Flaminia (gens)


The gens Flaminia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. During the first five centuries of Rome, no mention is made of any member of the Flaminia gens. In former times the Flaminii were believed to be only a family of the Quinctia gens; but this opinion arose from a confusion of the Flaminii with the Flaminini, the latter of whom belonged to the ancient patrician Quinctia gens.

Origin

The name Flaminius is evidently a derivative of flamen, and seems to have originally denoted a servant of a flamen.

Praenomina used

The main praenomina used by the Flaminii were Gaius and Lucius. At least one of the Flaminii bore the praenomen Titus, but he may have been a freedman, and thus it is not apparent whether this name was regularly used by the Flaminii.

Branches and cognomina

The only family names of the Flaminia gens that we know are Chilo and Flamma. There is no evidence for the cognomen Nepos, which Orelli gives to the Flaminius who fell in battle at Lake Trasimene.
Chilo, or Cilo, as the name seems to have been written in either way on coins of the Flaminia gens, is found as a surname in a number of Roman families. The Latin grammarians, however, state that Cilo was applied to a person with a long and narrow head, and Chilo to one with large or thick lips.

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