Legendary Silvii •
Silvius, the son, or brother, of Ascanius, was born in the woods, and raised by herdsmen in the mountains, according to Dionysius, who relates that he reigned for twenty-nine years. In Diodorus, he reigned for forty-nine years. In Ovid, his original name was
Postumus, with
Silvius being given him as an epithet. •
Aeneas Silvius, the first to affix his father's name,
Silvius to his own, to distinguish himself from his ancestor, reigned thirty-one years, according to Dionysius, and thirty in Diodorus; he is omitted by Ovid. •
Latinus Silvius, established a number of colonies, later known as the
Prisci Latini, or "Old Latins". Dionysius assigns him a reign of fifty-one years, Diodorus fifty. The latter adds that he was a martial king, who founded colonies to repopulate the region that he had destroyed by war. •
Alba Silvius, reigned for thirty-nine years in Dionysius, thirty eight in Diodorus. He is omitted by Cassius Dio. •
Atys (Silvius), called
Capetus by Dionysius,
Epitus by Diodorus, and
Epytus by Ovid, reigned twenty-six years. •
Capys Silvius, ruled over Alba for twenty-eight years. •
Capetus (Silvius), called
Calpetus by Diodorus, and in the
Fasti, reigned thirteen years. He is omitted by Cassius Dio. •
Tiberinus (Silvius), drowned in the river then known as the
Albula, but subsequently called
Tiber after him. Dionysius says that he reigned for eight years, and was slain in a battle near the Albula, his body being carried off by the river; Diodorus that he was swept away by the river while leading his army against the
Etruscans. •
Agrippa (Silvius), assigned a reign of forty-one years. In the
Fasti, he is the father of
Remulus, but in
Metamorphoses, Ovid calls him "Acrota", and makes him the younger brother of Remulus, fierce, but less rash. •
Romulus Silvius, struck by lightning. He is called
Alladius by Dionysius, who makes him a terrible tyrant, contemptuous of the gods, who contrived to imitate thunder and lightning to intimidate his subjects; his death, after a reign of nineteen years, was thus an ironic punishment. Diodorus calls him
Aramulius, and says that when thunder and lightning threatened the harvest, he bade his soldiers to beat upon their shields with their swords to drown out the noise, and thus he was struck down for his impiety. Ovid calls him
Remulus, and mentions him rashly imitating lightning, but says nothing else of him except that he was killed by lightning, and succeeded by his younger brother. Cassius Dio relates his impiety, but says that he drowned when the
Alban Lake overflowed. Both Dionysius and Diodorus mention that the ruins of his house could be seen beneath the waters of the Alban Lake. •
Aventinus (Silvius), commemorated by a shrine on the
Aventine Hill, reigned thirty-seven years. Diodorus relates that during a war, he and his army retreated to the Aventine as a redoubt. Cassius Dio states that he perished in war. Ovid describes the hill as his seat of power, and the site of his tomb—perhaps implying that he was slain there, during the war alluded to by Diodorus and Cassius Dio. •
Proca (Silvius), called
Procas by Dionysius, and
Palatinus by Ovid, ruled for twenty-three years, bequeathing his throne to his elder son, Numitor. Cassius Dio relates that in one account, Aventinus, not Proca, was the father of Numitor and Amulius. Ovid has Palatinus ruling from the
Palatine Hill, as a parallel to his father, Aventinus. •
Numitor (Silvius), the elder son of Proca, was deposed and exiled by his younger brother, his sons killed, and his daughter made a
Vestal Virgin. •
Amulius (Silvius), the younger son of Proca, deposed his brother, and attempted to extinguish his line; Dionysius relates that he ruled for forty-two years; Diodorus, forty-three. • Aegestus (Silvius), the son of Numitor, according to Dionysius and Cassius Dio, was ambushed and slain while on a hunt arranged by his uncle, Amulius. In Ovid, his name is
Lausus. Livy does not name Numitor's sons, but refers to them in the plural. •
Rhea Silvia, also called
Ilia, the daughter of Numitor, was made a Vestal when her father was deposed; when violated, she gave birth to the twins Romulus and Remus, and named
Mars as their father. Amulius threw her into prison, and ordered the boys thrown into the Tiber. • Antho (Silvia), the daughter of Amulius, pleaded with her father to spare the life of her cousin, Rhea Silvia. She is mentioned, but not named, by Dionysius, but named only in Plutarch.
