The Latin text "Plaguleius Clodianus" refers to a Roman individual, but it is also a combination of two distinct proper names from late Republican Roman history. [1]

• Plaguleius is a Latin nomen (family name), famously known as a street-gang leader and agent who worked for the demagogue Publius Clodius Pulcher. [1, 2]
• Clodianus is an agnomen (an extra nickname or adoption name) meaning "associated with Clodius"or "belonging to the family/faction of Clodius". [1, 2, 3]

English Translation and Meaning

In English, the literal translation of the name combo means "Plaguleius, the follower of Clodius". [1, 2]

Historical Context

In the writings of the famous Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, Lucius Plaguleius is specifically singled out as an enemy. [1, 2]

• The Gang Leader: Cicero attacks Plaguleius in his speech De Domo Sua as one of the low-born ringleaders (duces tabernariorum) who ran violent political mobs, orchestrated riots, and forcefully closed down shops in Rome. [1, 2]
• The Caesar Connection: In Cicero's Letters to Atticus, Plaguleius is described as a client of Gaius Ateius. Cicero complained that if Julius Caesar took full power over the Senate, elite Romans would be forced to sit in the same room and share power with low-status thugs like Plaguleius. [1, 2, 3]

Are you analyzing a specific passage from Cicero or studying political gangs of the Roman Republic? Let me know, and I can pull up the exact Latin quotes or historical breakdowns!

L'AI può commettere errori, quindi verifica le risposte 

passage in lat?

The Latin text referencing Plaguleius and Clodius comes from Cicero’s letter to Atticus, specifically Book X, Letter 8, Section 3. In this passage, written during the 49 BCE civil war, Cicero expresses disdain that low-status individuals like Plaguleius might gain power if Caesar prevails. [1]

quote on vlodianus?

In Cicero’s Letters to Atticus (Book 10, Letter 8), the original Latin quote mentioning Plaguleius alongside Clodius is:

"...praesto esse clientem tuum Clodium, C. Atei Plaguleium, ceteros?" [1]

Exact Context & Translation

In this specific part of the letter, Cicero is listing the low-born or undesirable thugs (inimicos) who will fill the Senate chambers if Julius Caesar takes complete power. [1]

• The Translation: "...that your client [Sextus] Clodius is in attendance, and C. Ateius’ client Plaguleius, and the rest?" [1]

Cicero is lamenting that high-status Roman patriots will be forced to look at and share a room with these violent political operatives. [1]

Why "Clodianus"?

While Clodianus is not a direct word in this single line, it is the overarching historical label applied to individuals like Plaguleius. Because Plaguleius and Sextus Clodius were the chief lieutenants of the deceased demagogue Publius Clodius Pulcher, they were collectively known in Roman politics as the Clodiani (the Clodians / the Clodian faction).

Would you like to explore the full Latin text of Ad Atticum 10.8 to see how Cicero builds this argument?

Cicero does not use clodianus?

No, Cicero does not use the adjective Clodianus to describe Plaguleius.

In his text, Cicero uses the genitive noun construction rather than an adjective modifier. In the original Latin of Letters to Atticus 10.8, he writes: [1]

"...C. Atei Plaguleium..." [1]

This translates to "Plaguleius [the client/agent] of Gaius Ateius."

Where does Clodianus come from?

The term Clodianus (or plural Clodiani) is an analytical label used by modern historians and translators to group Plaguleius and his associates together. [1]

Because Plaguleius operated directly under Publius Clodius Pulcher's street faction, historical commentaries categorize him as a "Clodian" thug to explain his political faction to modern readers. [1]

Did Cicero ever use the word Clodianus?

Yes, but only as a proper name for a completely different person. [, 2, 3]

When Cicero uses the word Clodianus, he is referring to Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus, a Roman consul and censor who actually assisted Cicero in prosecuting Verres in 70 BCE. Cicero also mentions this consul's son in Ad Atticum 1.19 as "Lentulus, son of Clodianus." [1, 2]

If you want to look at how Cicero grammatically describes Clodius's actual faction in his speeches, would you like to see how he uses adjectives like Clodianus versus phrases like de grege Clodi (from the flock of Clodius)?

