Oppidia (gens)


The gens Oppidia was a minor plebeian family at Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned by ancient writers, of whom the best known may be Servius Oppidius, whose advice to his sons is described by the poet Horace.

Origin

The nomen of this gens, Oppidius, belongs to a class of gentilicia formed from other names, in this case Oppius, by means of the suffix -idius. The root of the nomen is probably op-, "help", which occurs in the name of the goddess Ops, as well as the gentes Opsia, Opsidia, and Opsilia, and probably also in the praenomen Opiter, and its derived gentilicia, Opiternia and Opetreia. Many of these names appear to be of Sabine or Samnite origin.

Members