Talk:Martiania

The system of gentes had completely broken down long before the 5th century A.D. and no person who lived in that period can legitimately said to be a member of any particular gens. Moreover, the name of this particular individual (Martianus Minneus Felix Capella) shows that if he can be said to have been a member of any gens at all it would have been the gens Minnea, not the gens Martiania.

- Cordus 20:04, 3 September 2007 (CEST)

And anyway, wouldn't it have been gens Martianus rather than gens Martianius? -- Marius Peregrinus 20:22, 3 September 2007 (CEST)

I don't think we should to go here. I was only allowed to become a citizen after the gens agreed to a name change from gens Martiana to gens Martiania as required by the censors. I would prefer to fix up any problems (one at a time) that this spelling change has caused. -- Lupus 13:23, 3 September 2007 (HST)

Yes, Peregrine, you're right - the spelling is in fact one of the three things which tell us that the "Martianus" in this astronomer's name is not his nomen. The first is that in the 5th century there was really no such thing as a nomen any more. The second is that a person's nomen is always his second name, not his first. The third is that nomina almost always end with -ius rather than -us. So it's not his nomen. And since it's not his nomen, it doesn't make him a member of this gens. So he doesn't belong in this article. And since he's the only thing in this article, this article should probably go. But I'll hold off deleting it for a little while in case something else turns up.

- Cordus 14:35, 4 September 2007 (CEST)