Talk:Lartia gens

How are the Larcii related?

I've found that this family surfaces in the reign of Nero, & can be traced for a few generations. The best known member of the Imperial Larcii is Larcius Macedo, who was murdered by his own slaves. (Pliny, Epistulae, 3.14) -- llywrch (talk) 06:49, 3 August 2016 (UTC)

There's no way to be certain. Perhaps they were descendants from the same family; perhaps they weren't, but their nomen was derived from the same root; perhaps there's no connection, but their names look similar. It would help to know if any of these later Larcii are also found as Lartius, because then there would be reasonable grounds for adding them to this article. If not, then perhaps they could form the basis of a separate one, referring to this one in the lead or origin section (much as the Sestii and Sextii, treated as separate gentes, but quite probably having a common origin; although the Sestii were regarded as patricians and the Sextii plebeians, they appear linguistically connected, and both used the praenomen Vibius, which was rare among major Roman families).

It wasn't unheard of for an old patrician family to resurface generations, even centuries after their last appearance in the consular fasti (for instance, the Sempronii Atratini), although in some cases this might actually have been a member of an unrelated branch of the family reviving an old cognomen. Nonetheless, it's possible that the Lartii continued to exist through the history of the Republic without attracting any attention after the fifth century BC. But before adding anyone to this article whose name isn't exactly Lartius, at least in some sources, I think there should be some evidence of continuity. Are there other Lartii in CIL, perhaps? P Aculeius (talk) 12:15, 3 August 2016 (UTC)

Well Werner Eck (writing in ZPE 42 [1981]) believes that, based on his cognomen, Larcius Macedo's father A. Larcius Lydus had his origins as a freedman (if I am interpreting "Freigelassenenstatus" correctly) -- which dovetails with Pliny's comment that Larcius Macedo's father had been a slave. (He mentions the fact in less than 10 words.) Nevertheless his name implies that, although Larcius Macedo came from a servile background, there was at least one Larcius alive in the 1st century with enough wealth to possess a slave he manumitted. So the Larcii might still have been around in the 1st century AD. So if not a relative, a "See also" link to one of these Larcii -- I'd recommend Larcius Macedo, since I believe he's the most notable -- might be the best way to include them. (Or a note in the general text pointing out the Lartii/Larcii might not have died out in the 5th century BC. -- llywrch (talk) 19:40, 3 August 2016 (UTC)

After reviewing the article and giving it more thought, I've decided to add them in here. It's either that or create a separate page for the Larcii, but it's likely enough it's just a variation of the name (as the early Lartii are also found as Larcius and Largius). Probably just as well to keep them together for now. P Aculeius (talk) 01:27, 4 August 2016 (UTC)

Update

I've added a few more Larcii, the subjects of Bowsky's article. She argues that Gallus, whose birthplace was somewhere in Italy (e.g., Antium, Ostia, or Etruria) came to Crete in the entourage of L. Larcius Laches, married into the local aristocracy, & raised a family. Thus there are inscriptions attesting to a number of Larcii in Crete. (Which leads to the interesting question: is it more than a coincidence that there are two branches of Auli Larcii?) Further, a number of Larcii are listed in P.I.R., 2nd edition -- at least one hundred. So there are a number of Lartii/Larcii, although it is questionable how many of these are notable. Or about whom there are even enough details to fill out an article. -- llywrch (talk) 05:43, 27 July 2017 (UTC)