Postumia (gens)

The gens Postumia was one of the most ancient patrician gentes at Rome. Its members frequently held the highest office of the state, from the banishment of the kings to the downfall of the Republic. The first of the Postumii who obtained the consulship was Publius Postumius Tubertus in 505 BC, four years after the expulsion of the kings.

The nomen Postumius is a patronymic surname, derived from the praenomen Postumus, which presumably belonged to the ancestor of the gens. That name is derived from the Latin adjective, postremus, meaning "last" or "hindmost," originally indicating a last-born or youngest child. However, its meaning has long been confounded with that of posthumous, indicating a child born after the death of the father; this misunderstanding is fostered by the fact that a posthumous child is also necessarily the youngest.

The most prominent families of the Postumii during the early Republic favored the praenomina Aulus, Spurius, and Lucius, with Marcus, Publius, and Quintus receiving occasional use. Toward the end of the Republic, Postumii named Gaius, Gnaeus, and Titus are found.

The most distinguished family in the gens bore the cognomen Albus or Albinus; but distinguished families are also found at the commencement of the Republic with the names Megellus and Tubertus. Regillensis was an agnomen of the Albini. In the Punic Wars and subsequently, the surnames Pyrgensis, Tempsanus and Tympanus were used. A few Postumii appear in various sources without any surname.

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