Titus Pomponius Atticus
Encyclopedia
Titus Pomponius Atticus, born Titus Pomponius (112/109 BC – 35/32 BC), came from an old but not strictly noble Roman
family of the equestrian
class and the Gens Pomponia
. He was a celebrated editor
, banker, and patron of letters with residences in both Rome and Athens. He is best remembered as the closest friend of orator and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero as well leading contemporaries of upper class Roman society. Cicero's treatise on friendship, De Amicitia
was dedicated to him. Their correspondence, often written in subtle code to disguise their political observations, is preserved in Epistulae ad Atticum compiled by Cicero's freedman and personal secretary, Marcus Tullius Tiro
. Atticus was known for his elegant taste, sound judgement and financial acumen.
Descended from a family of equestrian rank, Pomponius was born and raised in Rome
, the son of Titus Pomponius
and wife Caecilia Metella
. As a young man, he was educated together with Cicero, Lucius Torquatus and the younger Marius
, "with all of whom he became so close that no one was dearer to them throughout his life" [Nepos]. He is said to have been an excellent student, and in 85 BC Pomponius travelled to Athens, where he spent his infancy and did his studies, immersed himself in literature and philosophy. He so loved Athens and its culture that he took upon himself the nickname "Atticus", or "Man of Attica
", which is alluded to in the fifth book of Cicero's De Finibus (section 4). Gaius Julius Caesar
was his guest when in Athens.
Atticus' wealth grew by inheritance and through his skillful dealings in real estate. Using this wealth to support his love of letters, he maintained a staff of slaves trained as copyist
s and book-binders
, and published, amongst other things, the works of his friend Cicero
. As for Atticus' own literary works, he is said to have written a single book (in Greek
) on the consulate of Cicero, as well as a small amount of poetry. None of his writings have survived. Besides his vast and intimate correspondence with Cicero, he also wrote some remarkable Memories.
In 65 BC, Atticus returned to Rome. In keeping with his epicurean sympathies, he kept out of politics to the greatest extent possible, except to lend Cicero a helping hand in times of peril—for instance, when Cicero was forced to flee the country in 49 BC, Atticus made him a present of 250,000 sesterces. All in all, his political activity was minimal, though we know that, like Cicero, he belonged to the optimates
(the aristocratic party), and held generally conservative views. He was also a partner of the Triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus
.
Upon the death of his wealthiest maternal uncle Quintus Caecilius Metellus, Atticus became his adopted son and heir and assumed the name Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus. Lucius Licinius Lucullus
, despite being his personal friend, resented Atticus' receiving an inheritance he felt he was entitled to for his association with the campaign against Mithridates and as Governor
of Syria
.
In his later years, he married a relative, Caecilia Pilea/Pilia (ca 75 BC – 46 BC), daughter of Pileus/Pilius and a maternal granddaughter of the Triumvir, Crassus. Atticus and Pilea/Pilia were married in 58 BC/56 BC, when Atticus was already 53/54 years old, and she died after 12 years of happy marriage. She bore him a son of the same name, Titus Pomponius Atticus (little is known of him), as well as a daughter, Caecilia Pomponia Attica
, who became the first wife of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
.
Atticus lived out the remainder of his life in Rome
, where he committed suicide when he fell ill. Deciding to accelerate the inevitable, he abstained from ingesting any nourishment, starving himself to death, after being incurably ill for some months, dying at the fifth day of such fasting. He was also buried at the Family Tomb located at the Fifth Mile of the Appian Way
.
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....
family of the equestrian
Equestrian (Roman)
The Roman equestrian order constituted the lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the patricians , a hereditary caste that monopolised political power during the regal era and during the early Republic . A member of the equestrian order was known as an eques...
class and the Gens Pomponia
Pomponia
Pomponia is the female name for the gens Pomponius of Ancient Rome. This family was one of the oldest families in Rome. Various women bearing this name, of whom five are named below, lived during the Middle and Late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The oldest known Pomponia was mother of a...
. He was a celebrated editor
Literary editor
A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. A literary editor may also help with editing books themselves, by providing services such as proof reading, copy-editing, and literary...
, banker, and patron of letters with residences in both Rome and Athens. He is best remembered as the closest friend of orator and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero as well leading contemporaries of upper class Roman society. Cicero's treatise on friendship, De Amicitia
Laelius de Amicitia
Laelius de Amicitia — or simply De Amicitia — is a treatise on friendship by the Roman statesman and author Marcus Tullius Cicero.-Summary:...
was dedicated to him. Their correspondence, often written in subtle code to disguise their political observations, is preserved in Epistulae ad Atticum compiled by Cicero's freedman and personal secretary, Marcus Tullius Tiro
Marcus Tullius Tiro
Marcus Tullius Tiro was first a slave, then a freedman of Cicero.The date of Tiro's birth is uncertain. From Jerome it can be dated to 103 BC, which would make him only a little younger than Cicero...
