By every account that I found so far, the
Republican Anicii appear to have originated in
Praeneste, a town due east of Rome. Although
Praeneste did not gain the franchise until much
later, the Anicii of Praeneste were obviously Roman
citizens, and quite possibly members of the Ordo
Equester, but as this is sheer speculation, it would
be impossible to say whether they were senior
knights, holding the Public Horse, or more junior in
social rank.
Thus far, the first member of this family that I
have found reference to is one
M. Anicius Gallus who served as a Tribune of the
Plebs in 247 BC. Two years later, another Tribune of
the Plebs,
Quintus Anicius Praenestinus appears. I have very
little regarding either of these gentlemen, however,
because of the details I have discovered regarding
Lucius Anicius Gallus (see below), who shared the
name of the first Tribune, and the same point of
origin as the second, I am reasonably sure that both
these Tribunes were members of the same family.
Aside from these notices, which provide no
further information, the next reference is made by
Livy which mentions a statue in Praeneste in honor of
one Marcus Anicius, who served as the commander of
the garrison at Casilinum in 216 BC, presumably
defending against Hannibal.
The next notable mention regards
Lucius Anicius Gallus, a praetor, who served as a
legate under Paulus Aemilius in the Third Macedonian
War. In his role as legate, he successfully conquered
Illyria and captured its king, who was featured in
his triumph in Rome. Later, he became Consul of Rome
in 160 BC. This gentleman was noted as being from
Praeneste and as being the who ennobled his
family.
The Anicii again appear to vanish from the
histories until AD 65, when one
Gaius Anicius Cerealis appears in the Senate of
the early Empire. Though known as a sycophant and
traitor to the Republican cause, this senator held a
number of honours and was consul designate in AD 65.
He did not, however, serve as consul, or if he did it
was only briefly, as he was killed by Nero the next
year. It is around this time that Livy (xlv.43)
mentioned the Anicii and ranks them below the great
families of Rome.
The Anicii again vanish until the mention of
Sextus Cocceius Anicius Faustus Paulinus who
served as proconsul in Africa, circa 260. This
gentleman is beyond any doubt the forefather of the
later Imperial Anicii, however, as of yet, I have
been unable to determine whether or not he was
desceded from, or related to, any of the previous
Anicii. From a genealogical point of view, this
gentleman represents the beginning of the family
which became such a power in the later Roman
world.
From these beginnings, the Anicii continued to
expand, establishing branches of the family
throughout the Empire and accumulating fantastic
wealth and prestige. Although they were of the
highest nobility from this time on, they were rather
unconventional in some respects. They were, along
with the Bassi, Gracchi, and Paulini, among the first
senatorial families to adopt Christianity in 402 or
404. Gibbon suggests that this conversion was a
political move meant to atone for the Anicii support
of Maxentius by adopting the faith of Constantine I,
though if this was true, it must have been a sincere
conversion, as from this time, the Anicii were
unpopular with the pagans of Rome. Again, after Italy
fell to Odovacar, the Anicii behaved most
unconventionally by joining with the Decii in
supporting Odovacar against the Eastern Empire.
Among the notable Anicii of the later Empire was the
Emperor
Anicius Olybrius, the great Eastern matron
Anicia Juliana, the philospher
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, and the
bishop
Ennodius.
