Denarius of Quintus Sanquinius, 17 BC. The obverse depicts the head of Caesar, with his comet above. On the reverse is the herald of the Secular Games, holding a shield and a winged caduceus.
Ronald Syme described the gens as Etruscan, thanks to an inscription found in Etruria.[2]
Branches and cognomina
There may only have been a single family of the Sanquinii, as all of those occurring in history come from the same time and place, and only one other is added from inscriptions anywhere else. The only attested surname, Maximus, seems to have been a personal cognomen, and was probably given to the consul Sanquinius either because he was the eldest brother in his family, or because he was the most illustrious of the Sanquinii.[3]
Members
This list includes abbreviated praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation.
Quintus Sanquinius Q. f., held a number of magistracies, including those of quaestor, tribune of the plebs, praetor, and proconsul, at the end of the Republic or beginning of the reign of Augustus.[4][5][6][7]
Sanquinius, one of the accusers of Lucius Arruntius, a man of unblemished character, during the tumult that followed the downfall of Sejanus. The senate, weary of constant charges of treason, instead chose to punish the accusers. He must be a different man than the consular Sanquinius, who had argued for amnesty and an end to the accusations.[12]
Sanquinia C. f., named in an inscription from Caere in Etruria.[13]