Aulus Manlius Torquatus Atticus (died before 216 BC) was a politician during the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

. Born into the prominent patrician family of the Manlii Torquati, he had a distinguished career, becoming censor in 247 BC, then twice

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 ...

in 244 and 241 BC, and possibly

princeps senatus The ''princeps senatus'' ( ''principes senatus''), in English the leader of the senate, was the first member by precedence on the membership rolls of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the ''cursus honorum'' and possessing no ''imperium ...

in 220 BC. Despite these prestigious magistracies, little is known about his life. He was a commander who served during the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and grea ...

, and might have pushed for the continuation of the war even after

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

had sued for peace following the Roman victory at the Aegate Islands in 241 BC. The same year, he suppressed the revolt of the

Faliscans The Falisci were an Italic tribe who lived in what is now northern Lazio, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. They spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely related to Latin. Originally a sovereign state, politically and socially th ...

in central Italy, for which he was awarded a

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

. At this occasion, he may have introduced the cult of '' Juno Curitis'' at Rome.

Family background

Atticus belonged to the patrician ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

'' Manlia, one of the most important '' gentes'' of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. Members of the family had held 9 consulships and 14 consular tribuneships before him. Atticus' father and elder brother—both named Titus—are not known, but his grandfather—also named

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

—was consul in 299 and died during his magistracy. Atticus was probably the uncle of his near-contemporary Titus Manlius Torquatus, like him twice consul in 235 and 224, censor in 231, and finally dictator in 208. The

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...

''Torquatus'' was first received by Atticus' great-great-grandfather Titus Manlius Imperiosus in 361 after he had defeated a

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

in single combat, and took his

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

as a trophy. The torque then became the emblem of the family, whose members proudly put it on the coins they minted. Imperiosus Torquatus was famous for his severity, by killing his own son after he had disobeyed him during a battle. The ''

agnomen An ''agnomen'' (; : ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the ''cognomen'' had been initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, and so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between sim ...

'' Atticus is a reference to

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

and shows that he was influenced by the growing

Philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron, Charles Nicolas Fabvier and Richard Church to a ...

at Rome. He may have reached a good competence in Greek and showed it in his name. Several other prominent politicians adopted a Greek cognomen during the middle Republic, such as

Quintus Publilius Philo Quintus Publilius Philo was a Roman politician who lived during the 4th century BC. His birth date is not provided by extant sources, however, a reasonable estimate is about 365 BC, since he first became consul in 339 BC at a time when consuls co ...

or Quintus Marcius Philippus. The same cognomen was used two centuries later by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

's friend

Titus Pomponius Atticus Titus Pomponius Atticus (November 110 BC – 31 March 32 BC; later named Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus) was a Roman editor, banker, and patron of letters, best known for his correspondence and close friendship with prominent Roman ...

after his long residency in

Athens 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 ...

Political career

Censorship (247 BC)

Atticus' first mention in history is his election as censor in 247, alongside

Aulus Atilius Caiatinus Aulus Atilius Caiatinus (or Calatinus; 258–241 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who achieved prominence for his military activities during the First Punic War against Carthage. As consul in 258 BC, he enjoyed several successes in Sicily, ...

, a plebeian with a distinguished career (twice consul in 258 and 254,

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

in 249). During the third century, the Manlii and the Atilii were the allies of the great patrician gens Fabia and members of these three gentes are often found together in the

Fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...

. Moreover, one of the consuls of 247 was Numerius Fabius Buteo.

Friedrich Münzer Friedrich Münzer (22 April 1868 – 20 October 1942) was a German classical scholar noted for the development of prosopography, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome connected to political struggles. He d ...

furthermore suggested that Atticus was married to a Fabia.Münzer, ''Roman Aristocratic Parties'', pp. 59, 60, 402 (note 61). Atticus' accession to the censorship is exceptional because this magistracy was usually the pinnacle of a career at Rome, in theory reserved to former consuls (only six censors were in this situation between 312 and 31 BC). This election can be explained by the influence of the Fabii, as well as the dearth of available former patrician consuls in the context of the

, as experienced commanders were needed on the field and several consuls had died in battle. Caiatinus was likely the most influential of the pair, as Atticus was a younger man. He is additionally recorded as the censor ''prior'' in the Fasti, which means the Centuriate Assembly elected him before Atticus.Degrassi, ''Fasti Capitolini'', pp. 56, 57. The censors completed the 38th ''

lustrum A lūstrum (, plural lūstra) was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome. It is distinct from the homograph ''lustrum'' ( ): a haunt of wild beasts (and figuratively, a den of vice), plural ''lustra'' ( ).Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary (2 ...

