The
nomenSestius is sometimes confused with that of Sextius, and these families may in fact share a common origin; but Roman writers considered them distinct gentes.[2] If Sestius and Sextius are two forms of the same name, then Sestius is probably a patronymic surname, based on the common
praenomenSextus, meaning "sixth". The same name gave rise to the
plebeiangens Sextilia.[3] The plebeian Sestii known from the later Republic may have been descendants of freedmen, or of Sestii who relinquished their patrician status.
Praenomina
The main praenomina used by the Sestii included Publius, Lucius, Vibius, and Titus. The Sestii are the only patrician family known to have used Vibius. Epigraphy also provides an example of the rare praenomen Faustus, although as it was borne by a freedwoman, it is unclear whether the name previously belonged to members of this ancient family.
Branches and cognomina
The only
cognomen of the early Sestii is Capitolinus, presumably referring to the
Capitoline Hill, where the family must originally have lived.[4] The consul of 452 BC bore the
agnomenVaticanus, apparently referring some association with the
Vatican Hill, across the
Tiber from the Capitol. Towards the end of the Republic, the surnames Pansa, meaning "splay-footed,"[5] and Gallus, a
cock or a
Gaul, are found.[6]
Members
This list includes abbreviated
praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see
filiation.
Vibius Sestius Capitolinus, grandfather of Publius Sestius Capitolinus, the consul of 452 BC.
Publius Sestius V. f. Capitolinus, father of Publius, the consul of 452 BC.
Publius Sestius, accused of murder by Gaius Julius Iulus, one of the decemvirs, in 451 BC; apparently a different man from the decemvir Capitolinus.[10]
Lucius Sestius L. l. Carres, a freedman buried in a first-century sepulchre at Rome, along with Fausta Sestia Amaryllis and Publius Caesenus Cerdo.[18]
Fausta Sestia Ɔ. l. Amaryllis, a freedwoman buried at Rome, age 20, shares her tomb with the freedmen Lucius Sestius Carres and Publius Caesenus Cerdo.[18]
^Cicero calls him Lucius, but in the
Capitoline Fasti, his grandson's filiation is P. f. Vibi n. The inconsistent names in Cicero and the Capitoline Fasti have led some to speculate that the grandson was a member of another family, although the substitution of a common praenomen for a rare one was quite common. Another explanation would be that the filiation in the Capitoline Fasti was "borrowed" from Sestius' ancestor, Publius Sestius Capitolinus Vaticanus, whose father and grandfather were named Publius and Vibius, respectively.
References
^Chapter 3, Charles E. Bennett (1907) The Latin Language – a historical outline of its sounds, inflections, and syntax. Allyn & Bacon, Boston.
^
abDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 795 ("Sestia Gens").