Marcus Atius
Encyclopedia
Marcus Atius Balbus was the son and heir of an elder Marcus Atius Balbus (148 BC – 87 BC) and Pompeia
. Pompeia was a sister to consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, father of triumvir Pompey
. The family of the elder Balbus came from a Roman
senatorial family plebs
status from Aricia (modern Ariccia, Italy
). ‘Balbus’ in Latin means stammer
. The younger Balbus was born and raised in Aricia.
Balbus married Julia
Minor, second eldest sister of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
. Julia bore Balbus three daughters and they were:
He served as a praetor
in 62 BC and he managed to obtain the government of Sardinia
. Under Caesar in 59 BC, Balbus was appointed along with Pompey on a board of commissioners under Julian Law to divide estates in Campania
among the commoners. Cicero
stated that Pompey would say as a joke about Balbus, that he was not a person of any importance.
Pompeia (sister of Pompeius Strabo)
Pompeia was a Roman woman. Pompeia was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum a rural district in Northern Italy, off the Adriatic Coast....
. Pompeia was a sister to consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, father of triumvir Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
. The family of the elder Balbus came from a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
senatorial family plebs
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
status from Aricia (modern Ariccia, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). ‘Balbus’ in Latin means stammer
Stammer
A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary repetition of a sound or sounds.Stammer, Stammers and Stammmering may also refer to:* Notker of St Gall "Notker the Stammerer" * Steven Stamkos A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary ...
. The younger Balbus was born and raised in Aricia.
Balbus married Julia
Julia Caesaris (sister of Julius Caesar)
Julia is the name of two daughters of praetor Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia Cotta, the parents of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar. The sisters were born and raised in Rome....
Minor, second eldest sister of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. Julia bore Balbus three daughters and they were:
- Atia Balba Prima - mother of Quintus PediusQuintus PediusQuintus Pedius was a Roman who lived during the late Roman Republic. Pedius was the son of a Marcus or Quintus Pedius and nephew or great nephew of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar....
who served as a general and consul. - Atia Balba Caesonia - mother of Octavia MinorOctavia MinorOctavia the Younger , also known as Octavia Minor or simply Octavia, was the sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus , half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and fourth wife of Mark Antony...
(fourth wife of triumvir Mark AntonyMark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
) and of first Emperor AugustusAugustusAugustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. - Atia Balba Tertia - mother of Lucius PinariusLucius PinariusLucius Pinarius Scarpus was a Roman that lived in the late Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire.According to Suetonius, Pinarius was a great nephew of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar through one his sisters...
, who was a political supporter of Mark Antony.
He served as a praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 62 BC and he managed to obtain the government of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. Under Caesar in 59 BC, Balbus was appointed along with Pompey on a board of commissioners under Julian Law to divide estates in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
among the commoners. Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
stated that Pompey would say as a joke about Balbus, that he was not a person of any importance.
Sources
- SuetoniusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, The Lives of the Twelves Caesars, Augustus - http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0464.html