Atticus

Titus Pomponius Atticus, the son, Titus Pomponius and Caecilia Metella, was born in Rome in 110 BC. His family came from the equestrian class. As a young man he developed close friendships with Marcus Tullius Cicero, Lucius Manlius Torquatus, and Gaius Marius the Younger. (1)

At the age of 26 Cicero undertook his first criminal case. This was the defence of a man, Sextus Roscius, who had been charged with the murder of his father. The trial became sensational when Cicero exposed the unscrupulous profiteering of Lucius Cornelius Chrysogonus, who was behind the prosecution. This was an act of bravery as Chrysogonus was an agent of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He won the case and became famous for his oratorical skills and soon was considered to have one of the best legal minds in Rome. (2)

After his attacks on members of the ruling elite he decided it would be politically expedient to live abroad. In 79 BC he moved to Athens where he lived with Atticus. The two men studied Greek moral philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Epicurus and Aristotle. Cicero particularly liked Socrates who "was the first to call philosophy down from the heavens and set her in the cities of men.... and compel her to ask questions about life and morality and things good and evil." (3) According to Anthony Trollope, the author of The Life of Cicero (1880) has claimed that Cicero studied all the philosophical theories "but in truth drawing no system of morals or rule of life from any of them." (4)

Atticus was attracted to the philosophy of Epicurus who argued that the absence of pain, rather than presence of pleasure, is the wise man's goal. Such desires as those for wealth and honour are futile, because they make a man restless when he might be contented. He commented that "The greatest good of all is prudence; it is a more precious thing even than philosophy". On another occasion he said: "Absence of pain is in itself pleasure, indeed in his ultimate analysis the truest pleasure." (5)

Epicurus regarded the unacknowledged fear of death and punishment as the primary cause of anxiety among human beings, and anxiety in turn as the source of extreme and irrational desires. "The elimination of the fears and corresponding desires would leave people free to pursue the pleasures, both physical and mental, to which they are naturally drawn, and to enjoy the peace of mind that is consequent upon their regularly expected and achieved satisfaction.... Epicurus was aware that deeply ingrained habits of thought are not easily corrected, and thus he proposed various exercises to assist the novice." (6)

Epicurus argued that the main objective of the individual should be to obtain wisdom and happiness: "Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul. And to say that the season for studying philosophy has not yet come, or that it is past and gone, is like saying that the season for happiness is not yet or that it is now no more. Therefore, both old and young alike ought to seek wisdom, the former in order that, as age comes over him, he may be young in good things because of the grace of what has been, and the latter in order that, while he is young, he may at the same time be old, because he has no fear of the things which are to come. So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed towards attaining it." (7)

Cicero returned to Rome and in 76 BC he was elected as one of the 20 annual quaestors (magistrates) and served his term of office in Sicily. Although it was one of the most junior offices in the Roman Empire, it brought life membership of the senate, and Cicero was the first member of his family to attain this distinction. Cicero was therefore known as a novus homo (new man), the first man of a family to reach the senate. (8)

Atticus decided to stay in Athens and keep out of politics. "Although not without influence in Roman politics, he followed the Epicurean ideal of a life sheltered from the traumas and stress of political life. But he was not above the pursuit of financial and commercial activities (from which he amassed a large fortune) and was the author of a Liber annalis, which provided a reliable chronological framework for Roman history." (9)

Throughout his adult life Atticus wrote regular letters to Cicero, the Roman philosopher. In his replies, Cicero wrote in detail about his ideas: As Michael Grant has pointed out: "Since nine-tenths of these letters were not intended for publication, they give an astonishingly frank and authentic picture of their writer's character: he was not only an indefatigable correspondent, but uniquely articulate about himself... His talent for self-revelation means that we know more about him than about any other ancient personage, and almost more than about any other historical or literary figure of any date whatsoever. Furthermore, these letters are our principle - very often our only - source of knowledge for the events of this decisive period in the history of civilization." (10)

Unfortunately none of the letters written by Atticus have survived. Atticus was aware of the quality of Cicero's letters and employed slaves as scribes and taught them to make papyrus scrolls, allowing Atticus to publish the letters and speeches of Cicero. Atticus also arranged for the translation and publication of Greek authors such as Plato. He also published a number of treatises on the subject of genealogy. (11)

