Pie cognonien Ph¡ftppus

Pie cognonien Ph¡ftppus
JOHN
BR¡scoE
me appearance of Cireek cognomina in tbe nomenclature of Roman
senators is one of tIte signs of Greek influence in Rome befare tIte earliest
political contacts wíth Greek siates aulside ltaly. Q. Publílius ¡‘hilo, cansul in
339 (Varrjt, is the earliest certain instance: the consular tribunes of 400 and
399 (Varr.) are also called Publilius ¡‘hilo by tIte Fasíi Capiloliní, but that is
probably tobe seen as a retrojection from tIte consul of 3392. Next comes P.
Sempronius Sophus, consul in 304. whule tIte cognoinen adopted by A.
Manlius Torquatus Atticus, consul lii 244 and 241, is particularly striking.
and suggests an unusual degree of interesÉ in Greece.
But tIte most intriguing case is that of tIte March Philippi. The first holder
of tIte cognomen was Q. Marcius Pbílippus, consul in 28!; bis father, consul
in 306 and 228, liad tIte cognoi’nen Tremulus: it seems probable that tIte flrst
Philippus was tite grandfatber of Q. Marcius Phulippus, consul in ¡86 asid
1693. In 172 he led tIte infamaus embassy to Oreece asid Macedon whicb
tricked Perseus into believing that peace with ¡tome was srill possible, asid
Éhus to agreeing to halt his military activíties. TIte deception meant that
Perseus la slip tIte opportunity of gaining a military advantage before tIte
main Roman forces arrived in Greece in tite spríng of ¡7¡4, L$vy says thaÉ
1 varr.’ appended to fourth century dates indicates a date according lo the ebronological
system of Varro. as represented in dic Fasd Ca(iltol¡ni. This system included dic feur fiaitious
dicutor years —333, 324. 309 and 301 (Varr. . (On tIte dictator yeavs sea most recently A.
Drummond, Historia. xxvii [¡978]. 550-72.) The real date of Philo’s first consul¡hip it tberet’ore
335 B.C.
2 TIte MSS. of Livy read Popilius and P,¿hlicium at 5,12,10 and 5.13.3 respectively, emended
to P~blilius, -¡vn by Sigonius. Set R. M. Ogilvie, A co~nmentary on Livy, Books 1-5 (Oxford.
¡965), 653.
3 [lis ¡‘iliation is U Qn. (tasi. Cap.). Qn bis career and policy see my discussion in JRS liv
(1964), 66-77.
4 Livy 42. 37.47. The ¡nost recent discussion of the episode is by VM. Warrior, AJAH vi
(¡981), 1-50.
Cerión. 2. 1984.
Editorial de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
152
John Briscoe
Perseus’ envoys carne to Marcius priuati maxime Izospitii Jiducia quod ci
paternum cum Marcio eran Philippus replied et se ita a patre suo accepisse
amicitiam hospitiumque cum Philippo fuisse ~.
It might appear that the tense of the infinitive fuisse indicates that the
relationship with Philip went back beyond Philippus’ father. Rut it is scarcely
possible for the consul of 281 to have been alive in the reign of Philip y, who
came to tIte throne in 2216, It could be that Polybius7 said that tIte
relationship went back beyond Philippus’ father, and Livy carelessly added
cum Philippo. Another possibility is that Philippus’ father told bis son that he
had himself had friendly relations with Philip V, but that these had now
ceased —no doubt when Philip concluded an alliance wíth Hannibal in 2158.
Equally likely, however, is that Livy wrote fuisse with nothing specific in
mmd, and had no information concerning ihe beginning of the friendship
between tIte Marcii and the Antigonids.
One can scarcely doubt that the consul of 281 did in fact possess the
cognonzen Philippus. Various possibílities concerning its origin present
themselves9.
(i)
There was indeed a link with Macedon in the early part of tIte third
century.
(u) TIte name arose for reasons unconnected with Macedon, but its
existence led to tIte father of the consul of 186 and 169 forming a
connection with Philip V.
(iii) The name arose for reasons unconnected with Macedon, and when tIte
connection with Philip V was established, it was falsely claimed that the
relationship was much older.
(iv) The name arose for other reasons, and was never claimed to have
anything 40 do with the relations of tIte family with Macedon.
Coins of the Marcii make clear reference to the Macedonian connection ~
The helmet with goat’s horns is tIte common headgear of Kings of Macedon:
and on one type the obverse has a head with tIte letter D, clearly indicating
that it is meant to be a portrait of Philip V. Rut these coins are merely
commemorating the relationship of Philippus’ father with Philip y. They are
not necessarily saying anything about tIte cognomen, and are certainly not
saying anything about the consul of 281.
