The gens Petillia or Petilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens first appear in history at the beginning of the second century BC, and the first to obtain the consulship was Quintus Petillius Spurinus in 176 BC.Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 212 ("Petillia or Petilia Gens").
Origin The nomen Petillius, also spelled Petilius, Petelius, and Petellius, is almost certainly derived from the cognomen Petilus, meaning "slender", and belongs to a class of gentilicia formed using the typically diminutive suffixes -illius and -ellius.Chase, p. 124. The name is regularly confused with that of the Poetelii, an older plebeian family that occurs from the time of the Decemvirs down to the period of the Samnite Wars, but they do not appear to have been the same.
Branches and cognomina The only surnames of the Petillii in the time of the Republic were Capitolinus and Spurinus, of which only the former occurs on coins. A number of Petillii are found without cognomina.
Spurinus, belonging to one of the earliest Petillii appearing in history, appears to be connected with the Etruscan gentile Spurina, hinting at an Etruscan origin of the gens, or perhaps a maternal ancestor of the Petillii.Chase, p. 114. An alternative explanation might be as a diminutive of the praenomen Spurius, which the Etruscan scholar Wilhelm Deecke discussed in connection with similar Etruscan names. Although Deecke noted the use of the praenomen Spurie by the Etruscans, the orthography used in Greek transliterations argued in favour of a Latin origin.Deecke, pp. 327–329.
The cognomen Capitolinus is said to have been bestowed upon one of the Petillii who was caretaker of the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in the time of Augustus. However, Capitolinus was a relatively common surname, typically signifying someone who lived on the Capitol.Chase, pp. 113, 114. Coins this family depicts the Temple of Jupiter on the reverse, while the obverses depict either a head of Jupiter, or an eagle, as a symbol of Jupiter.Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 605 ("Petillius Capitolinus").
Members
Quintus Petillius C. f. Q. n. Spurinus, as tribune of the plebs in 187 BC, accused Scipio Africanus of having accepted a bribe to deal leniently with Antiochus, and called for an investigation of others suspected of having been bribed by Antiochus. He was praetor urbanus in 181, when he ordered the destruction of some books that were claimed to have belonged to Numa Pompilius. Consul in 176, he was slain in battle against the Ligures.Livy, xxxviii. 50, 54, 56, xl. 29, xli. 14–18.Valerius Maximus, i. 1. § 12; 5 § 9, ii. 7. § 15.Pliny the Elder, xiii. 14. s. 27.Plutarch, "The Life of Numa", 22.Aurelius Victor, De Viris Illustribus, 49.Augustine, De Civitate Dei, vii. 34.Obsequens, 64.Fasti Capitolini, .Broughton, vol. I, p. 369, 370 (note 4), 376 (Marcus Naevius), 384, 400. Quintus Petillius, tribune of the plebs in 187 BC, together with Quintus Petillius Spurinus, with whom he is said by some authorities to have acted in concert respecting the accusation against Scipio Africanus and the call to investigate those who had received money from Antiochus. How the two Petillii were related is unknown.Livy, xxxviii. 