L'AI può commettere errori, quindi verifica le risposte 

and other authors use clodianus as ‘of clodius’s mean’?

Yes, other Roman authors—and Cicero himself in other texts—use the feminine, masculine plural, and neuter forms of the adjective Clodianus to mean "of Clodius" or "belonging to Clodius."

When used as a descriptive adjective, it does not mean "mean" in the sense of "cruel," but rather refers to Clodius's faction, his violent methods, or the events surrounding him.

Roman authors used the adjective forms in several ways:

1. Clodiani (The Clodians / Clodius's Men)

Other historical texts and commentaries use the masculine plural Clodiani as a direct noun to mean "Clodius's followers" or "the Clodian mob." [1]

Asconius Pedianus (a famous 1st-century CE commentator) writes extensively about the Clodiani in his commentary on Cicero’s trial speeches, using it to describe the specific political gang members who rioted in Rome. [1, 2]

2. Opera/Operae Clodianae (The Clodian Works / Clodian Thugs)

Cicero himself uses the feminine plural adjective in his letters to describe the physical gangs or theatrical claques hired by Clodius. [1]

• In a letter to his brother (Ad Quintum Fratrem 2.3), Cicero writes that when Pompey tried to speak, operae Clodianae clamorem sustulerunt ("the Clodian hired-hands raised a shout"). [1]

3. Nex Clodiana (The Clodian Murder)

In the years following Clodius's death, authors used the adjective to label the historic political crisis.

• In the legal commentaries regarding the trial of Milo (who killed Clodius), the event is universally referred to as the necis Clodianae ("the Clodian murder" or "the slaughter of Clodius"). [1, 2]

Summary of the Grammar

• As a Proper Name: Clodianus is a name for someone adopted from the Claudian family (like Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus).
• As an Adjective: Clodianus, -a, -um means "of or belonging to Clodius." [1]

Would you like to look at the exact Latin text from Asconius or Cicero's other letters where they describe these street fights? [1, 2]

L'AI può commettere errori, quindi verifica le risposte 

clodius’s men

"Clodius’s men" refers to the notoriously violent political gang operated by the populist demagogue Publius Clodius Pulcher during the late Roman Republic. [1]

In Latin historical texts, they are explicitly called the Clodiani, or structurally described as operae Clodianae(the Clodian hired hands). [1, 2]

The Core Ringleaders

While Clodius utilized thousands of recruited urban plebeians, slaves, and gladiators, historical texts name his top lieutenants: [1]

• Sextus Cloelius (or Clodius): He was Clodius’s most powerful lieutenant. In his commentary, the historian Asconius specifically records that Sextus Cloelius was the chief leader (dux) of the operae Clodianae. After Clodius was killed, Sextus famously led the mob to carry Clodius's corpse directly into the Senate house, using the senatorial benches as a funeral pyre to burn the entire building down. [1, 2, 3]
• Lucius Plaguleius: The agent mentioned in Cicero's letters. Cicero singled him out in his political speeches as one of the low-born shopkeeper-commanders (duces tabernariorum) who forcefully shut down Roman markets to stir up riots. [1]
• Gaius Causinius Schola: A Roman knight who was traveling with Clodius on the Appian Way the day Clodius was ambushed and killed. He later testified at the trial against the murderer, Milo. [1, 2, 3, 4]

How Roman Authors Described Them

Ancient writers used highly vivid Latin terminology to refer to Clodius’s faction:

Author	Latin Term Used	English Translation	Context
Asconius	Clodiani	The Clodians / Clodius's Men	Used to describe the group of supporters put on trial after the death of Clodius.
Cicero	Operae Clodianae	The Clodian Hired Hands	Used to describe the organized thugs hired to shout down opposition speakers like Pompey.
Cicero	Grex Clodi	The Flock of Clodius	Used as a derogatory insult comparing his political gang to an unruly herd of animals.
Asconius	Servi P. Clodi	The Slaves of Publius Clodius	Used to describe the armed bodyguards traveling with him on the day of his death.

Would you like to examine the details of the deadly skirmish on the Appian Way between Clodius’s men and Milo's gladiators? [1, 2]