Gaius Octavius | |
|---|---|
 Head of statue, thought to be Gaius Octavius | |
| Born | c. 100 BC |
| Died | 59 BC |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Spouse(s) | Ancharia Atia |
| Children | Octavia the Elder Octavia the Younger Octavian (Augustus) |
Gaius Octavius[1] (c. 100 – 59 BC) was a Roman politician. He was an ancestor to theRoman emperors of theJulio-Claudian dynasty. He was the biological father of the EmperorAugustus, step-grandfather of the EmperorTiberius, great-grandfather of the EmperorClaudius, and great-great-grandfather of the EmperorsCaligula[2] andNero.[3] Hailing fromVelitrae, he belonged to an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebeiangensOctavia. Not being of senatorial rank, he was anovus homo ("new man") at Rome. His grandfather,Gaius Octavius, fought as amilitary tribune in Sicily during theSecond Punic War. His father, Gaius Octavius, was a municipal magistrate who lived to an advanced age.
Octavius' first wife was namedAncharia. The two had a child namedOctavia the Elder. It is not known how the marriage ended, although it is possible that Ancharia died during child birth. Octavius later married the niece ofJulius Caesar,Atia. How they met is not known, although Atia's family on her father's side (theAtii Balbi) lived close to Velitrae, which was the ancestral home of the Octavii. They had two children:Octavia the Younger (b. 69 BC) and Gaius Octavius (b. 63 BC), who became Roman Emperor,Augustus.
Some time before 73 BC, he had served as military tribune. He may have been elected quaestor some time around 73 BC and later plebeian aedile around 64 BC. His first clearly noted office was that ofpraetor in 61 BC.[4]
In 60 BC, after his term as praetor had ended, he was appointedproconsul of Macedonia. However, before he left for Macedonia, the senate sent him to put down a slave rebellion inThurii. These slaves had previously taken part in the rebellions led bySpartacus andCatiline.[5] Octavius' victory over the slaves in Thurii led him to give his son, then a few years old, thecognomen of "Thurinus". He then left for Macedonia and proved to be a capable administrator, governing "courageously and justly".[citation needed] He was salutedimperator for his victories over the Bessi in Thrace in 59 BC.[6]
Cicero had high regard for Octavius' diplomatic dealings. According to Cicero, due to Octavius' successful term as in Macedonia, he was likely to have won the support necessary to stand for election asconsul. Some time in 59 BC, Octavius sailed to Rome to stand for election as consul. However, he never arrived, having died inNola.[citation needed] His career is summarized in an inscription erected by his son on theforum he built in Rome:[7]
| Emperor |
| Consul | ||||||||||||
| Cn. Octavius Rufus q. c. 230 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cn. Octavius pr. 205 BC | C. Octavius eq. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cn. Octavius cos. 165 BC | C. Octavius tr. mil. 216 BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cn. Octavius cos. 128 BC | M. Octavius tr. pl. 133 BC | C. Octavius magistr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cn. Octavius cos. 87 BC | M. Octavius tr. pl. | C. Octavius procos.MAC. 60 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L. Octavius cos. 75 BC | Cn. Octavius cos. 76 BC | C. Octavius (Augustus) imp. ROM. 27 BC–AD 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| M. Octavius aed. 50 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since the last Gaius Octavius (Augustus) was adopted by his great-uncleJulius Caesar and became one of theJulii Caesares, the family's originalnomen gentile was not inherited by his only daughter (i.e.Julia the Elder) and adopted sons (i.e.Gaius Caesar,Lucius Caesar,Tiberius,Agrippa Postumus), which meant the end of the Octavii Rufi's male line.
