Porcia (sister of Cato the Younger)
Encyclopedia
Porcia, also known as Porcia Catonis or Porcia the Elder (before 95 BC – 46/45 BC) was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus
and Livia Drusa
. She was the elder sister of Cato the Younger
and the younger half-sister of Servilia Caepionis
, the younger Servilia
and Quintus Servilius Caepio
. She was the aunt of Marcus Junius Brutus
, one of the more famous of Julius Caesar
's assassins. She was also the aunt of Porcia Catonis
and Junia Tertia
. After her parents died, she lived with all her siblings in the household of their uncle Marcus Livius Drusus
until his assassination in 91 BC.
She married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
, who was consul
in 54 BC and an ally of her brother Cato. Marcus Tullius Cicero
claims that Porcia and her husband were in Naples in 49 BC, when her husband was besieged at Corfinium
by Julius Caesar. In 48 BC, Porcia lost her husband in the Battle of Pharsalus
. Porcia died towards the end of 46 BC to the beginning of 45 BC, her funeral elegy was pronounced by Cicero.
Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus
Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus or Cato Salonianus is a name of two Romans of the Porcii Family.-Marcus Porcius Cato Salonianus the Elder:...
and Livia Drusa
Livia Drusa
Livia Drusa may refer to:*Livia Drusa, mother of Servilia Caepionis and Cato the Younger*Livia, wife of Augustus...
. She was the elder sister of Cato the Younger
Cato the Younger
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis , commonly known as Cato the Younger to distinguish him from his great-grandfather , was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic, and a follower of the Stoic philosophy...
and the younger half-sister of Servilia Caepionis
Servilia Caepionis
Servilia Caepionis was the mistress of Julius Caesar, mother of one of Caesar's assassins, Brutus, mother-in-law of another Caesar assassin, Cassius, and half-sister of Cato the Younger.-Life:...
, the younger Servilia
Servilia the younger
Servilia was the younger full sister of Servilia Caepionis and second wife of Lucullus. Lucullus married her on his return from the Third Mithridatic War, after divorcing his first wife Clodia. Servilia bore him a son, but like her sister, she was faithless to her husband. Lucullus, after putting...
and Quintus Servilius Caepio
Quintus Servilius Caepio
Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder was a Roman statesman and general, consul in 106 BC, and proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul in 105 BC. He was the father of Quintus Servilius Caepio the Younger and the grandfather of Servilia Caepionis....
. She was the aunt of Marcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
, one of the more famous of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's assassins. She was also the aunt of Porcia Catonis
Porcia Catonis
Porcia Catonis, also known simply as Porcia was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis and his first wife Atilia...
and Junia Tertia
Junia Tertia
Junia Tertia, or Tertulla, was the third daughter of Servilia Caepionis and her second husband Decimus Junius Silanus, half-sister of Marcus Junius Brutus, and wife of Gaius Cassius Longinus....
. After her parents died, she lived with all her siblings in the household of their uncle Marcus Livius Drusus
Marcus Livius Drusus (tribune)
The younger Marcus Livius Drusus, son of Marcus Livius Drusus, was tribune of the plebeians in 91 BC. In the manner of Gaius Gracchus, he set out with comprehensive plans, but his aim was to strengthen senatorial rule...
until his assassination in 91 BC.
She married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 54 BC)
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul 54 BC, was an enemy of Julius Caesar and a strong supporter of the aristocratic party in the late Roman Republic.He is first mentioned in 70 BC by Cicero as a witness against Verres...
, who was consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 54 BC and an ally of her brother Cato. Marcus Tullius 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...
claims that Porcia and her husband were in Naples in 49 BC, when her husband was besieged at Corfinium
Corfinium
Corfinium was a city in Ancient Italy, on the eastern side of the Apennines, due east of Rome. It is now near the modern Corfinio, in the province of L'Aquila .-History:...
by Julius Caesar. In 48 BC, Porcia lost her husband in the Battle of Pharsalus
Battle of Pharsalus
The Battle of Pharsalus was a decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War. On 9 August 48 BC at Pharsalus in central Greece, Gaius Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the republic under the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus...
. Porcia died towards the end of 46 BC to the beginning of 45 BC, her funeral elegy was pronounced by Cicero.