Confusing Names: Abascantus and Statius, Silvae 5.1

Echos du Monde ClassiqueiClassical Views XXXVIII, n.s. 13, 1994, 333-64 CONFUSING NAMES: ABASCANTIJS AND STATIUS, SILVAE 5.1 P.R.e. WEAVER Identity of name need not mean identity of person, as confusion in mail, bibliography and even in appoinunents and awards testifies often enough. Roman personal nomenclature is not immune, despite the wealth of both nomina gentilicia and especially of cognomina used during the early empire. In restricted groups the problem is more acute where, as in the Familia Caesaris, only a very limited number of Imperial nomina or indeed praenomen-nomen combinations are available, viz. C. and Ti. lulius, Ti. Claudius, T. Flavius, M. Ulpius, P. and T. Aelius, M. and L. Aurelius and P. Septimius.1 The onus I The known freedmen of Galba (Sulpicius), Otho (Salvius), Vitellius and Nerva (Cocceius) are insignificant in number for this purpose. References to inscriptions are to CIL unless stated otherwise. The text of Statius used is E. Courtney, P. Papini Stati Silvae (Oxford, 1(90). The following special abbreviations are used: Boulvert, EIII =G. Boulvert, Eselaves et affranchis imperiaux sous Ie HautEmpire romain: Role politique et administratif (Naples. 1970) Boulvert, DF = G. Boulvert, Domestique et fonctionnaire sous le HautEmpire romain: La condition de l'affranchi et de l'eselave du Prince (Paris. 1974) Chantraine, FS = H. Chantraine, Freigelassene und Sklaven i1ll Dienst dn r6mischen Kaiser: Studien zu ihrer N01llenklatur (Wiesbaden, 1(67) Hardie = A. Hardie, Statius and the Silvae: Poets, Patrons and Fpideixis in the Graeco-Roman World (Liverpool, 1(83) Jones = B.W. Jones, The Emperor Domitian (London & New York. 19(2) Kajanto =I. Kajanto. The Latin Cognomina (Helsinki, 1(65) Millar, ERW = F. Millar. The Fmperor in the Roman World (31 Be-AD 337) (London, 1(77) Pllaum, CP = II.-G. Pflaum. /,es Carrieres procuratoriennes equestres sous Ie Haut-Empire romain 3 vols. (Paris. 1960-1) Solin, Namenhuch = II. Solin, Die griechischen Personennamen in ROlli: Ein Namenhuch 3 vols. (Berlin & New York, 1(82) Syme, RP = R. Syme, Roman Papers /- VII. eel. E. I3adian. A.R. I3irley (Oxford, 1979-(1) Vidman = L. Vidman, ClL VI.6.2: Index Cognominwll (I3erlin & New York, 1(80) Vollmer = F. Vollmer, P. Papinius Statius Silvarum Libri (Leipzig. 1898; repr.1971 ) Weaver, FC = P.R.C. Weaver, Familia Caesaris: A Social Study of the Emperor's Freedmen and Slaves (Cambridge, 1(72). 333 334 P.R. C. WEA VER shifts to the third element of the tria nomina, the cognomen or personal name, to distinguish between individuals. But all too often, as is the case with those whose sole memorial is a brief funerary inscription, few or no other details are available. On the other hand, literary sources generally find it even less necessary to record or repeat a name in full, often reducing it to a bare cognomen and taking for granted the identity of the person they mention. All too often uncertainty and confusion can arise, not always unavoidable. Historians of Rome, and in particular prosopographers, have a vested interest in preserving a cautious and conservative code of practice in their treatment of personal nomenclature. Among the freedman elite of the emperor's household, officials with identical names are legion. No fewer than four of the Iulii Aug. Liberti are called 'CO Iulius Felix', and six 'C. Iulius Hilario'.2 The Claudii Aug. liberti, who all share the same praenomen , 'Ti(berius)', include tluee separate individuals each with the personal name Alexander and Epaphroditus, four with Eros and Fortunatus, five with Eutychus, Onesimus and Phoebus, and as many as eight called Felix, including, as I think we now can, Ti. Claudius Felix, the remarkable younger brother of M. Antonius Pallas.3 When we come to the T. Flavii Aug. liberti, manumitted during a twentyseven year period of similar duration to that available to the Ti. Claudii Aug. Liberti, and all likewise rejoicing in the same praenomen and nomen, viz. 'T. Flavius', the possibilities for confusion increase markedly. Not counting the many pairs of identical names, we also find (T. Flavius) Abascantus, Alexander, Celadus, Faustus, Primigenius and Primus three times each; Alcimus, Callistus, Crescens, Diadumenus, Epagathus, Martialis and Phoebus four times; Eutactus, Eutychus, Hermes and Onesimus no fewer than five times; there are...