Historical Silvii • Silvia L. f. Apricula, buried at
Casilinum in
Campania during the first half of the first century, with a monument from her husband, Aulus Tatius Ampliatus. • Appius Silvius Junius Silanus, named on a lead water pipe found at Rome. • Silvius Vindilius, buried in a family sepulchre at
Noreia in
Noricum, dating to the first century, or the first half of the second, along with his wife, Secunda, and daughter, Silvia Vindilla. • Silvia Vindilla, buried at Noreia, along with her parents, Silvius Vindilius and Secunda. • Silvia M. f. Severiana, made an offering to
Jupiter Optimus Maximus at
Anticaria in
Hispania Baetica, dating to the first or second century. • Aulus Silvius Divixto, buried at
Burdigala in
Gallia Aquitania, between the first and third centuries. • Silvia T. f. Maternina, named in an inscription from
Augusta Vindelicorum in
Raetia, dating between the first and third centuries. • Quintus Silvius Perennis, a
tabellarius, or courier, from the lands of the
Sequani, who made an offering to
Jupiter Poeninus at
Summus Poeninus in the
Alpine province of
Alpes Poeninae, at some point between the first and third centuries. • Silvius, buried in a second-century tomb at
Telesia in
Samnium, aged nine years, ten months, and twenty-seven days, with a monument from his mother, Silvana. • Marcus Silvius Sabinus, buried at
Massilia in
Gallia Narbonensis, in a second-century tomb dedicated by Silvius Sabinianus, probably his son. • Silvius Sabinianus, dedicated a second-century tomb at Massilia to Marcus Silvius Sabinianus, probably his father. • Silvia Primigenia, buried at Rome in the latter half of the second century, aged forty-nine years, eight months, with a monument from her husband, Lucius Aurelius Fortunatus, a freedman of the emperor. • Silvius Gentus, dedicated a tomb at
Divodurum for his parents, Publius Silvius Gentus and Venustia Martia, dating to the second century, or the first half of the third. • Publius Silvius Gentus, buried at Divodurum, along with his wife, Venustia Martia, in a tomb dedicated by their son, Silvius Gentus, dating to the second century, or the first half of the third. • Silvius Aestivus, buried at
Doclea in Dalmatia between AD 150 and 300, in a tomb dedicated by his colleagues, Pompeius Julius Acedinus and Flavius Gierasimus. • Lucius Silvius Victor, made an offering to
Nehalennia at
Ganventa in
Gallia Belgica, dating between AD 150 and 250. • Gaius Silvius Auspex, prefect of the second cohort of
Tungrian soldiers, who made offerings to
Mars,
Minerva,
Victoria, and
Viridecthis at
Blatobulgium in
Britannia, dating between AD 158 and 161. • Gaius Silvius Senecio, one of several individuals identified as
platiodanni in an inscription from
Mogontiacum in
Germania Superior, dating between AD 170 and 230. • Silvia, named in a votive inscription from the site of modern
Blažuj, formerly part of Dalmatia, dating between AD 170 and 300. • Silvius Candidus, the father of sixteen children, was granted a remittance from his civic obligations by
Pertinax, that he might devote his time and resources to bringing up his family. • Silvius Pat[...] Ursicinus, buried at the site of modern
Castroverde de Cerrato, formerly part of
Hispania Citerior, aged twenty-nine, between AD 201 and 235. • Silvia Ursula, buried at
Virunum in Noricum, aged forty, in a tomb dedicated by her husband, Publius Albius Calandinus, for himself and his wife, dating to the first half of the third century. • Gaius Silvius Praeceptor, the father of Lucius Silvius, and grandfather of Lucius Silvius Italicus, who dedicated a third-century tomb at
Gabuleum in
Moesia Superior to his father. • Lucius Silvius C. f., the son of Gaius Silvius Praeceptor, was buried in a third-century tomb at Gabuleum, dedicated by his son, Lucius Silvius Italicus, along with his wife, Andia. • Silvius Silvanus, governor of
Moesia Inferior under
Diocletian, made an offering to Jupiter Optimus Maximus and
Juno Regina at
Durostorum. • Silvius, buried in a fourth-century tomb at Rome, along with his wife, Fortunula, the daughter of Ladicenus. • Silvia, a woman of a
senatorial family, was buried at
Vienna in Gallia Narbonensis, on the seventh day before the Ides of March, in the thirty-ninth year after the consulship of
Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius (March 9, AD 579), at the age of seventy-eight. She had several sons serving in religious orders, one of whom, Celsus, predeceased her. • Silvia, buried in a sixth-century tomb at
Augusta Emerita in Lusitania, in the five hundred and ninety-second year of the colony, about AD 567. • Silvia, the wife of Gordianus, and mother of
Pope Gregory I, had a sister, Pateria. • Silvia, probably the wife of Martyrius, with whom she dedicated a tomb at
Augusta Treverorum in Gallia Belgica for Galla, probably their daughter, aged ten years and thirty days. • Silvia, buried at Vienna, aged four. • Silvius, one of the
magistrates of
Olisipo in Lusitania. • Gaius Silvius, a potter whose work is documented from various locations in Gallia Aquitania and Narbonensis. • Gaius Silvius Annianus, perhaps the son of Silvia Calvina, was buried at the site of modern
Miranda do Douro, formerly part of Hispania Citerior, with a monument from his grandfather, Silvius Calvus. • Silvia Annula, buried at modern Miranda do Douro, aged seventy. • Silvia Calvina, buried at modern Miranda do Douro, aged twenty-eight, along with Gaius Silvius Annianus, perhaps her son, with a monument from her father, Silvius Calvinus. • Lucius Silvius Paternus, dedicated a tomb at the modern site of
Saint-Privat, Ardèche, formerly part of Gallia Narbonensis, to his wife of thirty-two years, whose name has not been preserved. • Silvia Primigenia, along with her son, Tiberius Claudius Primigenius, dedicated a tomb at
Philippopolis in
Thracia to her other son, Tiberius Claudius Martialis. • Silvius Silvanus, buried at modern Miranda do Douro, aged twenty-five, with a monument from his brother, Silvius Calvus. • Silvius Spartus, made an offering to
Sucellus at
Augusta Raurica in Germania Superior. • Silvius Stephanus, buried at Rome, in a tomb dedicated by the actor Theseus. ==See also==