Annia gens
The gens Annia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Livy mentions a Lucius Annius, praetor of the Roman colony of Setia, in 340 BC, and other Annii are mentioned at Rome during this period. Members of this gens held various positions of authority from the time of the Second Punic War, and Titus Annius Luscus attained the consulship in 153 BC. In the second century AD, the Annii gained the Empire itself; Marcus Aurelius was descended from this family. Origin. The Annii claimed a descent from the goddess Anna Perenna, the sister of Dido, portrayed on the  coins of Gaius Annius Luscus. The nomen "Annius" was classified by Chase as one of Picentine origin, while the first of the Annii appearing in history (in 340 BC) was praetor of Setia, originally a Volscian town, captured by the Romans in 382 BC. Both the Picentes and the Volsci spoke Umbrian languages, so it may be that Annius was a member of an old Volscian family, rather than one of the Latin colonists, on whose behalf he spoke. It seems the gens acquired the citizenship soon after, since a Roman senator named Annius is recorded a generation later. Praenomina . The main families of the Annii at Rome used the praenomina "Titus", "Marcus", "Lucius", and "Gaius". Other names occur infrequently, although in imperial times several of the Annii used "Appius", an otherwise uncommon praenomen chiefly associated with the Claudii. Branches and cognomina. A number of Annii during the Republic bore no cognomen. The main family of the Annii was surnamed "Luscus", "bleary-eyed" or, "one-eyed". One member of this family bore the additional surname "Rufus", probably in reference to his red hair. A variety of surnames were borne by individual Annii, including "Asellus", a diminutive of "asinus", a donkey ; "Bassus", stout; "Cimber", one of the Cimbri; "Faustus", fortunate; "Gallus", a Gaul or cockerel; and "Pollio", a polisher. "Bellienus" or "Billienus", sometimes described as a cognomen of the Annii, was in fact a separate gens, although Cicero refers to a "Gaius Annius Bellienus"; it is not certain which of the Bellieni mentioned below actually belong to the Annia gens.