Fac-
Pinar an acrostic was prefixed on his own name nius Strabo in his stead.
Pinar an acrostic was prefixed on his own name nius Strabo in his stead.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - c
H.
B.
) p.
712, &c.
; Hoffmann, Lex.
BiH.
) (C.
P.
M.
]
ONOMASTUS ('Ovómaotos), a confidential OPE'LIUS DIADUMENIANUS. (Dravila
officer of Philip V. of Macedon, for whom he held /MENIANUS. )
## p. 32 (#48) ##############################################
32
OPHELLAS.
OPILIUS.
OPE'LIUS MACRI'NUS. (MACRINUS. ) year, which was suppressed by Agis, the general of
OPHE’LION ('npeniwr). 1. An Athenian Ptolemy. Yet it could not have been long after
comic poet, probably of the Middle Comedy, of that he availed himself of the continued disaffection
whom Suidas says that Athenaeus, in his second of that people towards Egypt to assume the govern-
book, mentions the following as being his plays : - ment of Cyrene as an independent state. The
Δευκαλίων, Κάλλαισχρος, Κένταυρος, Σάτυροι, Μού- continual wars in which Ptolemy was engaged
cai, Movó porol, or rather, according to the emen- against Antigonus, and the natural difficulties of
dation of Toup, Movót ponos. The last three of assailing Cyrene, secured him against invasion ;
these titles are elsewhere assigned by Suidas to and he appears to have continued in undisputed
Phrynichus. In the second book of Athenaeus, possession of the country for near five years.
which Suidas quotes, none of the titles are men- (Paus i. 6. $ 8; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. pp.
tioned, but Ophelion is thrice quoted, without the 414, 417. ) The power to which Ophellas had
name of the play referred to (Athen. ii. pp. 43, f. thus attained, and the strong mercenary force
66, d. 67, a. ); and, in the third book, Athenaeus which he was able to bring into the field, caused
quotes the Callaeschrus, and also another play, Agathocles, during his expedition in Africa (B. C.
which Suidas does not mention (iii. p. 106, a. ). | 308) to turn his attention towards the new ruler
The reasons for assigning him to the Middle of Cyrene as likely to prove an useful ally against
Comedy are, the reference to Plato in Athen. ii. the Carthaginians. In order to gain him over he
p. 66, d. , and the statement that he used some promised to cede to him whatever conquests their
verses which were also found in Eubulus (Athen. ii. combined forces might make in Africa, reserving
p. 43, f. , where the name of Ophelion is rightly to himself only the possession of Sicily. The am-
substituted by Porson for that of Philetas). Who bition of Ophellas was thus aroused: he put him-
may have been the Callaeschrus, whose name self at the head of a powerful army, and not with.
formed the title of one of his plays, we cannot standing all the natural obstacles which presented
tell ; but if he was the same as the Callaeschrus, themselves on his route, succeeded in reaching the
who formed the subject of one of the plays of Carthaginian territories after a toilsome and perilous
Theopompus, the date of Ophelion would be fixed march of more than two months' duration. He was
before the 100th Olympiad, B. c. 380. There is, received by his new ally with every demonstration
perhaps, one more reference to Ophelion, again of friendship, and the two armies encamped near
corrupted into Philetas, in Hesychius, s. v. 'lous. each other : but not many days had elapsed when
(Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. vol. i. p. 415, vol. Agathocles took an opportunity treacherously to
iii. p. 380; Praef. ad Menand. pp. . xi. ) surprise the camp of the Cyrenaeans, and Ophellas
2. A Peripatetic philosopher, the slave and dis- himself perished in the confusion. His troops, thus
ciple of Lycon (Diog. Laërt. v. 73). [P. S. ) left without a leader, joined the standard of
OPHE’LION ('Openiw). 1. A painter of un- | Agathocles. (Diod. IX. 40-42 ; Justin, xxii. 7;
known time and country, on whose pictures of Pan Oros. iv. 6 ; Polyaen. v. 3. $ 4; Suid. 8. v. 'Opén-
and Aërope there are epigrams in the Greek An- nas. ) Justin styles Ophellas “rex Cyrenarum,"
thology. (Anth. Pal. vi. 315, 316 ; Brunck, Anal. but it seems improbable that he had really assumed
vol. ii. p. 382. )
the regal title. He was married to an Athenian,
2. A sculptor, the son of Aristonides, was Eurydice, the daughter of Miltiades, and appears
the maker of a statue of Sextus Pompeius, to have maintained friendly relations with Athens.
