Sosia gens

The gens Sosia, occasionally written Sossia, was a

The praenomina associated with the Sosii of the Republic were Quintus, Titus and Gaius. The Sosii Falcones of imperial times used Quintus and Marcus. All of these were extremely common throughout Roman history.

Branches and cognomina

The original Italian members of the gens were probably of

The Sosii of the Republic bore no cognomina, and were not divided into distinct families. In the second century, however, a family bearing the name of Sosius Falco appears, descended from a daughter of Quintus Sosius Senecio, consul in AD 99 and 107, who married Quintus Pompeius Falco, consul in 109. Senecio, the original surname, was derived from senex, an old man, while Falco, a falcon, was inherited from the Pompeii; it frequently denoted someone whose feet resembled talons; the modern expression is "pigeon-toed".^[5] Priscus, borne by some of the same family, was a common surname meaning "old" or "elder".^[6]

Members

This list includes abbreviated praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation.

• Quintus Sosius, an eminent eques from Picenum, who confessed to the crime of burning the public records' office in 83 BC.^[2]
• Titus Sosius, grandfather of the consul Gaius Sosius, and probably father of the praetor of 49 BC.^[7]
• Gaius Sosius T. f.,
  Caesar upon the former's flight from Italy. He was father of the consul of 32 BC.^[8][9][10]
• Gaius Sosius C. f. T. n., a staunch partisan of the triumvir Marcus Antonius, celebrated a triumph in 34 BC for installing Herod as king of the Jews. Consul in 32, he openly opposed Octavian, and commanded part of Antonius' fleet at Actium, but was later pardoned by Octavian.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][9][18]}
• Sosius, and his brother, were booksellers at Rome, mentioned by Horace. They may have been freedmen of the senatorial Sosii.^[19][20][21]
• Sosia Galla, the wife of Gaius Silius, consul in AD 13 and legate under Germanicus, was a close friend of Agrippina. In AD 24, Sosia and her husband were accused by Sejanus of corruption and plundering the provinces during Silius' command in Germany. Believing his cause hopeless, Silius took his own life, while Sosia was banished from Rome.^[22][23]
• Sosia Maxima, a Vestal Virgin.^[24][23]
• Sosius Papus, a friend of Hadrian, was honoured with a statue by the emperor Trajan. He might perhaps be the same person as the consul Quintus Sosius Senecio.^[25][26][27]
• Sosia Juncina, wife of Quintus Antonius Isauricus, consul suffectus in AD 140, dedicated an altar to the goddess Fortuna at Eboracum, where her husband was stationed as legate of the sixth legion in the 130's.^[28][23]

Sosii Falcones

• Quintus Sosius Senecio, consul in AD 99 and 107, married Julia, a daughter of Frontinus. He was a friend of Plutarch and the younger Pliny.^{[29][30][27][31]}
• Sosia Q. f. Frontina, a daughter of Quintus Sosius Senecio, named on the monument of her faithful slave, Eutychius.^[32][23]
• Sosia Q. f. Polla, married Quintus Pompeius Falco, consul in AD 109.^[23]
• Quintus Pompeius Sosius Q. f. Sex. n. Priscus, son of Pompeius Falco, and grandson of Sosius Senecio, was consul in AD 149.^[33]
• Quintus Pompeius Q. f. Q. n. Senecio Sosius Priscus, consul in AD 169.^[34]
• Marcus Sosius Laelianus Pontius Falco, one of the Salii Palatini, from AD 170 to 189.^[35]
• praetorian guard proclaimed Falco emperor the following year, but Falco was spared when the attempt was put down, as he was widely believed to be innocent of any involvement.^[36][37][38]
• Sosia Q. f. Q. n. Falconilla, the sister of Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco.[27]
• Quintus Pompeius Q. f. Q. n. Falco Sosius Priscus, praetor circa AD 220 to 225.^[39]

See also

• List of Roman gentes

References

Bibliography