Onomastics

This article deals with the use of proper names in the Greco-Roman world. The main stress is laid on names of historical persons; other name categories are divine and heroic names, ethnics, toponyms, names of animals, festivities, and so on. The main sources for ancient onomastics are the hundreds of thousands of inscriptions (including coin legends) and papyri, as well as ancient literary works. Since the decipherment of the Linear B texts, the beginning of the Greek name repertoire has been extended to circa 1400 bce. In Rome, the first known personal names date to the seventh century bce. Greek nomenclature is closely affiliated with the Indo-European pattern; its main features can be seen already in Mycenaean Linear B texts and in Homer. As in many other Indo-European languages, like Celtic, German, Slavic, Baltic, Thracian, Indo-Iranian (but not Italic!), the compound names prevailed, but simple names were also numerous (they could be shortenings of compound names or originally simple names, identical to any noun or adjective or suffix derivatives). As in most Indo-European languages, a person bore only one name. It was sufficient in private life, while in public contexts, such as decrees, dedications, or tombstones, it was normally followed by the patronymic in the form of the father’s name in the genitive. An early type of patronymic inherited from Indo-European known in Homer and in Mycenaean, an adjectival form with the suffix -ιος (Αἴας Τελαμώνιος), survived in the historical period only in Aeolic dialects. In addition, patronymics in -ίδης, -(ι)άδης, and in -ίων appear in Homer (Πηλείδης, Πηληιάδης, Πηλείων of Achilles). After the name and the patronymic, an indication of location could further follow: demos or phyle (Δημοσθένης Δημοσθένους Παιανιεύς); one could get along also with the ethnicon (Ἀθηναῖος). It should be emphasized, however, that all these additions were not obligatory; the Greeks were able to manage during the whole of Antiquity with one name only—Rome: In the classical period, the Romans shared with other peoples of Italy, including the Etruscans, a system of personal nomenclature in which the central element was a hereditary family name, gentilicium. The official designation of a freeborn male Roman citizen embraced five components. Thus M. Tullius M. f. Cor. Cicero consists of praenomen, M(arcus); the nomen or gentilicium, the family-name, Tullius; the indication of the father’s name, M(arci) f(ilius); the indication of the Roman voting tribe to which the citizen belonged, Cor(nelia tribu); and the cognomen, Cicero (optional in the Republican age). It is probable, however, that the Italic peoples originally used a single name only. Indo-European compound names were abandoned very early in the proto-Italic period, giving way to simple names, the origin of which often remains obscure, especially of those of the oldest stock. Many are certainly Latin, such as the numerical praenomina such as Quintus and Sextus. Others are definitely of Etruscan origin, as Aulus from avle (derived from avil, “year”).