Marcus Porcius Cato (died 118 BC) was a member of the Roman plebeian gens Porcii and

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 118 BC. Marcus Porcius Cato was the elder son of

Marcus Porcius Cato Licinianus Marcus Porcius Cato Licinianus (191–152 BC) was son of Cato the Elder by his first wife Licinia, and thence called ''Licinianus'', to distinguish him from his half-brother, Marcus Salonianus, the son of Salonia. He was distinguished as a jurist. ...

and the grandson of the famous conservative Roman politician

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (, ; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor (), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, Roman Senate, senator, and Roman historiography, historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He wa ...

. Nothing is known about his early life. In 121 BC at the latest he was

praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...

. In 118 BC he became consul; his colleague was Quintus Marcius Rex. He went to Africa, perhaps to settle the dispute between the heirs of king

Micipsa Micipsa ( Numidian: ''Mikiwsan''; , ; died BC) was the eldest legitimate son of Masinissa, the King of Numidia, a Berber kingdom in North Africa. Micipsa became the King of Numidia in 148 BC. Early life In 151 BC, Masinissa sent Micipsa and his ...

of Numidia, the son of

Masinissa Masinissa (''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ultimately uniting the ...

, but Cato died during his consulate. Cato was a powerful orator. He left some posthumous speeches, which were preserved for some time.Aulus Gellius, ''Noctes Atticae'' 13.20.10

Notes

References

*Franz Miltner: ''Porcius 10''. In: ''

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 ...

''. Vol. XXII, 1, col. 165. 2nd-century BC births Year of birth unknown 118 BC deaths 2nd-century BC Roman consuls Roman Republican praetors Marcus Roman consuls who died in office {{AncientRome-bio-stub