It’s a damn good thing that the Romans were fond of collecting nicknames and victory titles, because the tendency of every fucking Roman family to use the same goddamn names for their kids is something else.
I’m pretty sure the second caused the first. And it beats what we barbarians in the north did, which was mostly choosing nicknames based on stuff that’s also hereditary.
Oh, your name is Jan, and you’re tall? You’ll be Jan the Tall. No way, who could have expected your son, also named Jan, to also be tall…
Oh, your name is Piet, and you’re a miller? Hello Piet Miller. No way, your son Piet also works in the very same mill you do? Nobody saw that coming, what a shock!
Hello Kees who lives in the forest, I’ll call you Kees Forest from now on. What? Other people named Kees also live in the forest since the entirety of western Europe is 98% forests? Damn, that’s inconvenient!
I’m pretty sure the second caused the first. And it beats what we barbarians in the north did, which was mostly choosing nicknames based on stuff that’s also hereditary.
Oh, your name is Jan, and you’re tall? You’ll be Jan the Tall. No way, who could have expected your son, also named Jan, to also be tall…
Oh, your name is Piet, and you’re a miller? Hello Piet Miller. No way, your son Piet also works in the very same mill you do? Nobody saw that coming, what a shock!
Hello Kees who lives in the forest, I’ll call you Kees Forest from now on. What? Other people named Kees also live in the forest since the entirety of western Europe is 98% forests? Damn, that’s inconvenient!
Gaius of the Julii, ‘Hairy’. Unfortunately, C. Julius Caesar is quite BALD