Gallus (cognomen)
Gallus was an ancient Roman cognomen.
Meanings of the word
In Latin, the word Gallus had at least three distinct meanings:
- Gallus referred to an inhabitant of Gaul, to a Celtic-speaking person, or to a person perceived as ethnically or culturally Celtic.
- The Galli were the priests of Cybele, whom the Romans found notable for their self-castration as an act of religious devotion.
- Gallus was also the word for rooster, and later through a pun became a symbol of France (ancient Gaul).
People named Gallus
Individuals with the cognomen include:
- Aelius Gallus, successor of Cornelius Gallus as prefect of Egypt (26–24 BC) and commander of disastrous Roman expedition in Arabia
- Cestius Gallus (d. 67), Roman legate
- Constantius Gallus (c. 325/326 – 354), member of the Constantinian dynasty and Caesar of the Roman Empire (351–354)
- Gaius Asinius Gallus (d. 33), Roman consul
- Gaius Cornelius Gallus (69–26 BC), first Roman governor of Egypt, writer of elegiac verse
- Lucius Afinius Gallus (fl. 62), Roman consul
- Quintus Roscius Gallus (c. 126–62 BC), Roman actor
- Trebonianus Gallus (206–253), Roman emperor (251–253)
See also
- Saint Gall (Saint Gallus), 7th century