A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

plebeian, was of Samnite origin, and afterwards settled at Rome. We find two generals of this name in the history of the Samnite wars, Gellius Statius in the second Samnite nite war, who was defeated and taken prisoner, B. C. 305 (Liv. 9.44), and Gellius Egnatius in the third Samnite war. [EGNATIUS, No. 1.] The Gellii seem to have settled at Rome soon after the conclusion of the second Punic war; since the first who is mentioned as a Roman is Cn. Gellius in the time of Cato the Censor, who defended L. Turius when the latter was accused by Cn. Gellius. (Gel. 14.2.) This Cn. Gellius was probably the father of Gellius, the historian, mentioned below, with whom he has been frequently confounded. (Meyer, Orator. Rom. Fragm. p. 141, 2nd edition.) The Gellii subsequently attained the highest offices in the state; but the first member of the gens who obtained the consulship was L. Gellius Poplicola, in B. C. 72. The only surnames of this gens under the republic are CANUS and POPLICOLA. It is doubtful to whom the following coin of this gens refers : it has on the obverse the head of Pallas, and on the reverse a soldier and a woman in a quadriga, with CN. GEL. ROMA.