Spurilia gens


The gens Spurilia, sometimes spelled Spurillia, was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Hardly any members of this gens are mentioned by ancient writers, for the Spurilius mentioned in some manuscripts of Livy as tribune of the plebs in 422 BC is amended by some authorities to "Spurius Icilius", while it is uncertain whether the moneyer who issued denarii in 139 BC was named Spurius, Spurilius, or Spurinna. Nevertheless, a number of Spurilii are known from inscriptions.

Origin

The nomen Spurilius is formed from the praenomen Spurius, using the diminutive suffix , which was frequently used to form new gentilicia from existing names. Spurius was a common name in the early period of Roman history, and favoured by a number of prominent families, but became scarcer toward the end of the Republic, probably due to confusion with the adjective spurius, "illegitimate". The origin and meaning of Spurius is uncertain, but Deecke proposes that the name is of Etruscan derivation, and might have meant something akin to "city dweller", being synonymous with the Latin praenomen Publius.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Spurilii were Gaius, Lucius, and Marcus, the three most common names at all periods of Roman history. Aulus and Tiberius represent early, but very uncertain cases, since the individuals bearing them may not actually have belonged to the Spurilia gens.

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