Tiberius Claudius Marcus Appius Atilius Bradua Regillus Atticus,Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'' otherwise known as Atticus BraduaGraindor, ''Un milliardaire antique'' p. 29 (around 145-after 209), was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

politician of

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

descent who was '' consul ordinarius'' in 185 AD.

Ancestry and Family

Atticus Bradua was born to a wealthy family of consular rank.Wilson, ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece'' pp. 349-350 He was the second son of the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

and

sophist A sophist () was a teacher in ancient Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Sophists specialized in one or more subject areas, such as philosophy, rhetoric, music, athletics and mathematics. They taught ''arete'', "virtue" or "excellen ...

Herodes Atticus Herodes Atticus (; AD 101–177) was an Athenian rhetorician, as well as a Roman senator. A great philanthropic magnate, he and his wife Appia Annia Regilla, for whose murder he was potentially responsible, commissioned many Athenian public w ...

of Athens and the Roman

Aspasia Annia Regilla Appia Annia Regilla, full name Appia Annia Regilla Atilia Caucidia TertullaPomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'' (Greek: , 125–160), was a wealthy, aristocratic and influential Roman woman, who was a dista ...

. His paternal grandparents were the consular Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes and the wealthy heiress Vibullia Alcia Agrippina, while his maternal grandparents were the consul Appius Annius Trebonius Gallus and

Atilia Caucidia Tertulla Atilia Caucidia TertullaPomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence of antiquity'' p. 15 (flourished 2nd century) was an aristocratic woman from Ancient Roman society. Atilia was a member of the Atilia gens and was born into a ...

. Through his maternal grandfather, Atticus Bradua was a relative of the empresses

Faustina the Elder Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder, sometimes referred to as Faustina I or Faustina Major ( 100 – late October 140), was a Roman empress and wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. The emperor Marcus Aurelius was her nephew and later became he ...

and

Faustina the Younger Annia Galeria Faustina the Younger ( AD, – 175/176 AD) was Roman empress from 161 to her death as the wife of emperor Marcus Aurelius, cousin marriage, her maternal cousin. Faustina was the youngest child of emperor Antoninus Pius and empress F ...

, the wives of

Antoninus Pius Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...

and

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

respectively.Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla'' p. 14

Life

While the place of birth of Atticus Bradua is not known, he was raised in Greece. As a child, he could not learn how to read. His father purchased twenty-four slave boys to whom he gave names beginning with the letters of the alphabet to help Bradua learn his letters.Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla'' p. 48 According to an inscription, there is a possibility that Bradua was sent to

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

by his father to become an ephebe (citizen-cadet).Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla'' p. 49 The parents of Bradua erected a great outdoor

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

(a monumental fountain) at Olympia. The monumental fountain features statues of the ruling imperial family, alongside the family of Herodes and Regilla. Among the statues was one of Bradua which is on display at the

Archaeological Museum of Olympia The Archaeological Museum of Olympia (Greek: Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ολυμπίας) is one of the principal museums of Greece, located in Olympia. It is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and, as of 2009, is direc ...

. Bradua was about 15 years old when his mother died. His maternal uncle claimed that his father murdered her. Herodes Atticus saw Bradua as a disappointment. Herodes Atticus outlived most of his family and Bradua became his only surviving child,Wilson, ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece'' p. 350 but relations between the two remained poor. When Herodes Atticus died in 177, he left nothing to Atticus Bradua. The Athenians considered Herodes Atticus's treatment towards Bradua inhumane.

Wealth, political career and benefactions

After the death of his mother, Atticus Bradua inherited the estate that his mother owned with his father on the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is in ...

. Atticus Bradua was considered by others as more competent than Herodes Atticus, probably due to his status and wealth. At some point during the reign of

(138–161), the Emperor promoted Atticus Bradua to Patrician rank. Atticus Bradua served as an ordinary consul in 185 and became an

Archon of Athens In ancient Greece the chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called eponymous archon (ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων, ''epōnymos archōn''). "Archon" (ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες, ''archontes'') means "ruler" or "lord", frequentl ...

in 187/188. Sometime after his consulship, he served as Proconsul of a Roman Province.Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla'' p. 50 Atticus Bradua followed in the footsteps of his parents as a benefactor, but not on such a lavish scale, as his fortune was much smaller than his father's. He contributed a gift to Piraeus which was commemorated, and in 209, Bradua served as herald of the Council and People of Athens. An inscription found on a grey limestone dated after 185 at the

Curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

Leptis Magna Leptis or Lepcis Magna, also known by #Names, other names in classical antiquity, antiquity, was a prominent city of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Libya at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda in the Mediterranean. Established as a Punic people, Puni ...

(the capital of the

Africa Province Africa was a Roman province on the northern coast of the continent of Africa. It was established in 146 BC, following the Roman Republic's conquest of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisi ...

) is possibly dedicated to Atticus Bradua. This inscription shows that Atticus Bradua may have served as a Proconsul of Africa, could have served as a local patron and may have changed his name to honor the memory of his family, mother and maternal ancestry, and to express discontent with his father. The inscription reads: :To Marcus Atilius Metilius Bradua Caucidius Tertullus Claudius Atticus Vibullius Pollio Gauidius Latiaris Atrius Bassus, proconsul; Decimus Junius Crescens, Decimus Junius Galba, Quintus Calpurnius Capito, Lucius Plautius Octavianus to their patron.''Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania'', by J. M. Reynolds and J. B. Ward-Perkins, enhanced electronic reissue by Gabriel Bodard and

Charlotte Roueché Charlotte Roueché (née Wrinch) (born 1946) is a British academic who specialises in the analysis of texts, inscribed or in manuscripts, from the Roman, Late Antique, and Byzantine periods. She is particularly interested in those from the Asia ...

(2009)
"517. Honours for Ti. Cl. M. Appius Atilius Bradua Regillus Atticus"
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References

Sources

* Graindor, P., ''Un milliardaire antique'', Ayers Company Publishers, 1979 * Wilson, N.G., ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece'', Routledge, 2006 * Pomeroy, S.B., ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'', Harvard University Press, 2007 * https://web.archive.org/web/20110716083759/http://www.sleepinbuff.com/13history.pdf {{s-end 2nd-century Athenians 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Greek people 3rd-century Romans 140s births 3rd-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Imperial Roman consuls Ancient Roman governors Atilii Claudii Eponymous archons