Interesting email

[Julius Verax]

Hi All , Just thought you might like to read about this .
As you may know I do a Centurio Impression and workshop at Arbeia Roman Fort for visiting school parties and for the public in general . This Impression is based on Centurio Julius Verax of the VI th Legion who was based at the fort for a period of time .

Well , I received an email from a lady in Ohio in the U.S. asking for as much info in Julius as possible as she has been doing 20 + years research into her family tree which has lead her to a few people mainly in mainland Europe with the name Verax . This lady has Verax as her middle name , a name that has been passed down through her family who originated from the French / German Border and can be traced back many centuries . She doesnt have anything connecting Julius to her ( I dont believe any documentation if any exsisted in the first place would have survived all those years ) except the name .

The only records we have at the fort about Julius is in the form of an alta which he had inscribed saying

Julius Verax
Centurio
VI Legonis

and that is it ,his century we believe would have been there while the for was going through alterations ( from turf and wood to stone construction ) . I would like to be able to see where this type of name originated from just to give her a bit more to go on so If any of you can help that would be great .

Thanks ,

Julius .

[Peroni]

There is a few inscriptions from Rome of Equites Singulari Augusti which include the name Verax.. The nationalities on the grave markers indicates the mouth of the Rhine (Cananefates and Batavi). T. Avrelius Verax the vexillarius pops up a few times...

Belegstelle: CIL 06, 03203 = Denkm 00326
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
D(is) M(anibus) / T(ito) Aur(elio) Felici / eq(uiti) sing(ulari) Aug(usti) tur(ma) / Ulpi Victoris / nat(ione) [b]Canonefas[/b] / v(ixit) a(nnos) XXVIII mil(itavit) a(nnos) X / T(itus) Aur(elius) Verax vix(illarius!) / amico optimo f(aciendum) c(uravit)

Belegstelle: CIL 06, 03220 (p 3384, 3843) = Denkm 00112
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
D(is) M(anibus) / T(ito) Aur(elio) Probo eq(uiti) sing(ulari) / Aug(usti) tur(ma) Marini nat(ione) / [b]Bataus[/b] v(ixit) a(nnos) XXXIIX mil(itavit) a(nnos) XIIX / T(itus) Aur(elius) Verax et T(itus) Aur(elius) Taci/tus h(eredes) a(mico) o(ptimo) f(aciendum) c(uraverunt)

Belegstelle: CIL 06, 03240 (p 3384) = Denkm 00642
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
D(is) M(anibus) / Candidinius Verax eq(ues) sin(gularis) / Imp(eratoris) n(ostri) natione Badaus(!) vixit / ann(os) XX stip(endiorum) IV t(urma) Proclini / cur(ante) Candidinio Spectato / fratre ipsius // D(is) M(anibus) / Candidinius Spectatus / eques sing(ularis) Imp(eratoris) n(ostri) nat(ione) Badaus(!) / vixit annis XXX stip(endiorum) XI tur(ma) Proc(u)lini / cur(ante) Genialine Vindice

Belegstelle: CIL 06, 32867a = Denkm 00251
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
[D(is)] M(anibus) / [3] Verax / [eq(ues) sing(ularis) Aug(usti)] turm(a) / [

Belegstelle: Denkm 00099
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
Ve]rax / [3 a]mico optimo f(aciendum) c(uravit)

Belegstelle: Denkm 00710 = AIIRoma-04, 00064
Provinz: Roma Ort: Roma
[D(is) M(anibus)] / [Ulpi]o Novio/[ma]gi / [3] Batavo vixit / [anno]s XVII / [T(itus) Aureliu]s Verax vexil(larius) / [et T(itus) Aureli]us Sextus / [fratri pienti]ssi[m]o / [

[Julius Verax]

Thanks Adrian ,
Thats Interesting , So am I correct in saying that these men mainly came from the western banks of the Rhine ?

Julius .

[Medicus matt]

As Verax is just latin for 'truth', isn't it most likely that it's derived from that at some stage in the relatively recent (rather than ancient) past...there was a trend for using latin words as personal names in Renaissance Europe, some of which caught on (such as Verity, which is really just the female form of Verax..or Victor) and some of which didn't.

[Julius Verax]

I see what you mean matt and I knew it meant " Truth " , I was just trying to see if we could pin point ( if possible ) the area in which it could have originated as a name in ancient times . I dont know if I will have much luck in that respect but I might hit lucky , I was kind of hoping that the lads on here might be able to narrow it down to or agree to a possible area . I had the feeling that it may be of Celtic origin from Northern Europe , it just has that sound and feel to it ( Iam probably way off ) but I could be right .


Julius .

[D B Campbell]

Interesting idea. But I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Although the nomen (in this case Julius) was hereditary, and could conceivably be used to trace an origin (if it weren't as bland as Julius), the cognomen (in this case Verax) was rarely hereditary (the big patrician families of the Republic used the cognomen "hereditarily" to differentiate between branches of the family -- e.g. the Cornelii Scipiones -- but, by and large, "ordinary folks" didn't really do this). A descriptive cognomen like Verax was often simply invented. So I don't think there's much chance of tracing the ancestry (or the descendants) of someone called Julius Verax. You might've had a better chance if he had recorded his origin (but you would've needed a tombstone for that kind of detail).

(There's another Julius Verax recorded at Regensburg, for example.)

btw Speidel has suggested that the eques singularis Titus Aurelius Verax came from Nijmegen (on the basis of a very fragmentary inscription and a very bold reconstruction) but we'd expect that, as he was a Batavus. It's highly unlikely that your man was a Batavus, because they were not (as far as I know) recruited into the legions. Perhaps one of our Batavians can confirm?

[Julius Verax]

Ok , I suspected as much but thanks for you help . So if the Cognomen was a probable Invention then it cant be traced to a particular region , am I right ?


Julius .

[Peroni]

It's highly unlikely that your man was a Batavus, because they were not (as far as I know) recruited into the legions. Perhaps one of our Batavians can confirm?

Only one instance that I can think of Duncan..

As non-citizens in the first century it's very doubtful, but after fathers or perhaps grandfathers had attained their missio honesta it would be possible to join the legions. There is this example where we have evidence of a Batavian national who died at the age of 50 and was a soldier of Legio XXII Primigenia...

CIL XIII, 07577.(4, p 128) = CSIR-D-02-11, 00005
Province: Germania superior (Wiesbaden / Aquae Mattiacorum)

D(is) M(anibus) Tito / Flavio Germano / veter(ano) leg(ionis) XXII Pr(imigeniae) / P(iae) F(idelis) natione / Bata(v)us / annorum / L Ulpius Arvatius / h(eres) f(aciendum) c(uravit)

http://www1.ku-eichstaett.de/epigr/uah- ... ld=lu_7074

[D B Campbell]

What a splendid tombstone -- thanks, Adrian! I'd've thought the lure of glory in the equites singulares Augusti would've drawn any Batavi to Rome, but I see I was wrong. :|