the latest in the mid-first century. He employed a scientific approach to medicine, and his treatise,De Medicina, in eight books, still survives.[146][147][148]
Lucius Aurelius Priscus, consulsuffectus in AD 67.[149][150]
Marcus Aurelius Cleander, a freedman of Commodus, whom the emperor entrusted with the maintenance of his household, and then the imperial bureaucracy. He enriched himself by selling magistracies, but following a grain shortage in AD 190, thepraefectus annonae incited a riot against him. The emperor made no effort to defend his favourite, who was put to death to placate the mob.[157][158][159]
Marcus Aurelius Olympius Nemesianus, an esteemed poet during the reign of the emperorCarus, and the author ofCynegetica, a treatise on hunting with dogs, most of which has been lost. Several fragments of his other works have survived.[162]
^His cognomen is guessed by Badian, thanks to the filiation of Gaius Aurelius Cotta, the consul of 200, which shows that both his father and grandfather were named Gaius.
^Sometimes misidentified as MarcusAemilius Scaurus;Scaurus was also a cognomen of theAemilia gens.
^Cicero,De Oratore, i. 7, ii. 23, iii. 3, 8,Brutus, 49, 55, 86, 88, 90,Orator ad Brutum, 30, 38,Epistulae ad Atticum, xii. 20,In Verrem, i. 50, iii. 7,De Lege Agraria, ii. 22,In Pisonem, 26.
^Sallust,Historiae,fragmenta ii., p. 206 (ed. Gerlach)
^Broughton, vol. II, pp. 86, 88 (note 1), 96, 103, 111, 113.
^Asconius Pedianus,In Ciceronis in Cornelio, pp. 64, 67, 78ff.
^Cicero,In Pisonem, 16,In Verrem, ii. 71,In Clodio, 7,De Lege Agraria, ii. 17,In Catilinam, iii, 8,Philippicae, ii. 6,De Domo Sua, 26, 32,Pro Sestio, 34,Epistulae ad Atticum, xii. 21,De Legibus, iii. 19,Epistulae ad Familiares, xii. 2.
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