Sextus Pompeius (relatives of triumvir Pompey)
Encyclopedia
This article is about Sextus Pompeius, the paternal uncle of triumvir Pompey
and the descendants from Pompey’s uncle. For Pompey’s son of the same name, see Sextus Pompey.
of plebs
status. Sextus was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum
(modern Marche
& Abruzzo
) a rural district in Northern Italy
, off the Adriatic
Coast. His cognomen
Virdoctus, suggests he was a first born child and son.
Sextus’ mother was called Lucilia. Lucilia’s family originated from Suessa Aurunca (modern Sessa Aurunca
) and she was a sister of satire poet Gaius Lucilius
. Lucilius was a friend of Roman general Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
. Sextus’ paternal grandfather was Gnaeus Pompeius, while his father was Sextus Pompeius. His younger brother was consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo
and his sister was Pompeia
. Through his brother, he was the paternal uncle to triumvir Pompey
(Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) and his sister Pompeia
.
Sextus never obtained any high office of state, however gain a great reputation as a learned man. The historian and senator Cicero
, praised Sextus in his writings for his accurate knowledge of geometry
, Stoicism
and jurisprudence
. The only time that his name is recorded in Roman public affairs was when on one occasion Sextus was present with his younger brother in his camp during the Social War.
Sextus married an unnamed Roman woman and had two sons a younger Sextus Pompeius and Quintus Pompeius
. His second son Quintus Pompeius, is only known through the letters of Cicero. In one of his letters, Cicero had recommended Quintus in an undated letter which was addressed to man called Curius, who was a Roman proconsul
of an unknown Roman province.
and his sister Pompeia
. Very little is known on him.
was killed in Asia
.
Sextus served as consul 14 with Sextus Appuleius
. The two men served their consulships when the first Roman Emperor
Augustus
had died and they were the first to swear allegiance to the new Roman Emperor Tiberius
, who was Augustus’ adopted son and successor.
In Tiberius’ reign, he served as a senator. Sextus appeared to have a witty character and to be very intelligent. Sextus was a patron of literature and the Roman poet Ovid
had addressed him several letters from when he was living in exile.
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
and the descendants from Pompey’s uncle. For Pompey’s son of the same name, see Sextus Pompey.
Brother to Pompeius Strabo
Sextus Pompeius Virdoctus (flourished between 2nd and 1st centuries BC) was a RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
of plebs
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
status. Sextus was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
(modern Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
& Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
) a rural district in Northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, off the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
Coast. His cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
Virdoctus, suggests he was a first born child and son.
Sextus’ mother was called Lucilia. Lucilia’s family originated from Suessa Aurunca (modern Sessa Aurunca
Sessa Aurunca
Sessa Aurunca is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta. It located on the south west slope of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, 40 km by rail west north west of Caserta and 30 km east of Formia....
) and she was a sister of satire poet Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius , the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain, was a Roman citizen of the equestrian class, born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania.-The Problem of his birthdate:...
. Lucilius was a friend of Roman general Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Numantinus , also known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a leading general and politician of the ancient Roman Republic...
. Sextus’ paternal grandfather was Gnaeus Pompeius, while his father was Sextus Pompeius. His younger brother was consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo
Pompeius Strabo
Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo , whose cognomen means "cross eyed", is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo to distinguish him from Strabo, the geographer. Strabo lived in the Roman Republic. Strabo was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum a rural district in Northern Italy, off the...
and his sister was Pompeia
Pompeia (sister of Pompeius Strabo)
Pompeia was a Roman woman. Pompeia was born and raised into a noble family in Picenum a rural district in Northern Italy, off the Adriatic Coast....
. Through his brother, he was the paternal uncle to triumvir Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
(Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) and his sister Pompeia
Pompeia (sister of triumvir Pompey)
Pompeia was a Roman noblewoman of plebs status. Her mother was an unnamed Roman woman and her father was the consul and general Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo. Pompeia’s brother was the triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus or Pompey the Great...
.
Sextus never obtained any high office of state, however gain a great reputation as a learned man. The historian and senator Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, praised Sextus in his writings for his accurate knowledge of geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, Stoicism
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
and jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
. The only time that his name is recorded in Roman public affairs was when on one occasion Sextus was present with his younger brother in his camp during the Social War.
Sextus married an unnamed Roman woman and had two sons a younger Sextus Pompeius and Quintus Pompeius
Quintus Pompeius
Quintus Pompeius was the name of various Romans from the gens Pompeius, who were of plebeian status. They lived during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.-Consul of 141 BC:...
. His second son Quintus Pompeius, is only known through the letters of Cicero. In one of his letters, Cicero had recommended Quintus in an undated letter which was addressed to man called Curius, who was a Roman proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of an unknown Roman province.
Cousin to triumvir Pompey
Sextus Pompeius was a Roman that lived in the 1st century BC and was the son to the above and his mother is an unnamed Roman woman. He was a cousin to triumvir PompeyPompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
and his sister Pompeia
Pompeia (sister of triumvir Pompey)
Pompeia was a Roman noblewoman of plebs status. Her mother was an unnamed Roman woman and her father was the consul and general Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo. Pompeia’s brother was the triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus or Pompey the Great...
. Very little is known on him.
Consul Of 35 BC
Sextus Pompeius was a Roman that lived in the 1st century BC and was the son to the above. His mother is an unnamed Roman woman. He was a consul in 35 BC and in that year his paternal second cousin Sextus PompeiusSextus Pompeius
Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius, in English Sextus Pompey , was a Roman general from the late Republic . He was the last focus of opposition to the Second Triumvirate...
was killed in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Consul of 14
Sextus Pompeius was a Roman that lived between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. He was the son to the above and his mother is an unnamed Roman woman. He appears to be the last known direct descendant of the original Sextus Pompeius.Sextus served as consul 14 with Sextus Appuleius
Sextus Appuleius
Sextus Appuleius is the name of four figures during the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. The first Sextus Appuleius was married to Octavia Major, the elder half-sister of Augustus...
. The two men served their consulships when the first Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
had died and they were the first to swear allegiance to the new Roman Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, who was Augustus’ adopted son and successor.
In Tiberius’ reign, he served as a senator. Sextus appeared to have a witty character and to be very intelligent. Sextus was a patron of literature and the Roman poet Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
had addressed him several letters from when he was living in exile.
Sources
- Microsoft Encyclopaedia 2002
- TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
- The Annals of Imperial Rome - http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1930.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2808.html