in the Royal Museum of Paris. (Clarac, Cutal. (Diod. xx. 40; Plut. Demetr. 14. ) (E. H. B. )
No. 150. )
[P. S. ] OPHELTES ('OpéATT). 1. A son of Lycur.
OPHELLAS ('Opéadas), king or ruler of gus, who was killed by a snake at Nemea, as his
Cyrene, was a native of Pella in Macedonia : his nurse Hypsipyle had left him alone. (Apollod. i.
father's name was Seilenus. He appears to have 9. § 14 ; Paus. ii. 15. § 3 ; comp. ADRASTUS. )
accompanied Alexander during his expedition in 2. One of the Tyrrhenians who wanted to
Asia, but his name is first mentioned as command carry off Dionysus, and were therefore metamor
ing one of the triremes of the fleet of that monarch phosed into dolphins. (Hygin. Fab. 134. )
on the Indus, B. C. 327. (Arrian, Ind. 18. ) 3. The son of Peneleus and father of Dama-
After the death of the Macedonian king, he fol- sichthon, king of Thebes. (Paus. ix. 5. $ 8. ) (LS. )
lowed the fortunes of Ptolemy, by whom he was OPHION ('Odiw), a Titan, was married to
sent, in B. c. 322, at the head of a considerable Eurynome, with whom he shared the supremacy
army, to take advantage of the civil war which had previous to the reign of Cronos and Rhea ; but
broken out in the Cyrenaica. [THIMBRON. ) This being conquered by the latter, he and Eurynome
object he successfully accomplished, totally de- were thrown into Oceanus or Tartarus (Apollon.
feated Thimbron and the party that supported him, Rhod. i. 503, &c. ; Tzetz, ad Lyc. 1191. ) There
and established the supremacy of Egypt over are two other mythical beings of the same name.
Cyrene itself and its dependencies. But shortly (Ov. Met. xii. 245; Claudian. Rapt. Pros. iii.
after, the civil dissensions having broken out 348. )
(L. S. )
again led Ptolemy himself to repair to Cyrene, OPI'LIUS. (OPELIUS. )
which he this time appears to have reduced to com- OPI'LIUS, AURELIUS, the freedman of an
plete subjection. (Diod. xviii. 21; Arrian, ap. Phot. Epicurean, taught at Rome, first philosophy, then
p. 70, a) The subsequent proceedings of Ophellas rhetoric, and, finally, grammar, and is placed by
are involved in great obscurity. It seems certain Suetonius next in order to Saevius Nicanor (Ni-
that he was still left by Ptolemy at this time in CANOR). He gave up his school upon the con-
the government of Cyrene, which he probably condemnation of Rutilius Rufus, whom he accompanied
tinued to hold on behalf of the Egyptian king to Smyma, and there the two friends grew old
until about the year B. C. 313: but no mention is together in the enjoyment of each other's society.
found of his name in the account given by Diodorus He composed several learned works upon various
(xviii
. 79) of the revolt of the Cyrenaeans in that subjects ; one of these in particular, divided into
## p. 33 (#49) ##############################################
OPIMIUS.
33
OPIMIUS.
COIN OP THE OPIMIA GENS.
nine parts, and named Musae, is referred to by the most formidable opponents of C. Gracchus ; and
A. Gellius (i. 25), who quotes from it an expla- accordingly when he first became a candidate for
nation of the word Induciae, accompanied by a the consulship, C. Gracchus used all his influence
most foolish derivation. To another piece terned with the people to induce them to prefer C.
