The gens Quinctia, sometimes written Quintia, was a patrician family at ancient Rome. Throughout the history of the Republic, its members often held the highest offices of the state, and it produced some men of importance even during the imperial period. For the first forty years after the expulsion of the kings the Quinctii are not mentioned, and the first of the gens who obtained the consulship was Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus in 471 BC; but from that year their name constantly appears in the Fasti consulares.
Denarius of Titus Quinctius Flamininus, 126 BC. On the obverse is the head of Roma, with the apex of the Flamen Dialis behind, alluding to his cognomen. The reverse shows the Dioscuri riding right, with a Macedonian shield below, which is a reference to the Battle of Cynoscephalae won by his great-grandfather in 197 BC.
The patricians were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders. By the time of the late Republic and Empire, membership in the patriciate was of only nominal significance. The social structure of ancient Rome revolved around the distinction between the patricians and the plebeians. The status of patricians gave them more political power than the plebeians, but the relationship between the groups eventually caused the Conflict of the Orders. This time period resulted in changing of the social structure of ancient Rome.
Romulus and his brother, Remus, with the she-wolf. Romulus is credited with creating the patrician class.
