Cariddi  The Caridi (or Cariddi) family surname is believed to have its roots deep into antiquity. Julius Caesar refers to the Caridi family in his ‘Commentaries’ (c. 50 BC) (1). However the name, which in Greek is Karideus/Karidis, existed in ancient times because its root can be traced back to the Myceneans (at least 1000 BC) like so: Ka-Ri-Se-U (Keriseus-Karideus) (2)  More recent evidence regarding the Caridi family is provided by the Renaissance genealogist Mugnos (1). He remarks that there were 'some' men (i.e. not just one) mentioned by Julius Caesar, who had this surname, i.e. they already were an established family with ancestors and descendants. According to Mugnos, they were 'noteworthy' (in Italian 'chiari'), and this suggests that they were high officials and of considerable standing in order to be important enough to be mentioned by Julius Caesar. The family as a whole was most likely a member of the Ancient Roman nobility, who had their sons sent to the army to become military leaders, as it was the custom at the time. After the fall of the Roman Empire, these families survived during the middle ages (c700-1200AD) perhaps under Papal rule in Rome. It is possible that branches of this family lived in Byzantine territories. From these middle age families, originated the more modern families of the Roman nobility (1200-1600) (3, p. 131). From Rome, a branch of the Caridi family moved to the city of Messina, Sicily during the reign of King Martino, c1392 (4). An Antonio Cariddi was gentiluomo maggiore (major gentleman) in the court of the Queen Marianna, c1390 (4). The Italian genealogist Scorza (5) confirms that the family was originally Roman and that they subsequently moved to Messina. The fact that members of the family were officials in the royal court in 1390s, i.e. immediately after they first moved to Messina, suggests that this Roman family belonged to the Italian nobility from earlier years. Also the great number of the Caridi members who went to become high officials in royal and civil courts during the years, indicates that the family as a whole had strong roots in the nobility for many centuries in the times before the move to Messina.