Segulia gens


The gens Segulia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome, which flourished from the end of the Republic to the third century AD. A number of this gens lived at Ostia and Portus, where they were engaged in the shipbuilding trade. Hardly any of the Segulii are mentioned in history, but several are known from inscriptions.

Origin

The nomen Segulius belongs to a large class of gentilicia formed from other names ending in diminutive suffixes such as -ilus and -ulus. It was probably derived from a cognomen Segulus, of uncertain meaning.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Segulii were Marcus and Gaius, two of the most common names throughout all periods of Roman history. The more distinctive Decimus is known from one inscription.

Branches and cognomina

The only cognomen of the Segulii encountered under the Republic was Labeo, a common surname originally indicating someone with noticeably thick or prominent lips. A variety of surnames are encountered in imperial times, many of which were the original names of freedmen who assumed Roman names upon their manumission; none of them appear to represent distinct families.

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