The gensSextia was a plebeian family at Rome, from the time of the early Republic and continuing into imperial times. The most famous member of the gens was Lucius Sextius Lateranus, who as tribune of the plebs from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of the annual magistrates, until the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia, otherwise known as the "Licinian Rogations," in the latter year. This law, brought forward by Sextius and his colleague, Gaius Licinius Calvus, opened the consulship to the plebeians, and in the following year Sextius was elected the first plebeian consul. Despite the antiquity of the family, only one other member obtained the consulship during the time of the Republic. Their name occurs more often in the consular fasti under the Empire.
Origin
The nomenSextius is a patronymic surname, derived from the praenomenSextus, meaning "sixth", which must have belonged to the ancestor of the gens. It is frequently confounded with that of the patriciangens Sestia, and in fact the two families may originally have been the same; however, Roman authors treated them as distinct gentes. The plebeian gens Sextilia was derived from the same praenomen.
Praenomina
The main praenomina of the early Sextii were Marcus, Lucius, and Gaius, the most common names throughout all periods of Roman history. From filiations, we know that some of them also used Numerius and Sextus, of which the former was relatively uncommon at Rome. Later generations of this gens used Publius, Titus, and Quintus, all of which were also common. Epigraphy provides instances of Vibius, a name that was also used by the patrician Sestii, supporting the theory of a common origin.
Most of the Sextii under the Republic bore no surname, or else had only personal cognomina, instead of family-names. These included Baculus, Calvinus, Lateranus, Naso, Paconianus, and Sabinus.
Members
Marcus Sextius, tribune of the plebs in 414 BC, proposed that a colony should be sent to Bolae.
Gaius Sextius C. f. C. n. Calvinus, consul in 124 BC, and afterwards assigned the administration of Gaul. He conquered the Salluvii, and founded the colony of Aquae Sextiae.
Publius Sextius, praetor designatus in 100 BC, was accused of bribery by Titus Junius, and condemned. He might be the same person as the quaestor of 111.
Quintus Sextius, a Sextian philosopher during the time of Caesar; his works were admired by the younger Seneca.
Sextius Niger, a Sextian physician during the early Empire, and author of a pharmacological work.
Sextius Paconianus, one of the agents of Sejanus, who was imprisoned after his master's downfall in AD 31, and subsequently strangled for having written some libellous verses against the emperor.
Sextia, the wife of Mamercus Aemilius Scaurus; they took their own lives after Scaurus was accused of majestas in AD 34.
Numerius Sextius, grandfather of Lucius Sextius Lateranus, the tribune.
Sextus Sextius N. f., father of the tribune Lateranus.
Lucius Sextius Sex. f. N. n. Sextinus Lateranus, tribune of the plebs with Gaius Licinius Calvus from 376 to 367 BC, succeeded in passing the lex Licinia Sextia, opening the consulship to the plebeians; in 366 he became the first plebeian consul.
