Lars Herminius Aquilinus

Who is Lars Herminius Aquilinus?

Lars Herminius Aquilinus was consul in 448 BC with Titus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus. Their year of office was relatively peaceful, as neither consul took sides in the conflict between the patricians and the plebeians.

Lars' filiation, "T. f.", indicates that his father was named Titus. He may have been the son, or perhaps the grandson, of Titus Herminius, one of the heroes of the Republic, who was famous for his stand at the Sublician bridge in 508 BC, and who fell in the Battle of Lake Regillus.

The consul's praenomen is given differently by various authorities. The historian Livius calls him Spurius, while Cassiodorus calls him Lucius. Diodorus Siculus gives "Λαρινος", and Dionysius "Λαρος". These agree with the treatise, De Praenominibus, of uncertain authorship, which, however, gives the unusual spelling Lar. Lars is a common Etruscan praenomen, apparently meaning lord. Lars is the usual form of the name in Latin. Some sources give his cognomen as Coritinesanus.