Fufia gens


The gens Fufia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The gens does not appear to have been of great antiquity, and only appears in history toward the beginning of the first century BC.

Origin

This gens has been frequently confounded, both in manuscripts and by the earlier scholars, with a Fusia gens, which did not exist, at least during the latter period of the Republic, and is only the ancient form of the name of the Furia gens. The Fufii do not occur in history until the seventh century of the city. The surname Calenus borne by some of this family is probably derived from the town of Cales in Campania. It is not improbable that the whole Fufia gens originally came from Campania.

Praenomina used

The Fufii are known to have used the praenomina Gaius, Quintus, Lucius, and Marcus.

Branches and cognomina

The only cognomens of the Fufii are Calenus and Geminus. The former is probably derived from Cales, a municipium in Campania, but whether the name merely indicated the origin of the family, or whether the first who bore it derived it from having conquered the town of Cales is uncertain, though the latter is the more profitable supposition. The name occurs on a coin of the Fufia gens. Geminus is a common surname meaning "twin."

Members

Fufii Caleni

Fufii Gemini

Others

  • Lucius Fufius, an orator, and contemporary of Cicero.
  • Gaius Fufius, an eques mentioned by Cicero, but otherwise unknown.
  • Marcus Fufius, an eques mentioned by Cicero, but otherwise unknown.
  • Marcus Fufius, a friend of Titus Annius Milo, who was accompanied by him at the time of the murder of Publius Clodius Pulcher.
  • Quintus Fufius, an intimate friend of Cicero, who recommended him in BC 50 to Gaius Mummius.
  • Quintus Fufius, an eques mentioned by Cicero, but otherwise unknown.
  • Gaius Fufius, a modeller, whose name is known by a statue in burnt clay, discovered near Perugia in 1773. It is two feet high, representing a household god, covered with a dog-skin, and has on its base the inscription, "C. Fufius Finxit."