Percennia (gens)


The gens Percennia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens first appear in history in the early years of the Empire, and several of them were of senatorial rank, although it is not known what magistracies they held. The most famous of the family may have been the Percennius who led a mutiny of the Pannonian legions in AD 14, which Drusus was obliged to put down.

Origin

The nomen Percennius belongs to a class of gentilicia of Oscan origin, derived from earlier names, in this instance the Oscan praenomen Percennus. The ancestors of the Percennii were most likely Samnites, Sabines, or came from another Oscan-speaking people.

Praenomina

The main praenomina among the Percennii were Marcus and Lucius, but several other common praenomina were also used, including Gaius, Gaius, Publius, and Titus. The only other name found among the Percennii appears to be Decimus, which appears among a family of senatorial rank in imperial times.

Members