'' and registered 241,212 Roman citizens, a sharp decline from the previous census (in 252), which numbered 297,797 citizens. The defeats at

Drepana Drepana () was an Elymians, Elymian, Carthaginian Empire, Carthaginian, and Roman Republic, Roman port in classical antiquity, antiquity on the western coast of Sicily. It was the site of Battle of Drepana, a crushing Roman defeat by the Carthage ...

and

Lilybaeum Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibald ...

combined with war attrition took a heavy toll on the Roman citizenry. Finally, the censors drew the ''lectio''—the list of senators—and named the

. They might have chosen at this occasion

Gnaeus Cornelius Blasio Gnaeus Cornelius Blasio was a Roman statesman and general during the middle era of the Roman Republic. He was one of the two consuls of 257 BCE, serving with Gaius Atilius Regelus. Blasio was considered a princeps (leading member) of the Senate. H ...

but it is also possible that he was appointed at the next ''lectio'' in 241. RomeWins

First consulship (244 BC)

Atticus was elected consul for the first time in 244 together with Gaius Sempronius Blaesus, a plebeian who had already been consul in 253.Broughton, vol. I, p. 217. Atticus is described by

Cassiodorus Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Christian Roman statesman, a renowned scholar and writer who served in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senato ...

—who relied on

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

for his list of consuls—as the consul ''prior''.

Marcus Fabius Buteo Marcus Fabius Buteo (died around 210-209 BC) was a Roman politician during the 3rd century BC. He served as consul in 245 BC, and as censor, and in 216 BC, being the oldest living ex-censor, he was appointed dictator, ''legendo senatui'', for th ...

was consul the previous year with another Atilius—Gaius Bulbus—and might have played a role in the election of Atticus and Blaesius. Nothing is known on their activity as consuls; they possibly served in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, where most of the operations of the First Punic War took place that year. The two colonies of

Brundisium Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic positio ...

and

Fregenae Fregenae () was a maritime town of ancient Etruria, situated between Alsium and the mouth of the Tiber. The modern Fregene is an Italian hamlet (''frazione'') of Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio. As of 2012 its populati ...

were founded during their term.

Second consulship (241 BC)

Atticus was elected consul a second time in 241, alongside the plebeian

Quintus Lutatius Cerco Quintus Lutatius Cerco (died 236 BC) was a Roman politician in the third century BC. Family He was a member of gens Lutatia. Gaius Lutatius Catulus, consul in 242 BC, was his brother. Career In 241 BC, he was elected consul together with Aulus M ...

. The latter was the brother of

Gaius Lutatius Catulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus ( 242–241 BC) was a ancient Rome, Roman statesman and Commander, naval commander in the First Punic War. He was born a member of the plebeian gens Lutatius. His Roman naming conventions, cognomen "Catulus" means "puppy" ...

who won the Battle of the Aegate Islands at the end of his consulship, on 10 March 241 (magistrates took office on 1 May at that time). Cassiodorus and Eutropius (who also relied on Livy) tell that Cerco was the consul ''prior'' and Atticus ''posterior'', but in the

Fasti Capitolini The ''Fasti Capitolini'', or Capitoline Fasti, are a list of the chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, extending from the early fifth century BC down to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Together with similar lists found at Rom ...

Atticus was moved to first place. The Fasti were made under

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

by the

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs (; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Rome, ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the Religion in ancient Rome, state religion. The college consisted of the ''pontifex maximus'' an ...