50, 54, 56. Lucius Petillius, a scribe who lived at the foot of the Janiculum. In 181 BC, workmen on his land discovered two stone chests, one of which claimed to be the sarcophagus of Numa Pompilius, while the other was supposed to contain his books. No trace of a body was found, but the books were examined and then ordered destroyed by Quintus Petillius Spurinus, the praetor urbanus.Livy, xl. 29. Lucius Petillius, one of the ambassadors imprisoned by Gentius in 168 BC, and freed following that king's defeat by the praetor Lucius Anicius Gallus.Livy, xliv. 27, 32.Appian, Macedonica, xvi. 1.Broughton, vol. I, p. 430. Publius Petellius Q. f., an eques named in an inscription from Samothrace, dating to 100 BC.. Quintus Petillius L. f., an eques who served under Pompeius Strabo in 88 BC.. Marcus Petilius, mentioned by Cicero as an eques who had business at Syracuse during the administration of Verres in Sicily.Cicero, In Verrem, ii. 29. Quintus Petilius, one of the judges at the trial of Titus Annius Milo.Cicero, Pro Milone, 16. Petillius Capitolinus, custodian of the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill during the time of Augustus. He was accused of stealing the crown from the statue of Jupiter, but was acquitted, supposedly due to his friendship with the emperor.Scholiast on Horace, Satirae, i. 4. 94. Titus Petillius P. f., one of the duumvirs at Forum Clodii in AD 18.. Petilius Rufus, one of several men of praetorian rank, who in AD 28 accused the eques Titius Sabinus of disloyalty to the emperor, in the hopes of gaining the consulate through the favour of Sejanus. Sabinus was put to death through their machinations.Tacitus, Annales, iv. 66–68. Lucius Petillius L. f. Saturninus, named in a first-century inscription from Clusium in Etruria.. Petillia Q. l. Irena, a freedwoman named in a first-century inscription from Rome.. Lucius Petillius L. l. Panemus, a freedman named in a first-century inscription from Rome. Petillia Rustica, named in an inscription from Rome, dating from the middle to the late first century.. Quintus Petillius, named in a list of gladiators from Pompeii. The inscription mentions the number of battles each had fought, but Petillius' record is missing.. Gaius Petillius Q. f. Firmus, a military tribune in the fourth legion, during the reign of Vespasian. He later served as a judicial magistrate at Arretium in Etruria., . Quintus Petillius Cerealis Caesius Rufus, a general in the time of his kinsman, the emperor Vespasian. He served in Britain during Boadicea's revolt in AD 61, then supported Vespasian's elevation to the empire. In 70, he succeeded in quelling the revolt of Civilis, and was appointed consul suffectus ex Kal. Jul. He was governor of Britain during the campaigns of Agricola. He was consul suffectus ex Id. Mai. in 74, and consul ordinarius with the emperor Domitian in 83.Tacitus, Annales, xiv. 32, Historiae, iii. 59, 78, 79, iv. 71, 86, Agricola, 8, 17.Fasti Ostienses, .Gallivan, "The Fasti for A.D. 70–96". Quintus Petillius T. f., named in an inscription from Rome, dating to AD 78.. Marcus Petilius Athenaidi l. Successus, a freedman who dedicated a monument at Rome to Claudia Storge, dating to the later first or second century.. Gaius Petillius C. f. Vindex Batavus, named in an inscription from Brigetio in Pannonia Superior, dating from AD 110. Quintus Petilius Q. l. Felix, a freedman named in an inscription from Rome, dating to AD 119, together with a number of other freedmen.. Petilia Euphrosyne, the wife of Gaius Lucretius Euhodius, and mother of Gaius Lucretius Priscus and Gaius Lucretius Euhodianus, buried in a second century sepulchre at Rome, aged twenty-two.. Petellius Faustus, one of the centurions of the sixth cohort in the third legion at Lambaesis in Numidia, according to an inscription dating to AD 161. Petilius Paulus, a soldier in the third legion at Lambaesis, according to an inscription dating to AD 161. Lucius Petilius Nepos, one of the duumviri at Perusia in AD 166.. Quintus Petilius Severianus, named in an inscription from Rome, dating to AD 186.. Petilia C. f. Irena, buried in rural Samnium with a monument from her mother, Gavia Auxime, dating to AD 198.. Marcus Petellius Felix, one of the vigiles at Rome, listed in an inscription dating to AD 208..
