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The ''gens Octavia'' was a plebeian family at Rome, which was raised to patrician status by Caesar during the 1st century BC. The first member of the ''gens'' to achieve prominence was Gnaeus Octavius Rufus, quaestor ''circa'' 230 BC. Over the following two centuries, the Octavii held many of the highest offices of the state; but the most celebrated of the family was Gaius Octavius, the grand nephew of Caesar and adopted son, who was proclaimed ''Augustus'' by the senate in 27 BC.〔''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', William Smith, Editor.〕 ==Origin of the gens== The Octavii originally came from the Volscian town of Velitrae, in the Alban Hills. The historian Suetonius writes, '' There are many indications that the Octavian family was in days of old a distinguished one at Velitrae; for not only was a street in the most frequented part of town long ago called Octavian, but an altar was shown there besides, consecrated by an Octavius. This man was leader in a war with a neighbouring town, and when news of a sudden onset of the enemy was brought to him just as he chanced to be sacrificing to Mars, he snatched the entrails of the victim from the fire and offered them up half raw; and thus he went forth to battle, and returned victorious. There was, besides, a decree of the people on record, providing that for the future too the entrails should be offered to Mars in the same way, and the rest of the victims be handed over to the Octavii.〔Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, ''De Vita Caesarum'', "Augustus," 1. Translated by J. C. Rolfe, (Loeb Classical Library 1912-13).〕'' Towards the end of the Republic, it became fashionable for noble families to trace their origin to the gods and heroes of olden time, and accordingly in Suetonius we also read that the Octavii received the franchise from Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth King of Rome, and were enrolled among the patricians by his successor, Servius Tullius. They afterwards passed over to the plebeians, until the patrician rank was again conferred upon them by Caesar.〔Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, ''De Vita Caesarum'', "Augustus," 2.〕〔Marcus Velleius Paterculus, ''Compendium of Roman History'', ii. 59.〕〔Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus, ''Roman History'', xlv. 1.〕 This story is not improbable in itself, but since neither Livius nor Dionysius mention the Octavii when they speak of Velitrae, and the Octavii do not appear in history till the latter half of the 3rd century BC, the tradition connecting them with the Roman kings may be safely rejected.〔 The ''nomen Octavius'' is a patronymic surname, derived from the ''praenomen Octavius'', which was widely spread in Latium. Many other gentes obtained their nomina in this manner, including the Quinctii from ''Quintus'', the Sextii from ''Sextus'', and the Septimii from ''Septimus''.〔〔George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Octavia (gens)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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