Septimuleia gens


The gens Septimuleia or Septumuleia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but others are known from inscriptions. The nomen might be confused with, and may be identical to that of Septimulenus or Septumulenus.

Origin

The nomen Septimuleius belongs to a large class of gentilicia, typically of Oscan origin, ending in the gentile-forming suffix '. This may mean that the Septimuleii were of Sabine or Samnite origin. The root resembles that of the rare Latin praenomen Septimus, from the Latin numeral for "seven", referring to a seventh son, seventh child, or a child born in September, the seventh month of the old Roman calendar. In this case, Septimuleius might be cognate with the patronymic nomen Septimius. The suffix ' was typically associated with gentes from Picenum and neighboring regions, which would be consistent with an Oscan or Umbrian origin.

Members