Undated Petillii Petilia, one of the heirs of a soldier buried at Timacum Minus in Moesia Superior.. Petellia, named in an inscription from Pagus Vetanus in Campania.. Petillia Ↄ. l., a freedwoman buried at Rome.. Petillia Ↄ. l., a freedwoman buried at the present site of Mompeo in Latium.. Petilia C. l., a freedwoman buried at Patavium in Venetia and Histria.. Petilia L. f., buried at Tarquinii, aged fifty-eight.. Petilia L. f., named in an inscription from Ucubi in Hispania Baetica.. Petilia L. l., a freedwoman named in an inscription from Praeneste in Latium.. Petillia L. l., a freedwoman buried at Rome, with a monument from Critonia Nike.. Petilia, daughter of Hilaritatus, buried at Formiae in Latium, aged seventeen, with a monument from her parents.. Gaius Petelius, dedicated a monument at the present site of Lara de los Infantes, formerly in Hispania Citerior to his wife, Arcea Elianoca, the daughter of Paternus, who died aged thirty. Probably the father of Gaius Petelius Paternus, buried nearby.ERLara, 146. Gaius Petilius S. f. Adeptus, buried at Rome, aged four years, four months, and twenty-one days.. Lucius Petilius, dedicated a monument at Salona in Dalmatia to his sister, Apuleia Jucunda.. Lucius Petillius, a soldier named in an inscription from Clusium.. Lucius Petilius, named in an inscription from Rome.. Lucius Petilius Ↄ. l., a freedman buried at Rome. Lucius Petillius C. f., named in an inscription from Lussonium in Pannonia Inferior.. Quintus Petilius, named in an inscription found at the present site of Acquapendente, in Etruria.. Quintus Petillius, named in an inscription from Narbo in Gallia Narbonensis.CAG, 11-01, p. 550. Quintus Petillius Q. f., named in an inscription from Pisae in Etruria.. Titus Petilius, named in an inscription from Camerinum in Umbria.. Titus Petelius P. f., buried at Altinum in Venetia and Histria.. Marcus Petilius Adlectus, husband of Scribonia Venusta, was buried at Rome, aged forty, having served as one of the emperor's attendants for twenty-one years.. Quintus Petilius Agricola, buried at Reate in Latium, with a monument from his slave, Geminus.. Quintus Petilius Q. f. Alexander, son of Quintus Petilius Faustus and Ulpia Alexandria, buried at Rome, aged nine years, four months, and seventeen days.. Quintus Petillius Q. l. Alexander, a freedman, and the husband of Petillia Zaelis, named in an inscription from the present site of Stroncone, formerly part of Samnium.. Lucius Petilius Alianus, named in an inscription from the present site of Bischofshofen, formerly part of Noricum.. Gaius Petilius Amandus, a veteran of the fourteenth legion, and decurion at Salona, where he was buried with a monument from his wife, Petilia Secundina.. Quintus Petillius Amphio, named in a dedicatory inscription from Rome.. Petilia Ampliata, the wife of Gaius Julius Martialis, and mother of Viricia Euhodia, a young woman buried at Rome, aged nineteen.. Gaius Petilius C. l. Anteros, a freedman buried at Patavium. Petilius Apollonius, named in a libationary inscription from the present site of Baldushk, formerly in Macedonia.CIA, 30. Petilius Asianus, father of Tintirius Asianus, who built a monument to his father at Ligures Baebiani in Samnium.. Quintus Petillius Attalus, named in an inscription from Rome.. Quintus Petillius Q. l. Attalus, a freedman named in an inscription from Septempeda in Picenum.. Petillia Attica, named in an inscription from Clusium.. Petilius Augurinus, brother of Petilius Sabinus and Petilius Candidus, with whom he dedicated a monument at Ariminum in Cisalpine Gaul to their parents, Petilius Sabinus and Secunda.. Lucius Petilius Aurelianus, a soldier in the seventh legion, named in a libationary inscription from the present site of Buljesovce, formerly in Moesia Superior.ILJug, i. 28. Petilius Barbarus, buried at Sigus in Numidia, aged thirty-five.ILAlg, ii. 2, 6722. Gaius Petilius Bassus, buried at Rome, aged thirty-five.. Petilia Q. f. Calliope, infant daughter of Quintus Petilius Pergamus and Petilia Nike, buried at Rome, aged five months.. Petilius Callistus, named in an inscription from Nomentum in Latium.. Gaius Petilius Calno, buried at Tuscana in Etruria, aged fifty-three..