Belliena gens


The gens Belliena or Billiena was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Bellienus is the form that occurs in writers, while Billienus is more common in inscriptions. Members of this gens are first mentioned toward the end of the Republic. Lucius Bellienus obtained the praetorship in 107 BC, but was prevented from obtaining the consulship. The Bellieni occur in history down to the time of Caesar, after which the family faded into obscurity; but others are known from inscriptions.

Origin

refers to a Gaius Annius Bellienus, and from this it has been inferred that Bellienus might be a cognomen of the Annia gens; but even if this Bellienus or some of the others mentioned in history are correctly identified as Annii, the evidence from inscriptions demonstrates that Bellienus was a separate nomen gentilicium. The name belongs to a class of gentilicia formed using the suffix -enus, frequently found in Picenum and Umbria. Such names were typically derived from other gentilicia, rather than from place names, as was the case with the similar gentile-forming suffix -anus; in this case probably Bellius, also found as Billius, Belius, and Bilius.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Bellieni were Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus. Other names occur infrequently, including one instance of the Oscan praenomen Salvius, appearing in the filiation of one of the family.

Branches and cognomina

The Bellieni do not seem to have been divided into distinct families. They used a number of personal surnames, including Niger and Rufus, referring to black or red hair, respectively; Dexter, literally "right-handed", but figuratively "lucky" or "skilled"; Genialis, "genial"; and Vitalis, "vital". Actiacus was assumed by a soldier who had fought at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Messor, the name of another soldier, refers to one who reaps or mows. Several women of this gens bore Secunda or Tertia as surnames; these were old praenomina that gradually came to be treated as cognomina, typically being placed at the end of the name, although they retained their original individualizing function.

Members