Fac-
Pinar an acrostic was prefixed on his own name nius Strabo in his stead. (Plut C. Gracch. 11. )
which he there gare as Opillius. (Sueton. de Gracchus succeeded in his object, and Fannius was
Illustr. Gramm. 6; Lersch, Sprachphilosophie der consul in B. c. 122; but he was unable to prevent
Alten, iii. p. 150. )
[W. R. ) the election of Opimius for the following year, and
OPI'MIA, a vestal virgin in the time of the bad only rendered the latter a still bitterer enemy
second Punic War, was unfaithful to her vow of by the affront he had put upon him. Opimius's col-
chastity, and was in consequence buried alive at league was Q. Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus. The
the Colline gate. (Liv. xxii. 57. )
history of the consulship of Opimius, B. c. 121, is
OPI'MIÅ GENS, plebeian, is first mentioned given at length in the life of C. Gracchus. It is
in the time of the Samnite wars. The first only necessary to state here in general, that Opi-
member of the gens who obtained the consulship, mius entered, with all the zeal of an unscrupulous
was Q. Opimius, in B. C. 154. The only con. partisan and the animosity of a personal enemy,
nomen of ihe Opimii is Pansa, but the niore dis into the measures which the senate adopted to
tinguished persons of this name are mentioned crush Gracchus, and forced on matters to an open
without any surname. On coins the name is rupture. As soon as he was armed by the senate
always written Opeinius, as in the annexed spe with the well-known decree, “ That the consuls
cimen, which represents on the obverse the head should take care that the republic suffered no in-
of Pallas, and on the reverse Apollo in a chariot jury," he resolved to make away with Gracchus,
bending his bow, with M. OPrim. Roma. None and succeeded, as is related in the life of the latter,
of the coins of this gens can be referred with cer- Opimius and his party abused their victory most
tainty to any particular person.
savagely, and are said to have killed more than
three thousand persons. (For details see Vol. II.
pp. 197, 198, and the authorities there quoted. ]
In the following year, B. C. 120, Opimius was
accused by Q. Decius, tribune of the plebs, of hav.
ing put Roman citizens to death without a trial.
He was defended by the consul, C. Papirius Carbo,
who had formerly belonged to the party of Grac-
chus, but had gone over to that of the aristocracy.
Although the judices now belonged to the eques-
trian order by one of the laws of Gracchus, they
OPIMIUS. 1. C. Opimius Pansa, quaestor were too much terrified by the events of the pre-
B. C. 294, was killed in the quaestorium or quaes ceding year to condemn the person who had been
tor's tent, in an attack made by the Samnites the prime mover in them, and accordingly acquitted
upon the Roman camp. (Liv. x. 32. )
the accused. (Liv. Epit. 61 ; Cic. de Orat. ii. 25. )
2. Q. OPIMIUS Q. F. Q. N. , was consul B. c. Opimius thus escaped for the present, but his ve-
154, with L. Postumius Albinus. Opimius in his nality and corruption brought him before the judices
consulship carried on war with the Oxybii and again a few years afterwards, when he met with a
Deciatae, Ligurian tribes on the northern side of different fate. He had been at the head of the
the Alps, who had attacked the territory of the commission which was sent into Africa in 3. c. 112,
people of Massilia, the allies of the Roman people, in order to divide the dominions of Micipsa be-
and had laid waste the towns of Antipolis and tween Jugurtha and Adherbal, and had allowed
Nicaea, which belonged to Massilia. Opimius himself to be bribed by Jugurtha, to assign to him
subdued these people without any difficulty, and the better part of the country. This scandalous
obtained in consequence the honour of a triumph. conduct had passed unnoticed at the time ; but
(Polyb. xxxiii. 5, 7, 8; Liv. Epit. 47 ; Fasti when the defeat of the Roman army, through the
Capit. ; Obsequ. 76. ) This Opimius seems to misconduct of Albinus, in B. c. 109, had roused
have been a man of as little principle as his son, the indignation of the Roman people, the tribune,
and was notorious in bis youth for his riotous C. Mamilius Limetanus, brought forward a bill for
living. Lucilius described him as “ formosus homo inquiry into the conduct of all those who had re-
et famosus” (Nonius, iv. . v. Fuma, p. 658, ed. ceived bribes from Jugurtha. By this law Opi-
Gothofred. ), and Cicero speaks of him as “ qui mius was condemned along with many others of
adolescentulus male audisset. " (De Orat. ii. 68, the leading members of the aristocracy. He went
fin. ) In the same passage Cicero relates a joke of into exile to Dyrrhachium in Epeirus, where he
Opimius.
