Stenia gens


The gens Stenia or Stennia, occasionally spelled Sthenia, was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Hardly any members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a large number are known from inscriptions.

Origin

The nomen Stenius is simply a gentilicial form of the Oscan praenomen Sthenius, and is thus a patronymic surname. In a few inscriptions it occurs as Sthenius, but in most examples the 'h' is omitted. Many of the Stenii found in epigraphy came from Samnium and adjacent, Oscan-speaking regions of central and southern Italy.

Praenomina

The Stenii used a variety of common praenomina, chiefly Lucius, Gaius, Publius, and Gnaeus. At least two of them bore the more distinctive praenomen Numerius, which was common in gentes of Oscan origin, but relatively scarce at Rome.

Members