Silia gens  The gens Silia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned as early as the fifth century BC, but first to hold the consulship was Publius Silius Nerva, in the time of Augustus. The Silii remained prominent until the time of the Severan dynasty, in the early third century. The nomen "Silius" is derived from the cognomen "Silus", originally designating someone with an upturned nose. It was one of a large class of cognomina derived from the physical characteristics of an individual. Chase classifies "Silius" among those gentilicia that either originated at Rome, or cannot be shown to have come from anywhere else. The main praenomina of the Silii were "Aulus", "Publius", and "Gaius", all of which were common throughout Roman history. Other common praenomina were used occasionally. "Nerva", originally applied to someone described as "sinewy", was the cognomen of the most prominent family of the Silii, and the only surname of this gens that occurs on coins. This family was prominent from the age of Cicero to the time of Nero. One branch of this family was descended from a member who was adopted by Aulus Licinius Nerva; but as the two families shared a surname prior to this adoption, they may perhaps have been related. Other surnames of the Silii that did not become hereditary included "Bassus", "stout" or "sturdy"; "Italicus", referring to someone from "Italy", originally describing the region of Bruttium, before it came to describe the rest of the peninsula; and "Messala" or "Messalla", a surname usually associated with the ancient Valeria gens. This name was derived from the city of Messana in Sicily, which was rescued from a Carthaginian naval blockade by Manius Valerius Maximus during the Second Punic War; the name was passed down to his descendants, perhaps including Marcus Silius Messala.