| lived for some years, hated and insulted by the
3. L. Opimius Q. F. Q. N. , son of the preceding, people, and where he eventually died in great po-
was praetor B. c. 125, in which year he marched verty. He richly deserved bis punishment, and
against Fregellae, which had risen in revolt, in order met with a due recompense for his cruel and fero-
to obtain the Roman franchise. The town was cious conduct towards C. Gracchus and his party.
betrayed to Opinius by one of its citizens, Q. Nu Cicero, on the contrary, who, after his consulship,
mitorius Pullus, and severe vengeance was taken had identified himself with the aristocratical party,
upon the inhabitants. (Liv. Epit. 60; Cic. De frequently laments the fate of Opimius, and com-
Invent. ii. 34 ; Ascon. in Pison. p. 17, ed. Orelli ; plains of the cruelty shown towards a man who
Vell. Pat, ji. 6 ; Plut. C. Gracch. 3. ) Opimius be had conferred such signal services upon his country,
longed to the high aristocratical party, and pos- as the conquest of Fregellae and the destruction of
sessed great influence in the senate. He was one Gracchus. He calls him the saviour of the com-
of the most violent and, at the same time, one of monwealth, and characterises his condemnation as
VOL. III.
a
D
## p. 34 (#50) ##############################################
34
OPPIA.
OPPIANUS.
a blot upon the Roman dominion, and a disgrace 2. Vestia Oppia, a woman of Atella in Cam
to the Roman people. (Sall. Jug. 16, 40 ; Vell. pania, resided at Capua during the second Punic
Pat. ii. 7 ; Plut. C. Gracch. 18 ; Cic. pro Planc. 28, war, and is said to have daily offered up sacrifices
Brut. 34, in Pison. 39, pro Sest. 67 ; Schol. Bob. for the success of the Romans, while Capua was in
pro Sest. p. 311, ed. Orelli. )
the hands of the Carthaginians. She was accord-
The year in which Opimius was consul (B. c. ingly rewarded by the Romans in B. c. 210, when
12]) was remarkable for the extraordinary heat the city fell into their power. (Liv. xxvi. 33,
of the antumn, and thus the vintage of this year 34. )
was of an unprecedented quality. This wine long 3. The wife of L. Minidius or Mindius. (Cic.
remained celebrated as the Vinum Opimianum, and ad Fam. xiii. 28. ) (MINIDIUS. )
was preserved for an almost incredible space of OʻPPIA GENS, plebeian. This gens belonged
time. Cicero speaks of it as in existence when he to the tribus Terentina, and was one of considerable
wrote his Brutus, eighty-five years after the con- antiquity, and some importance even in early times,
sulship of Opimius (Brut. 83). Velleius Pater- since a member of it, Sp. Oppius Cornicen, was one
culus, who wrote in the reign of Tiberius, says of the second decemvirate, B. C. 450. We even
(ii. 7) that none of the wine was then in exist-read of a Vestal virgin of the name of Oppia as
ence ; but Pliny, who published his work in the early as B. C. 483 (Liv. ii. 43), but it is difficult to
reign of Vespasian, makes mention of its existence believe that a plebeian could have filled this dig-
even in his day, two hundred years afterwards. nity at so early a period. None of the Oppii, how-
It was reduced, he says, to the consistence of ever, ever obtained the consulship, although the
rough honey; and, like other very old wines, was name occurs at intervals in Roman history from
60 strong, and harsh, and bitter, as to be undrink the time of the second decemvirate to that of the
able until lar diluted with water. (Plin. H. N. early emperors.
