Plinia (gens)


The gens Plinia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned in history, and the Plinii are best known from the scholar and antiquarian, Gaius Plinius Secundus, author of the Historia Naturalis, who lived during the first century AD.

Origin

Several Plinii came from Comum and the surrounding region, and this may have been the family's origin. Cisalpine Gaul had received Latin rights in 89 BC, during the Social War, and then full Roman citizenship through the Lex Roscia in 49. Evidence of an element, , is found in proper names from the Lepontic area between the fourth and first centuries BC. In this region, fluidity between /l/ and /r/ is very frequent.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Plinii are Gaius, Lucius, and Publius, three of the most common names throughout Roman history. Other common names are occasionally found, including Gnaeus, Marcus, Titus, Quintus, and Sextus.

Members