The gens Lartia, also spelled Larcia, or rarely Largia, was a
patrician family at
ancient Rome, whose members earned great distinction at the beginning of the
Republic.
Spurius Larcius was one of the two companions of
Horatius, who defended the
Pons Sublicius against
Lars Porsena in 508 BC. A few years later,
Titus Larcius became the first
Roman dictator. However, the
gens all but vanishes from history after this period. A family of the same name existed in the late Republic and under the early
Empire, but their relationship to the earlier Lartii is unknown.[1]
Origin
The Lartii were one of several noble families of
Etruscan origin during the early Republic. The
nomenLartius is a patronymic surname, based on the Etruscan
praenomenLārs.[2] This name, meaning "lord", is usually spelled Larth in Etruscan inscriptions, but Latin writers also used Lars in place of the Etruscan praenomina Laris and Larce, apparently distinct names in Etruscan. The nomen is always spelled Lartius in
Livy, while
Dionysius alternates between Larcius (Λάρκιος) and Largius (Λάργιος). All three forms appear on Latin inscriptions.[1][3]
Praenomina
The only praenomina associated with the Lartii of the early Republic are Titus and Spurius. The Larcii of the late Republic and early Empire used Lucius and Aulus.
Branches and cognomina
According to Dionysius, the Lartii at the outset of the Republic bore the surname Flavus. However, Rufus is found in place of Flavus in some inscriptions. As the consuls of the early Republic are known to have been brothers, it seems possible that one of them, having fair hair, was called Flavus, while the other, having red hair, was called Rufus. The
cognomina are now so confused that it is impossible to determine which was which.[1][4]
Lucius Lartius, father of the senator Lucius Lartius.
Lucius Lartius L. f., a senator in 73 BC, had probably been
aedile in an uncertain year.[11][12][13]
Lartius Licinius, a contemporary of
the elder Pliny, was
praetor in
Hispania, and subsequently governor of one of the imperial provinces. He died before Pliny.[14][15]
Gnaeus Lartius, father-in-law of Marcus Plautius Silvanus[16]
^Solin, Heikki; Kajava, Mika (1990). Roman Eastern Policy and Other Studies in Roman History: Proceedings of a Colloquium at Tvärminne, 2-3 October 1987. Societas Scientiarum Fennica. p. 103.
ISBN9789516532083.
^Bowsky, "A. Larcius Lepidus Sulpicianus", pp. 504 ff.
^Bowsky, "A. Larcius Lepidus Sulpicianus", pp. 506ff