Titus Pomponius Atticus

Titus Pomponius Atticus (110-32 BC) was a Roman editor, banker and literary patron of the late Republic, remembered above all for his friendship with Cicero and for keeping out of the civil wars that tore Rome apart. He came from a wealthy family of the equestrian order. His significance lies less in a philosophical work of his own, none of which survives, than in his role as a publisher and as a privileged witness to one of the most turbulent periods of Roman history, which he observed from a deliberately withdrawn, Epicurean stance.

His father paid for a good education, and as a young man Atticus shared schooling with future consuls. Around 86 BC he left Rome to avoid the conflict between Marius and Sulla and settled in Athens, where he stayed until about 65 BC. There he devoted himself to study and business: property, lending and book publishing among them. His love of Athenian culture earned him the nickname Atticus. Adopted by a wealthy maternal uncle, he took the name Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus for a time. His editions of Greek authors such as Plato and Demosthenes were prized for their accuracy, and he is considered the earliest Roman publisher known to us. Of his own writings, which included a chronology of Roman history and some historical work, nothing has survived.

Guided by Epicurean principles, he avoided politics almost entirely, though he came to Cicero's aid in dangerous moments, such as in 49 BC, when he gave him 250,000 sesterces during his exile. He kept good relations with rivals on opposing sides, including Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, Antony and Brutus, and at times acted as a go-between for friends. He appeared on the proscription lists of 43 BC but survived. Later, when a grave illness struck, he chose to starve himself rather than prolong his suffering. His influence rests mainly on the letters exchanged with Cicero, preserved thanks to Tiro, and on the biography by Cornelius Nepos, which together are the main sources for his life.