. Atticus was known for his elegant taste, sound judgement and financial acumen.
Descended from a family of equestrian rank, Pomponius was born and raised in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the son of Titus Pomponius
Titus Pomponius
Titus Pomponius was a member of the Gens Pomponia and a direct descendant in male line of Pomponius, the first son of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, and came from an old but not strictly noble Roman family of the equestrian class...
and wife Caecilia Metella
Caecilia Metella
Caecilia Metella was the name of all women in the Caecilius Metellus family, since feminine names were taken from the father's gens and cognomen declined in the female form.The name may refer to the following people:* Caecilia Metella Dalmatica...
. As a young man, he was educated together with Cicero, Lucius Torquatus and the younger Marius
Gaius Marius the Younger
Gaius Marius Minor, also known in English as Marius the Younger or informally "the younger Marius" , was the adopted son of Gaius Marius, who was seven times consul, and a famous military commander. Appian first describes him as the son of the great Marius, but in a subsequent passage, he is...
, "with all of whom he became so close that no one was dearer to them throughout his life" [Nepos]. He is said to have been an excellent student, and in 85 BC Pomponius travelled to Athens, where he spent his infancy and did his studies, immersed himself in literature and philosophy. He so loved Athens and its culture that he took upon himself the nickname "Atticus", or "Man of Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
", which is alluded to in the fifth book of Cicero's De Finibus (section 4). 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....
was his guest when in Athens.
Atticus' wealth grew by inheritance and through his skillful dealings in real estate. Using this wealth to support his love of letters, he maintained a staff of slaves trained as copyist
Copyist
A copyist is a person who makes written copies. In ancient times, a scrivener was also called a calligraphus . The term's modern use is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are employed by the music industry to produce neat copies from a composer or arranger's manuscript.-Music...
s and book-binders
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
, and published, amongst other things, the works of his friend 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...
. As for Atticus' own literary works, he is said to have written a single book (in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
) on the consulate of Cicero, as well as a small amount of poetry. None of his writings have survived. Besides his vast and intimate correspondence with Cicero, he also wrote some remarkable Memories.
In 65 BC, Atticus returned to Rome. In keeping with his epicurean sympathies, he kept out of politics to the greatest extent possible, except to lend Cicero a helping hand in times of peril—for instance, when Cicero was forced to flee the country in 49 BC, Atticus made him a present of 250,000 sesterces. All in all, his political activity was minimal, though we know that, like Cicero, he belonged to the optimates
Optimates
The optimates were the traditionalist majority of the late Roman Republic. They wished to limit the power of the popular assemblies and the Tribunes of the Plebs, and to extend the power of the Senate, which was viewed as more dedicated to the interests of the aristocrats who held the reins of power...
(the aristocratic party), and held generally conservative views. He was also a partner of the Triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
.
Upon the death of his wealthiest maternal uncle Quintus Caecilius Metellus, Atticus became his adopted son and heir and assumed the name Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus. Lucius Licinius Lucullus
Lucullus
Lucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...
, despite being his personal friend, resented Atticus' receiving an inheritance he felt he was entitled to for his association with the campaign against Mithridates and as Governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
.
In his later years, he married a relative, Caecilia Pilea/Pilia (ca 75 BC – 46 BC), daughter of Pileus/Pilius and a maternal granddaughter of the Triumvir, Crassus. Atticus and Pilea/Pilia were married in 58 BC/56 BC, when Atticus was already 53/54 years old, and she died after 12 years of happy marriage. She bore him a son of the same name, Titus Pomponius Atticus (little is known of him), as well as a daughter, Caecilia Pomponia Attica
Caecilia Attica
Pomponia Caecilia Attica or Caecilia Pomponia Attica , was the daughter of Cicero's Epicurean friend and eques, knight Titus Pomponius Atticus. Her mother, Caecilia Pilea/Pilia , daughter of Pileus/Pilius, was a maternal granddaughter of Marcus Licinius Crassus, a member of the First Triumvirate...
, who became the first wife of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
.
Atticus lived out the remainder of his life in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he committed suicide when he fell ill. Deciding to accelerate the inevitable, he abstained from ingesting any nourishment, starving himself to death, after being incurably ill for some months, dying at the fifth day of such fasting. He was also buried at the Family Tomb located at the Fifth Mile of the Appian Way
Appian Way
The Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
.