, whose members often moved their ancestors to first place in order to enhance the prestige of their family—a policy supported by Augustus who tried to revive several prominent patrician families—since being elected ''prior'' was the subject of great pride. The Augustan pontiff Aulus Manlius Torquatus was thus responsible for the promotion of Atticus in the Fasti, as well as several other members of his family. Carte GuerresRomanoEtrusques 358avJC

Zonaras Joannes or John Zonaras ( ; 1070 – 1140) was a Byzantine Roman historian, chronicler and theologian who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held the offices of head justice and private se ...

tells that Catulus made a first treaty with

Hamilcar __NOTOC__ Hamilcar (, ,. or , , "Melqart is Gracious"; , ''Hamílkas'';) was a common Carthaginian masculine given name. The name was particularly common among the ruling families of ancient Carthage. People named Hamilcar include: * Hamilcar th ...

after his victory, a few days before the end of his consulship, so he could be the one who ended the war. However, he and

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

add that the "people of Rome" rejected the treaty, so his brother Cerco negotiated harsher terms upon Carthage after he entered office. Adam Ziolkowski thinks that "the people" in fact showed its opposition by electing a consul who was against the treaty of Catulus; since Cerco could not have contradicted his brother, it means that the opposition came from Atticus, who wished to continue the war. Nevertheless, Atticus had to give way and accept making peace, but obtained additional clauses in the new treaty. This compromise might still have been considered too lenient towards Carthage by a faction in the senate, hence why Rome took

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

a few years later. Incidentally, Sardinia was conquered by Atticus' nephew Titus Manlius Torquatus in 235. Cerco's and Atticus' consulship was marked by natural disasters in Rome, which according to

Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in '' Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), ...

"almost destroyed the City". He adds that the

Tiber river The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

overflowed and crushed all the buildings located in the plain. This flood was particularly devastating because at this time most buildings were made in wood and clay, which are vulnerable to water. A major fire also ravaged the

Temple of Vesta The Temple of Vesta, or the aedes (Latin ''Glossary of ancient Roman religion#aedes, Aedes Vestae''; Italian language, Italian: ''Tempio di Vesta''), was an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. It is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the H ...

and most of the area around the

Forum Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...

. The Pontifex Maximus— Lucius Caecilius Metellus—almost died while trying to save the palladium from the burning temple.Livy, ''Periochae'', 19. Ancient authors tell that the

—an Italic people living in Southern

Etruria Etruria ( ) was a region of Central Italy delimited by the rivers Arno and Tiber, an area that covered what is now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and north-western Umbria. It was inhabited by the Etruscans, an ancient civilization that f ...

—revolted in order to take advantage of the situation.Zonaras, viii. 18. The real cause is more probably the expiration of a 50-year treaty concluded in 293. E. S. Staveley even considers that this war was part of a deliberate strategy from Rome to tighten its control of Etruria. He notes that the censors of 241 built the

Via Aurelia The Via Aurelia () is a Roman road in Italy constructed in approximately 241 BC. The project was undertaken by Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who at that time was censor.Hornblower, Simon, & Antony Spawforth. ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary.'' 3rd ...

which went northwards from Rome to

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

and founded colonies in the area. Falerii Novi - Porta di Giove 4

According to Zonaras, Atticus had some difficulties overcoming the Faliscans in his first battle against them, as they defeated his infantry; the cavalry nonetheless saved the situation. He had a better result in the second battle, which ended the campaign after only six days. The consuls seized the Faliscans' horses, slaves, arms, half of their territory and displaced their capital of

Falerii Falerii is a village in the municipality of Fabrica di Roma in the Province of Viterbo, Italy. Its name is better known for two nearby ancient cities, '' Falerii Veteres'' (old Falerii) and '' Falerii Novi'' (new Falerii). ''Falerii Veteres'' ...

to a defenceless location at

Falerii Novi Falerii Novi ( English: New Falerii) was an ancient Roman walled town in the Tiber River valley, about north of Rome and west of Civita Castellana. Its impressive gate and the whole perimeter of its city walls are still visible. History Ac ...

i. Zonaras' account describes Atticus as sole commander, but Cerco and Atticus were both awarded a triumph for the victory, respectively celebrated on 1 and 4 March 240. The two consuls are also named together on a Faliscan bronze breastplate with an inscription saying "captured at Falerii" (as booty). The patron-goddess of Falerii was '' Iuno Curritis'', whom Atticus brought to Rome by founding a temple dedicated to her on the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

(its exact location is still unknown), while Cerco founded the Temple of Fortuna Publica on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has c ...

