Atilia (sometimes spelt Attilia) was the first wife of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis and mother of his two eldest children.

Biography

Early life

It is not known for certain who Atilia's father was, but he was from the Atilii Serrani. He may have been Gaius Atilius Serranus the consul of 106 BC, or Gaius' son.

Marriage

Cato married Atilia c. 73 BC, after his intended wife,

Aemilia Lepida Aemilia Lepida is a Latin feminine given name that was given to the daughters of various Aemilius Lepiduses (), men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the Aemilia (family) that was founded by the Marcus Aemilius Lepidus who served as consul i ...

married

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio (c. 95 – 46 BC), often referred to as Metellus Scipio, was a Roman senator and military commander. During the civil war between Julius Caesar and the senatorial faction led by Pompey, he was a staunch sup ...

. In the words of Plutarch: :

tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Bri ...

was the first woman with whom he made love, but not the only one, as was true of

Laelius Laelius is a name that can refer to: People * Gaius Laelius, a Roman statesman, who was consul in 190 BC and friend of Scipio Africanus *Gaius Laelius Sapiens Gaius Laelius Sapiens (born c. 188 BC), was a Roman statesman, best known for his fri ...

, the friend of

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–) was a Roman general and statesman who was one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Ancient Carthage, Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the greatest milit ...

; Laelius, indeed, was more fortunate, since in the course of his long life he only ever made love to one woman, the wife of his youth. Cato and Atilia had a son Marcus Porcius Cato, who later died in the second

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Liberators' civil war between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius, in 42 BC, at Philippi in ...

, and a daughter Porcia, who became the wife of her cousin

Marcus Junius Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

. Circa 63 BC, Cato divorced Atilia on the grounds of her unseemly behaviour, later marrying Marcia.Plutarch, ''Cato the Younger'', 24-25 Atilia is not mentioned again.

Family tree

Notes

1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans Atilii Cato the Younger {{AncientRome-bio-stub