Opsia (gens)


The gens Opsia was a minor plebeian family at Rome. Members of this gens first appear in history during the reign of Tiberius. The most notable may have been Marcus Opsius Navius Fannianus, who filled a number of important posts, rising to the rank of praetor. Many other Opsii are known from inscriptions.

Origin

The root of the nomen Opsius appears to be op-, with the meaning of "help", found in the name of the goddess Ops, as well as the nomen Oppius. The same root may be the source of the praenomen Opiter, together with the patronymic surnames derived from it, Opiternius and Opetreius. Such forms are typical of non-Latin gentilicia, and are most likely of Sabine origin, which seems the more probable in light of the tradition that the cult of Ops was introduced to Rome by the Sabine king, Titus Tatius. Opsius in turn appears to have given rise to two later gentilicia, Opsidius and Opsilius, which used the suffixes -idius and -ilius to form new nomina from an existing name.

Praenomina

Nearly all of the Opsii known from various sources bear the praenomina Marcus or Gaius, two of the most common names. There are also a few Opsii named Publius and Gnaeus, which were likewise quite common.

Members