. Both consuls were likely fulfilling a vow to these goddesses that they had made on the battlefield. Several ancient authors tell that Atticus' nephew— Titus Torquatus—closed the gate of the Temple of Janus, after his victorious campaign in Sardinia during his consulship of 235. This act symbolically meant that Rome and its neighbours were at peace. It was only the first time that the temple was closed since the reign of

Numa Pompilius Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the Roman mythology, legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus after a one-year interregnum. He was of Sabine origin, and many of Rome's most important religious and political ins ...

—the legendary second

king of Rome The king of Rome () was the ruler of the Roman Kingdom, a legendary period of Roman history that functioned as an elective monarchy. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine H ...

—and remained so for eight years; its gates then stayed open until

closed them again after the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

in 31 BC. However, as Livy says that this event took place "after the First Punic War",

Tim Cornell Timothy J. Cornell (born 1946) is a British historian specializing in ancient Rome. He is an Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester, having retired from his teaching position in 2011. Cornell received his bachelor's ...

and Staveley place it in 241, when Atticus was consul as it makes more sense to close the Temple of Janus at the end of a 23-year war than for a small campaign in Sardinia. The consensus nonetheless remains in favour of 235. Sesterce temple janus

Princeps Senatus (220–216 BC)

Atticus disappears from ancient sources after his second consulship. However, since Atticus was elected censor at a younger age than usual, he probably outlived the other former censors. Therefore, he may have been named

during the ''lectio'' of 220, because before 208, the censors automatically appointed as such the former censor with the most seniority. The princeps senatus was the first senator to speak in the debates and was thus very influential in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The suggestion that Atticus was princeps was made by Francis Ryan on the assumption that Atticus was still alive in 220; he adds that he must have died before 216, when

became princeps senatus. Pliny tells that a former consul named Aulus Torquatus died while eating a cake. It could be Atticus, but Münzer favours the consul of 164, also named Aulus Torquatus.

''Stemma'' of the Manlii Torquati

''Stemma'' taken from Münzer until "A. Manlius Torquatus, d. 208" and then Mitchell, with corrections. All dates are BC.Münzer, ''RE'', vol. 27, pp. 1181-1182.

References

Bibliography

Ancient works

, ''Chronica''
Latin text
in the ''

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...

''). *

, ''

De Finibus ''De finibus bonorum et malorum'' ("On the ends of good and evil") is a Socratic dialogue by the Roman orator, politician, and Academic Skeptic philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. It consists of three dialogues, over five books, in which Cicero ...

''
Latin text
on

Wikisource Wikisource is an online wiki-based digital library of free-content source text, textual sources operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole; it is also the name for each instance of that project, one f ...

). * Eutropius, ''Brevarium''
English translation
by Rev.

John Selby Watson The Reverend John Selby Watson (April 1804 – 6 July 1884) was a British classical translator and murderer. He was sentenced to death in 1872 for killing his wife, but a public outcry led to his sentence being reduced to life imprisonment. The c ...

on Wikisource). *''

'', ''

Fasti Triumphales The ''Acta Triumphorum'' or ''Triumphalia'', better known as the ''Fasti Triumphales'', or Triumphal Fasti, is a calendar of Roman magistrates honoured with a celebratory procession known as a ''triumphus'', or triumph, in recognition of an impo ...

''. *

, ''

Ab Urbe Condita ''Ab urbe condita'' (; 'from the founding of Rome, founding of the City'), or (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is ...

''
English translation
by Rev. Canon Roberts on Wikisource), ''Periochae''
English translation
by

Jona Lendering Jona Lendering (born 29 October 1964) is a Dutch historian and the author of books on antiquity, Dutch history and modern management. He has an MA in history from Leiden University and an MA in Mediterranean culture from the Amsterdam Free Uni ...

on Livius.org). *

, ''Historiae Adversus Paganos'' ("Histories against the Pagans")
Latin text
on Attalus.org). *

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

, '' Historia Naturalis''
English translation
by Harris Rackham, W.H.S. Jones, and D.E. Eichholz on Wikisource). *

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, ''

Parallel lives * Culture of ancient Greece Culture of ancient Rome Ancient Greek biographical works Ethics literature History books about ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero ...

