Pactumeia (gens)


The gens Pactumeia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are not mentioned by the historians until imperial times, when one branch of the family achieved high rank, holding several consulships during the first and second centuries.

Origin

The nomen Pactumeius belongs to a class of gentilicia formed from other names using the suffix -eius. This type of name is frequently, but not uniformly associated with names of Oscan origin. Its root is uncertain, as its root would be expected to be a cognomen, Pactumus, or perhaps another gentile name, Pactumius, both of which are unknown. The closest known name seems to be the Oscan praenomen Paccius, occasionally written Pactius, which was itself used as a nomen gentilicium, as well as forming nomina with other suffixes, such as Pacilius, Paconius, and probably Pacidius.

Branches and cognomina

The most illustrious family of the Pactumeii used the cognomina Clemens, Fronto, and Magnus, of which Clemens, meaning "gentle" or "mild", seems to have been the original surname. This family was descended from a Publius Pactumeius, who evidently lived in Africa. Both of his sons were named Quintus, but were distinguished by their cognomina, the elder retaining Clemens, while the younger son assumed the surname Fronto, originally designating someone with a prominent forehead. A later generation of the family bore the cognomen Magnus, meaning "great".

Members