ONOMASTUS ('Ovómaotos), a confidential OPE'LIUS DIADUMENIANUS. (Dravila
officer of Philip V. of Macedon, for whom he held /MENIANUS. )
## p. 32 (#48) ##############################################
32
OPHELLAS.
OPILIUS.
OPE'LIUS MACRI'NUS. (MACRINUS. ) year, which was suppressed by Agis, the general of
OPHE’LION ('npeniwr). 1. An Athenian Ptolemy. Yet it could not have been long after
comic poet, probably of the Middle Comedy, of that he availed himself of the continued disaffection
whom Suidas says that Athenaeus, in his second of that people towards Egypt to assume the govern-
book, mentions the following as being his plays : - ment of Cyrene as an independent state. The
Δευκαλίων, Κάλλαισχρος, Κένταυρος, Σάτυροι, Μού- continual wars in which Ptolemy was engaged
cai, Movó porol, or rather, according to the emen- against Antigonus, and the natural difficulties of
dation of Toup, Movót ponos. The last three of assailing Cyrene, secured him against invasion ;
these titles are elsewhere assigned by Suidas to and he appears to have continued in undisputed
Phrynichus. In the second book of Athenaeus, possession of the country for near five years.
which Suidas quotes, none of the titles are men- (Paus i. 6. $ 8; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. pp.
tioned, but Ophelion is thrice quoted, without the 414, 417. ) The power to which Ophellas had
name of the play referred to (Athen. ii. pp. 43, f. thus attained, and the strong mercenary force
66, d. 67, a. ); and, in the third book, Athenaeus which he was able to bring into the field, caused
quotes the Callaeschrus, and also another play, Agathocles, during his expedition in Africa (B. C.
which Suidas does not mention (iii. p. 106, a. ). | 308) to turn his attention towards the new ruler
The reasons for assigning him to the Middle of Cyrene as likely to prove an useful ally against
Comedy are, the reference to Plato in Athen. ii. the Carthaginians. In order to gain him over he
p. 66, d. , and the statement that he used some promised to cede to him whatever conquests their
verses which were also found in Eubulus (Athen. ii. combined forces might make in Africa, reserving
p. 43, f. , where the name of Ophelion is rightly to himself only the possession of Sicily. The am-
substituted by Porson for that of Philetas). Who bition of Ophellas was thus aroused: he put him-
may have been the Callaeschrus, whose name self at the head of a powerful army, and not with.
formed the title of one of his plays, we cannot standing all the natural obstacles which presented
tell ; but if he was the same as the Callaeschrus, themselves on his route, succeeded in reaching the
who formed the subject of one of the plays of Carthaginian territories after a toilsome and perilous
Theopompus, the date of Ophelion would be fixed march of more than two months' duration. He was
before the 100th Olympiad, B. c. 380. There is, received by his new ally with every demonstration
perhaps, one more reference to Ophelion, again of friendship, and the two armies encamped near
corrupted into Philetas, in Hesychius, s. v. 'lous. each other : but not many days had elapsed when
(Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. vol. i. p. 415, vol. Agathocles took an opportunity treacherously to
iii. p. 380; Praef. ad Menand. pp. . xi. ) surprise the camp of the Cyrenaeans, and Ophellas
2. A Peripatetic philosopher, the slave and dis- himself perished in the confusion. His troops, thus
ciple of Lycon (Diog. Laërt. v. 73). [P. S. ) left without a leader, joined the standard of
OPHE’LION ('Openiw). 1. A painter of un- | Agathocles. (Diod. IX. 40-42 ; Justin, xxii. 7;
known time and country, on whose pictures of Pan Oros. iv. 6 ; Polyaen. v. 3. $ 4; Suid. 8. v. 'Opén-
and Aërope there are epigrams in the Greek An- nas. ) Justin styles Ophellas “rex Cyrenarum,"
thology. (Anth. Pal. vi. 315, 316 ; Brunck, Anal. but it seems improbable that he had really assumed
vol. ii. p. 382. )
the regal title. He was married to an Athenian,
2. A sculptor, the son of Aristonides, was Eurydice, the daughter of Miltiades, and appears
the maker of a statue of Sextus Pompeius, to have maintained friendly relations with Athens.