''
English translation
of the ''Life of Numa'' by

John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...

and

Arthur Hugh Clough Arthur Hugh Clough ( ; 1 January 181913 November 1861) was an English poet, an educationalist, and the devoted assistant to Florence Nightingale. He was the brother of suffragist Anne Clough and father of Blanche Athena Clough, who both becam ...

on Wikisource). *

, '' The Histories''
English translation
by

William Roger Paton William Roger Paton, usually cited as W. R. Paton (9 February 1857 – 21 April 1921), He had two sons and two daughters: George Paton (13 August 1886 – ?), unmarried, Thetis Paton (21 November 1887, Woodside – ?), who married Costakis Svi ...

LacusCurtius LacusCurtius is the ancient Graeco-Roman part of a large history website, hosted as of March 2025 on a server at the University of Chicago. Starting in 1995, as of January 2004 it gave "access to more than 594 photos, 559 drawings and engravings, ...

). *

Valerius Maximus Valerius Maximus () was a 1st-century Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes: ' ("Nine books of memorable deeds and sayings", also known as ''De factis dictisque memorabilibus'' or ''Facta et dicta memorabilia''). He worke ...

, ''Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium''
English translation
by Samuel Speed on EEBO). *

Marcus Velleius Paterculus Marcus Velleius Paterculus (; ) was a Roman historian, soldier and senator. His Roman history, written in a highly rhetorical style, covered the period from the end of the Trojan War to AD 30, but is most useful for the period from the death o ...

, ''Compendium''
English translation
by Rev. John Selby Watson on Wikisource). *

Joannes Zonaras Joannes or John Zonaras ( ; 1070 – 1140) was a Byzantine Roman historian, chronicler and theologian who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held the offices of head justice and private s ...

, ''Epitome''
English translation
of

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

and Zonaras by Earnest Cary on LacusCurtius).

Modern works

* Gregory S. Aldrete, ''Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome'', Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. *

Hans Beck Hans Beck (6 May 1929, Greiz – 30 January 2009, Markdorf) was the German inventor of Playmobil toys. He is often described as "The Father of Playmobil". He began to make toys at an early age and trained as a cabinet maker, before being recrui ...

, ''Karriere und Hierarchie: Die römische Aristokratie und die Anfänge des'' cursus honorum ''in der mittleren Republik'', Berlin, Akademie Verlag, 2005. *Bruno Bleckmann, ''Die römische Nobilität im Ersten Punischen Krieg'', Berlin, Akademie Verlag, 2002. * T. Corey Brennan, ''The Praetorship in the Roman Republic'', Oxford University Press, 2000. * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association, 1951–1952. *

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...

, ''Roman Republican Coinage'', Cambridge University Press, 1974–2001. *

Attilio Degrassi Attilio Degrassi (Trieste, 21 June 1887 – Rome, 1 June 1969) was an archeologist and pioneering Italian scholar of Latin epigraphy. Degrassi taught at the university of Padova where he trained, among others, the epigraphist Silvio Panciera, ...

, ''Fasti Capitolini recensuit, praefatus est, indicibus instruxit Atilius Degrassi'', Turin, 1954. *Harriet Flower, "The significance of an inscribed breastplate captured at Falerii in 241 B.C.", ''

Journal of Roman Archaeology The ''Journal of Roman Archaeology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the archaeology of the Roman Empire. It was established in 1988 under the publisher and editor-in-chief J. H. Humphrey. The journal was originally published by the ...

'', Volume 11 (1998), pp. 224–232. * Erich S. Gruen, ''Culture and National Identity in Republican Rome'', Ithaca & New York, Cornell University Press, 1992. *Dexter Hoyos, ''Unplanned Wars: The Origins of the First and Second Punic Wars'', Berlin & New York, Walter de Gruyter, 1998. *—— (editor), ''A Companion to Roman Imperialism'', Leiden/Boston, Brill, 2013. *Simon Keay ''et al''.,
Falerii Novi: A New Survey of the Walled Area
, Papers of the British School at Rome, Vol. 68 (2000), pp. 1–93. *C. F. Konrad,
Lutatius and the 'Sortes Praenestinae
", ''Hermes'', 143. Jahrg., H. 2 (2015), pp. 153–171. *Eleanor W. Leach,
Fortune's Extremities: Q. Lutatius Catulus and Largo Argentina Temple B: A Roman Consular and his Monument
, ''Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome'', Vol. 55 (2010), pp. 111–134. *

Harold Mattingly Harold Mattingly (24 December 1884 – 26 January 1964) was a British classical scholar, specialising in art history and numismatics. His interests included the history of Ancient Rome, Etruscan and Roman currency, and the Roman historian Taci ...