In 65 BC, Atticus returned from Athens to Rome. In about 58 BC, he married Caecilia Pilea. In keeping with his Epicurean sympathies, he kept out of politics although he did provide financial support to Cicero when he was forced to flee in 49 BC. After the death of Cicero in 43 BC he became good friends with Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a leading adviser to the future Emperor Augustus, and gave his daughter, Caecilia Pomponia Attica, to him in marriage. In 32 BC Atticus became incurably ill and committed suicide by starving himself to death. (12)

Primary Sources

(1) Cicero describing collecting taxes in Sicily in a letter to Atticus (75 BC)

There can be no hope of either private individuals or even state officials being free for much longer. Yet amid all this oppression there is more free speech than ever, at any rate at social gatherings and parties. Indeed, people’s indignation is beginning to outweigh their fright; though on all sides there is nothing but utter despair.

(2) Cicero, letter to Atticus (June 59 BC)

There can be no hope of either private individuals or even state officials being free for much longer. Yet amid all this oppression there is more free speech than ever, at any rate at social gatherings and parties. Indeed, people’s indignation is beginning to outweigh their fright; though on all sides there is nothing but utter despair.

There can be no hope of either private individuals or even state officials being free for much longer. Yet amid all this oppression there is more free speech than ever, at any rate at social gatherings and parties. Indeed, people's indignation is beginning to outweigh their fright; though on all sides there is nothing but utter despair…

I cannot bear to write any more about politics. I am disgusted with myself and find writing about it extremely painful. Considering how crushed everyone is, I manage to carry on without actual humiliation, yet without the courage I should have hoped for from myself in the light of my past achievements. Caesar very generously proposes that I should join his staff. He also offers to send me on a mission at state expense, nominally to fulfil a vow. But the decent instincts of sweet Clodius hardly suggest that this would be secure, and it would mean I was away from Rome when my brothers comes back. The other job, on Caesar's staff, is safe, and would not prevent me from being here whenever I want to -.I am keeping the offer in reserve, but do not think I shall use it. I do not know what to do. I hate the idea of running away. I long to fight and have a lot of enthusiastic supporters. But I make no promises, and please say nothing about it.

(3) Cicero, letter to Atticus (June 56 BC)

My views have been alienating Pompey from me? It has to stop. Since the powerless do not want to be my friends, I must make sure that the powerful are! You will say: "I wish you had done so long ago." I know that you wanted me to, and that I have been an utter fool. But now it is high time for me to be friends with myself and my own interests, since I cannot possibly be with the other lot.

(4) Cicero, letter to Atticus (12th March, 49 BC)

Though I do not relax nowadays except while I am writing to you or reading your letters, still I feel the lack of subject-matter for a letter and I believe you feel the same. The easy, intimate exchanges we are accustomed to are out of the question in these critical times; and every topic relating to the crisis we have already exhausted. However, so as not to succumb completely to morbid reflections, I have put down certain questions of principle - relating to political behaviour - which apply to the present crisis. As well as distracting me from my miserable thoughts, this has given me practice in judging the problems at issue. Here is the sort of thing:

Should one stay in one's country even if it is under totalitarian rule?

Is it justifiable to use any means to get rid of such rule, even if they endanger the whole fabric of the state? Secondly, do precautions have to be taken to prevent the liberator from becoming an autocrat himself?

If one's country is being tyrannized, what are the arguments in favour of helping it by verbal means and when occasion arises, rather than by war?

Is it statesmanlike, when one's country is under a tyranny, to retire to some other place and remain inactive there, or ought one to brave any danger in order to liberate it?

If one's country is under a tyranny, is it right to proceed to its invasion and blockade?

Ought one, even if not approving of war as a means of abolishing tyranny, to join up with the right-minded party in the struggle against it?

Ought one in matters of patriotic concern to share the dangers of one's benefactors and friends, even if their general policy seems to be unwise?

If one has done great services to one's country, and because of them has received shameful and jealous treatment, should one nevertheless voluntarily endanger oneself for one's country's sake, or is it legitimate, eventually, to take some thought for oneself and one's family, and to refrain from fighting against the people in power?

Occupying myself with such questions, and marshalling the argument on either side in Greek and Latin, I take my mind off my troubles for a little; though the problems I am here posing are far from irrelevant to them. But I am afraid I am being a trouble to you: for if the man carrying this letter makes good speed he will bring it to you on the day when you are due for your fever.