in the Royal Museum of Paris. (Clarac, Cutal. (Diod. xx. 40; Plut. Demetr. 14. ) (E. H. B. )
No. 150. )
[P. S. ] OPHELTES ('OpéATT). 1. A son of Lycur.
OPHELLAS ('Opéadas), king or ruler of gus, who was killed by a snake at Nemea, as his
Cyrene, was a native of Pella in Macedonia : his nurse Hypsipyle had left him alone. (Apollod. i.
father's name was Seilenus. He appears to have 9. § 14 ; Paus. ii. 15. § 3 ; comp. ADRASTUS. )
accompanied Alexander during his expedition in 2. One of the Tyrrhenians who wanted to
Asia, but his name is first mentioned as command carry off Dionysus, and were therefore metamor
ing one of the triremes of the fleet of that monarch phosed into dolphins. (Hygin. Fab. 134. )
on the Indus, B. C. 327. (Arrian, Ind. 18. ) 3. The son of Peneleus and father of Dama-
After the death of the Macedonian king, he fol- sichthon, king of Thebes. (Paus. ix. 5. $ 8. ) (LS. )
lowed the fortunes of Ptolemy, by whom he was OPHION ('Odiw), a Titan, was married to
sent, in B. c. 322, at the head of a considerable Eurynome, with whom he shared the supremacy
army, to take advantage of the civil war which had previous to the reign of Cronos and Rhea ; but
broken out in the Cyrenaica. [THIMBRON. ) This being conquered by the latter, he and Eurynome
object he successfully accomplished, totally de- were thrown into Oceanus or Tartarus (Apollon.
feated Thimbron and the party that supported him, Rhod. i. 503, &c. ; Tzetz, ad Lyc. 1191. ) There
and established the supremacy of Egypt over are two other mythical beings of the same name.
Cyrene itself and its dependencies. But shortly (Ov. Met. xii. 245; Claudian. Rapt. Pros. iii.
after, the civil dissensions having broken out 348. )
(L. S. )
again led Ptolemy himself to repair to Cyrene, OPI'LIUS. (OPELIUS. )
which he this time appears to have reduced to com- OPI'LIUS, AURELIUS, the freedman of an
plete subjection. (Diod. xviii. 21; Arrian, ap. Phot. Epicurean, taught at Rome, first philosophy, then
p. 70, a) The subsequent proceedings of Ophellas rhetoric, and, finally, grammar, and is placed by
are involved in great obscurity. It seems certain Suetonius next in order to Saevius Nicanor (Ni-
that he was still left by Ptolemy at this time in CANOR). He gave up his school upon the con-
the government of Cyrene, which he probably condemnation of Rutilius Rufus, whom he accompanied
tinued to hold on behalf of the Egyptian king to Smyma, and there the two friends grew old
until about the year B. C. 313: but no mention is together in the enjoyment of each other's society.
found of his name in the account given by Diodorus He composed several learned works upon various
(xviii
. 79) of the revolt of the Cyrenaeans in that subjects ; one of these in particular, divided into
## p. 33 (#49) ##############################################
OPIMIUS.
33
OPIMIUS.
COIN OP THE OPIMIA GENS.
nine parts, and named Musae, is referred to by the most formidable opponents of C. Gracchus ; and
A. Gellius (i. 25), who quotes from it an expla- accordingly when he first became a candidate for
nation of the word Induciae, accompanied by a the consulship, C. Gracchus used all his influence
most foolish derivation. To another piece terned with the people to induce them to prefer C.