, Edward A. Sydenham, Carol H. V. Sutherland, ''The Roman Imperial Coinage, vol. I, from 31 BC to AD 69'', London, Spink & Son, 1923–1984. *Daniele Miano, ''Fortuna: Deity and Concept in Archaic and Republican Italy'', Oxford University Press, 2018. *Jane F. Mitchell, "The Torquati", in '' Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', vol. 15, part 1, (January 1966), pp. 23–31. *

, ''Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families'', translated by Thérèse Ridley, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 (originally published in 1920). * Stephen P. Oakley, ''A Commentary on Livy: Volume III, Book IX'', Oxford University Press, 2005. *

August Pauly August Friedrich von Pauly (; ; 9 May 1796, in Benningen am Neckar – 2 May 1845, in Stuttgart) was a German educator and classical philologist. From 1813 to 1818 he studied at the University of Tübingen, then furthered his education at Heide ...

Georg Wissowa Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau. Education and career Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Bresl ...

, Friedrich Münzer, ''et alii'', ''

Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft The Pauly encyclopedias or the Pauly-Wissowa family of encyclopedias, are a set of related encyclopedias on Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman classical studies, topics and scholarship. The first of these, or (1839–1852), was begun by compiler A ...

'' (abbreviated ''RE''), J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 1894–1980. *Francisco Pina Polo, ''The Consul at Rome: The Civil Functions of the Consuls in the Roman Republic'', Cambridge University Press, 2011. *Francis X. Ryan, ''Rank and Participation in the Republican Senate'', Stuttgart, Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998. *Jaakko Suolahti, ''The'' ''Roman Censors, a study on social structure'', Helsinki, Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1963. *

Lily Ross Taylor Lily Ross Taylor (August 12, 1886 – November 18, 1969) was an American academic and author, who in 1917 became the first female Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Biography Born in Auburn, Alabama, Lily Ross Taylor developed an interest ...

and T. Robert S. Broughton,
The Order of the Two Consuls' Names in the Yearly Lists
, ''Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome'', 19 (1949), pp. 3–14. *——,
New Indications of Augustan Editing in the Capitoline Fasti
, ''Classical Philology'', Vol. 46, No. 2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 73–80. *—— and T. Robert S. Broughton,
The Order of the Consuls' Names in Official Republican Lists
, ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', vol. 17, part 2 (Apr., 1968), pp. 166–172. *

Frank William Walbank Frank William Walbank, (; 10 December 1909 – 23 October 2008) was a scholar of ancient history, particularly the history of Polybius. He was born in Bingley, Yorkshire, and died in Cambridge. Early life and education Born at Bingley, ...

, A. E. Astin, M. W. Frederiksen, R. M. Ogilvie (editors), ''

The Cambridge Ancient History ''The Cambridge Ancient History'' is a multi-volume work of ancient history from Prehistory to Late Antiquity, published by Cambridge University Press. The first series, consisting of 12 volumes, was planned in 1919 by Irish historian J. B. Bur ...

, vol. VII, part 2
The Rise of Rome to 220 B.C.
', Cambridge University Press, 1989. *——, ''A Commentary on Polybius'', Oxford University Press, 1979. *

David Wardle David Wardle is the King George V Professor of Classics and Ancient History, as well as a former Acting Dean in the Faculty of Humanities, at the University of Cape Town. Academic career Born 23 December 1959 and educated in Nottingham, UK ...

,
Valerius Maximus and the End of the First Punic War
, ''Latomus'', T. 64, Fasc. 2 (2005), pp. 377–384. *Jean-Louis Zimmermann,
La fin de Falerii Veteres: Un témoignage archéologique
, ''The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal'', Vol. 14 (1986), pp. 37–42. *Adam Ziolkowski, ''The Temples of Mid-Republican Rome and their Historical and Topographical Context'', Rome, 1992. {{DEFAULTSORT:Manlius Torquatus Atticus, Aulus 3rd-century BC deaths 3rd-century BC Roman consuls 3rd-century BC Roman generals Atticus, Aulus Ancient Roman censors Ancient Roman patricians Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown