Poppaea (gens)


The gens Poppaea was a minor plebeian family at Rome. Members of this gens first appear under the early Empire, when two brothers served as consuls in AD 9. The Roman empress Poppaea Sabina was a descendant of this family, but few others achieved any prominence in the Roman state. A number of Poppaei are known from inscriptions. The name is sometimes confused with that of Pompeia.

Origin

The consul Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus is said to have come from an undistinguished family, and to have owed his lengthy career more to his competence than his brilliance. There is little evidence of the Poppaei prior to the first century, but from inscriptions the family seems to have been concentrated in Campania. The surname Sabinus suggests that they claimed Sabine ancestry. The region of Campania where the greatest number of Poppaei are found was associated with the Samnites, an Oscan-speaking people who also claimed Sabine descent.

Praenomina

The chief praenomina of the Poppaei were Gaius and Quintus. A few of the family used other names, such as Publius, Lucius, Sextus, and Titus. All of these were common names throughout Roman history.

Members