Fac-
Pinar an acrostic was prefixed on his own name nius Strabo in his stead. (Plut C. Gracch. 11. )
which he there gare as Opillius. (Sueton. de Gracchus succeeded in his object, and Fannius was
Illustr. Gramm. 6; Lersch, Sprachphilosophie der consul in B. c. 122; but he was unable to prevent
Alten, iii. p. 150. )
[W. R. ) the election of Opimius for the following year, and
OPI'MIA, a vestal virgin in the time of the bad only rendered the latter a still bitterer enemy
second Punic War, was unfaithful to her vow of by the affront he had put upon him. Opimius's col-
chastity, and was in consequence buried alive at league was Q. Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus. The
the Colline gate. (Liv. xxii. 57. )
history of the consulship of Opimius, B. c. 121, is
OPI'MIÅ GENS, plebeian, is first mentioned given at length in the life of C. Gracchus. It is
in the time of the Samnite wars. The first only necessary to state here in general, that Opi-
member of the gens who obtained the consulship, mius entered, with all the zeal of an unscrupulous
was Q. Opimius, in B. C. 154. The only con. partisan and the animosity of a personal enemy,
nomen of ihe Opimii is Pansa, but the niore dis into the measures which the senate adopted to
tinguished persons of this name are mentioned crush Gracchus, and forced on matters to an open
without any surname. On coins the name is rupture. As soon as he was armed by the senate
always written Opeinius, as in the annexed spe with the well-known decree, “ That the consuls
cimen, which represents on the obverse the head should take care that the republic suffered no in-
of Pallas, and on the reverse Apollo in a chariot jury," he resolved to make away with Gracchus,
bending his bow, with M. OPrim. Roma. None and succeeded, as is related in the life of the latter,
of the coins of this gens can be referred with cer- Opimius and his party abused their victory most
tainty to any particular person.
savagely, and are said to have killed more than
three thousand persons. (For details see Vol. II.
pp. 197, 198, and the authorities there quoted. ]
In the following year, B. C. 120, Opimius was
accused by Q. Decius, tribune of the plebs, of hav.
ing put Roman citizens to death without a trial.
He was defended by the consul, C. Papirius Carbo,
who had formerly belonged to the party of Grac-
chus, but had gone over to that of the aristocracy.
Although the judices now belonged to the eques-
trian order by one of the laws of Gracchus, they
OPIMIUS. 1. C. Opimius Pansa, quaestor were too much terrified by the events of the pre-
B. C. 294, was killed in the quaestorium or quaes ceding year to condemn the person who had been
tor's tent, in an attack made by the Samnites the prime mover in them, and accordingly acquitted
upon the Roman camp. (Liv. x. 32. )
the accused. (Liv. Epit. 61 ; Cic. de Orat. ii. 25. )
2. Q. OPIMIUS Q. F. Q. N. , was consul B. c. Opimius thus escaped for the present, but his ve-
154, with L. Postumius Albinus. Opimius in his nality and corruption brought him before the judices
consulship carried on war with the Oxybii and again a few years afterwards, when he met with a
Deciatae, Ligurian tribes on the northern side of different fate. He had been at the head of the
the Alps, who had attacked the territory of the commission which was sent into Africa in 3. c. 112,
people of Massilia, the allies of the Roman people, in order to divide the dominions of Micipsa be-
and had laid waste the towns of Antipolis and tween Jugurtha and Adherbal, and had allowed
Nicaea, which belonged to Massilia. Opimius himself to be bribed by Jugurtha, to assign to him
subdued these people without any difficulty, and the better part of the country. This scandalous
obtained in consequence the honour of a triumph. conduct had passed unnoticed at the time ; but
(Polyb. xxxiii. 5, 7, 8; Liv. Epit. 47 ; Fasti when the defeat of the Roman army, through the
Capit. ; Obsequ. 76. ) This Opimius seems to misconduct of Albinus, in B. c. 109, had roused
have been a man of as little principle as his son, the indignation of the Roman people, the tribune,
and was notorious in bis youth for his riotous C. Mamilius Limetanus, brought forward a bill for
living. Lucilius described him as “ formosus homo inquiry into the conduct of all those who had re-
et famosus” (Nonius, iv. . v. Fuma, p. 658, ed. ceived bribes from Jugurtha. By this law Opi-
Gothofred. ), and Cicero speaks of him as “ qui mius was condemned along with many others of
adolescentulus male audisset. " (De Orat. ii. 68, the leading members of the aristocracy. He went
fin. ) In the same passage Cicero relates a joke of into exile to Dyrrhachium in Epeirus, where he
Opimius.