It has bien claimed that ihe name was assumed because of various
42.38.8-9.
Philippus was born about 230 (Livy 44.4.10, App. Mac. ¡4).
On Livy’s sources in this passage see JRS liv, 68.
8 ¡‘ol. 7.9, Livy 23.33.1-34.9. 38.1-39.4. 48.3, App. Mac. 1. Flor. 1.23.4, Just. 29.4.1-4, Eut.
3.12.2-3, Zon. 9.4.2.
9 Livy never clainis that the cogno.nen resulted from the Macedonian connection: 42.39.3 is
simply a joke.
O MII. Crawford, Roma,, Republican Coinage (Cambridge, ¡974), nos. 259 (Pp. 284-5), 293
(p. 301>; on p. 285 the relererice to Livy should read xxvii. 33.2-3. References to carlier
discussions of the coins will be Iound in J. van Ooteghem, Lucius Marcius Philippus c’¡ safaniálle
(Hrussels. ¡961), 54-7.
6
The cognomen
Philtppus
153
equestrian activities associated with the gens II. Four pieces of evidence are
adduced.
(i)
TIte consul of 281 was magister equitum clauifigendi causa in 263. That
would hardly lead a man to cali himself a lover of horses; there had
been plenty of magistri equitum before PItilippus, and Itis office was a
purely formal one, with no military functions 12~
(u) Ancus Marcius, the legendary ancestor of ihe Marcii, is said to have
won a cavalry victory at Fidenae ¡3. That is far too remote to be of any
significance.
(iii) The Ludi Apollinares, of which horse contests were an important part,
were instituted on the instructions of the oracle of tIte uates Marcius in
21214. The games are commemorated on coins of the Marcii Censorini 15, but the oracle quoted by Livy does not specify tIte content of the
games, tItere is no reason to think that tIte oracle e4sted at the
beginning of the third century, and even if it had, it is scarcely likely
that this element of its content would have led a Marcius to change bis
family’s cognomen.
(iv) TIte consul of 306 won a great victory over the Hernici, and an
equestrian statue of him was set up in the forum 16 That was indeed a
signal Itonour, and if his son had some interest in Greek matters, could
well have led him to adopt a cognomen meaning «lover of horses» ¡~7
Yet it cannot be excluded that Macedon did have something to do with
tIte assumption of the cognomen. A man who knew tItat Phil¡ppus meant
<dover of horses» could also have known that it was the name of Kings of
Macedon. 1 therefore conclude wíth a piece of fantasy. Polybius says that
Rome and Rhodes firt shared in glorious deeds nearly 140 years before i67~~.
It was in the year of Tremulus’ consulship (i.e. 305 B.C.)’9 tItat Rhodes
began to be besieged by Demetrius Poliorcetes. Rhodes was helped by
Cassander, whose, son was Philip 1V20.
University of Manchester.
Van Ooteghem, op. cd., 54: cf. J. Gagé, Apollon Romain (Paris, ¡955), 30,5-6.
It is, of course, no objection that ¡he Lasticalí him Philippus in 281. They cou¡d easily use
a cognomen adopted after the consulship: thus van Ootegbem, ¡.c.
13 Ancus Marcius as ancestor: Ovid Pasil 6. 801-3, Plut. Cor. 1. Suet, Di. 6; Crawford, oc.,
no. 346 (pp. 357-61); cavalry victory: Dion. [Ial. 3.46.
¡4 Livy 25.12, Macr. 1.17.25,27.
¡5 Crawford, l.c. (n. ¡3).
¡6 Livy 9. 43. 22, Cic. PIIIL 6.13, Pliny NH 34.23. The statue and triumph may be
conimemorated on the reverse of the coins having ¡he head of Philip V on the obverse
(Crawford, oc., 308).
~ In view of the large nuniber of cognomina denoting physical peculiarities (cfi 1. Kajanto,
Tite Latin Cogno,nina. Helsinki, 1965, 63 tI., 235 ff.) one can scarcely think that he was
influenced by a desire ¡o rid himself of the cognomen Tremulus (thus van Ooteghem, l.c.).
18 Polybius 30.5.6. F. W. Walbank, .4 Historical Com,nentary on Poivbius, iii (Oxford. ¡979),
423 tI. witlidraws bis carlier support for Holleaux’ deletior¡ of ,rp¿q rotg Laróv (Roine. la Gréce,
ci les monarchies hellenistiques, Paris, 1921,29 fI’.).
~ See nl.
20 Siege: Diod. 20.81-8, 91-lOO; Cassander: Diod. 20. 84, 96, lOO.
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