How Did Nicknames Work in Ancient Rome? Did They Mostly Use Random Words Or Diminutive Forms of Their Real Names? Were Cognomina Just Nicknames Instead Of

Romans had a passions for nicknames and exploited all the possibilities to add one or more nicknames to their own personal name (praenomen) and clan name (nomen gentilis). The personal prestige (dignitas) of a Roman citizen was shown also by the antiquity of the gens he belonged to, by the number and quality of his affiliations, by how he could be distinguished among his peers and, lat but not least, by his deeds, in the political arena and/or in the military.All these elements were reflected in oneu2019s name.

Clans (Gentes) were indeed large entities with different strains and the older the gens, the more numerous the cognomina: for instance the Gens Cornelia (one of the great Roman Patrician Gentes) comprised the Cornelii Sulla, the Cornelii Scipiones, the Cornelii Lentuli, the Cornelii Cinna and so on.In this case, the cognomen was not a nickname, but a real family name, so old that its precise meaning was often lost in time.On the other side the Homines Novi (the new men) had only the praenomen and the cognomen: for example Marius, the famous general, who was considered just a country bumpkin by the supercilious old aristocrats, had just his praenomen (Caius) and his nomen (Marius).

Thus, here is the first step: praenomen, nomen, cognomen ancient family, praenomen, nomen new family.Adoption was quite common in Rome, especially between patrician families.The adopted child kept the name of his blood family, adding the suffix -anus, meaning u201ccoming fromu201dFor instance, if the Family Aemilia Lepida adopted a child coming from the Family Cornelia Scipio, the child could be called Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Cornelianus Scipio.

And this is the second step: affiliation, which means belonging to a complex web of personal and political relationships on which one could call if necessary.Now, letu2019s follow the steps of our friend Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Cornelianus Scipio. Say that, ad he grows up, he develops a stammer or he has a particularly milky complexion.

A new nickname will be added: Balbus, which means stammering or Albus, which means white.So, we have Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Cornelianus Scipio Balbus or Albus.He grows up, becomes a young man, studies rethorics and becomes a famous lawyer.

He will then be called Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Cornelianus Scipio Balbus Orator.Or, he become a general and defeats the barbaric nation of the Bessi.He will the be called Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Cornelianus Scipio Balbus Bessicus.

And this is the third step: personal features (Albus, Balbus, Nasica, Strabo, Rufus, Crispusu2026) and accomplishments (Orator, Dives, Atticus, Numidicus, Britannicus).Nothing is casual. Each and every nickname has its meaning and define the status and the dignitas of the Roman citizen

· Related Questions

Why did Hitler hate the Czechs so much?

Germans and Czechs have had issues since (at least) Jan Husu2019 murder , by the Imperial authorities, in 1415 and the resulting Hussite War which followed this crime.The Battle of White Mountain (1620),which the Czechs lost, resulted in heavy religiousnational oppression by the victorious Catholic Hapsburgs.The Czechs,naturally,werenu2019t too pleased by this or by the ongoing influx of German settlers into Bohemia/Czechia-something that had been happening since the 11th century.

By 1848,there was already a strong Czech national consciousness and the Czech refusal to have Bohemian representatives attend the all-German Frankfurt National Assembly outraged German public opinion.Even liberal Germans disliked it.Palackyu2019s all-Slav Congress only added fuel to the fire.

The defeat of the Czech rebels in 1849 by Imperial (Hapsburg) forces delighted most Austrians-even those who opposed the Hapsburgs. And,as others have noted, the post 1867 Czech demand to have Bohemia granted the same status as the Hungarian Kingdom made things even worse.(The demand was refused.

)Other elements of friction included the bitter quarrels between CzechsGermans in Prague-especially over control of Charles University.This was the situation when Hitler moved to Vienna in 1909-an embittered national minority (Czechs) demanding rights which the majority (Austro-Germans) found both presumptious and threatening. And Hitler,no doubt,encountered plenty of those same pesky Czechs in Vienna.

Being a strong German nationalist already,he felt the Czechs had to be put in their proper place-a place of permanent subordination to the Austro-Germans.And he despised the Hapsburg dynasty which made occasional attempts to placate the Czechs ( and other minorities). The Czechs,themselves,werenu2019t too crazy about the dynasty either .

But for the opposite reason.The post WW1 set up, in which the Hapsburg Empire was dissolved and replaced by national states like Czechoslovakia infuriated Hitler and other Pan German nationalists.These types shed no tears for the fallen Austro-Hungarian empire but the fact that the despised Czechs were now a majority ruling over 3 million (or so) Germans in their new national state was a bitter pill indeed.

And while it was perfectly natural,in the Pan- German (and later Nazi) view, for Germans to rule over Czechs (and other Slavs) .Czechs (or Poles) ruling Germans was simply contrary to the natural order.And this u201cunnaturalu201d situation had to be rectified.

The fact that Czechoslovakia was a democracy-a form of government Hitler loathed-only made things worse.And the fact that it treated its Jewish minority decently,further intensified his hatred. From Hitleru2019s point of view,the Czechs,their u201cunnaturalu201d state, their form of government,and their tolerance of Jews all had to go.

(The Czechs did not need to be exterminated however-at least not all of them.They did,however,need to accept the Germans as masters.)And that was what the 1938 German-Czech crisis was all about.