| lived for some years, hated and insulted by the
3. L. Opimius Q. F. Q. N. , son of the preceding, people, and where he eventually died in great po-
was praetor B. c. 125, in which year he marched verty. He richly deserved bis punishment, and
against Fregellae, which had risen in revolt, in order met with a due recompense for his cruel and fero-
to obtain the Roman franchise. The town was cious conduct towards C. Gracchus and his party.
betrayed to Opinius by one of its citizens, Q. Nu Cicero, on the contrary, who, after his consulship,
mitorius Pullus, and severe vengeance was taken had identified himself with the aristocratical party,
upon the inhabitants. (Liv. Epit. 60; Cic. De frequently laments the fate of Opimius, and com-
Invent. ii. 34 ; Ascon. in Pison. p. 17, ed. Orelli ; plains of the cruelty shown towards a man who
Vell. Pat, ji. 6 ; Plut. C. Gracch. 3. ) Opimius be had conferred such signal services upon his country,
longed to the high aristocratical party, and pos- as the conquest of Fregellae and the destruction of
sessed great influence in the senate. He was one Gracchus. He calls him the saviour of the com-
of the most violent and, at the same time, one of monwealth, and characterises his condemnation as
VOL. III.
a
D
## p. 34 (#50) ##############################################
34
OPPIA.
OPPIANUS.
a blot upon the Roman dominion, and a disgrace 2. Vestia Oppia, a woman of Atella in Cam
to the Roman people. (Sall. Jug. 16, 40 ; Vell. pania, resided at Capua during the second Punic
Pat. ii. 7 ; Plut. C. Gracch. 18 ; Cic. pro Planc. 28, war, and is said to have daily offered up sacrifices
Brut. 34, in Pison. 39, pro Sest. 67 ; Schol. Bob. for the success of the Romans, while Capua was in
pro Sest. p. 311, ed. Orelli. )
the hands of the Carthaginians. She was accord-
The year in which Opimius was consul (B. c. ingly rewarded by the Romans in B. c. 210, when
12]) was remarkable for the extraordinary heat the city fell into their power. (Liv. xxvi. 33,
of the antumn, and thus the vintage of this year 34. )
was of an unprecedented quality. This wine long 3. The wife of L. Minidius or Mindius. (Cic.
remained celebrated as the Vinum Opimianum, and ad Fam. xiii. 28. ) (MINIDIUS. )
was preserved for an almost incredible space of OʻPPIA GENS, plebeian. This gens belonged
time. Cicero speaks of it as in existence when he to the tribus Terentina, and was one of considerable
wrote his Brutus, eighty-five years after the con- antiquity, and some importance even in early times,
sulship of Opimius (Brut. 83). Velleius Pater- since a member of it, Sp. Oppius Cornicen, was one
culus, who wrote in the reign of Tiberius, says of the second decemvirate, B. C. 450. We even
(ii. 7) that none of the wine was then in exist-read of a Vestal virgin of the name of Oppia as
ence ; but Pliny, who published his work in the early as B. C. 483 (Liv. ii. 43), but it is difficult to
reign of Vespasian, makes mention of its existence believe that a plebeian could have filled this dig-
even in his day, two hundred years afterwards. nity at so early a period. None of the Oppii, how-
It was reduced, he says, to the consistence of ever, ever obtained the consulship, although the
rough honey; and, like other very old wines, was name occurs at intervals in Roman history from
60 strong, and harsh, and bitter, as to be undrink the time of the second decemvirate to that of the
able until lar diluted with water. (Plin. H. N. early emperors.
