Pontius Aquila (possiblyLucius Pontius; died 21 April 43 BC) was a Roman politician, military commander, and one of the assassins ofJulius Caesar. In 45 BC, astribune of the plebs, he annoyed Caesar by refusing to stand during histriumphal procession, and, in the following year, joinedthe conspiracy to kill the dictator. Aquila died fighting at theSecond Battle of Mutina againstMark Antony in April 43 BC, before the formation of theSecond Triumvirate later that year.
Pontius Aquila probably belonged to an undistinguished family fromSutrium in southernEtruria.[1] He seems to have been a committed republican and opponent ofJulius Caesar from the start, and probably supported Caesar's enemyPompey inthe civil war which began in 49 BC.[2] In 45 BC, during Caesar's dictatorship, he wastribune of the plebs, and at Caesar'striumph in October, Aquila did not, unlike the other tribunes, stand up in honor as the procession passed by. This irritated Caesar so much, he cried out, "come then, Aquila, take back the republic from me, tribune",[3] and for several days he would not make a public promise to anyone without vindictively adding, "that is, if Pontius Aquila will allow me".[4][5] This taunt probably resulted in a feud between the two, as Pontius became one of Caesar's assassins.
After theIdes of March, he became a deputy (legatus) of the governor ofCisalpine Gaul,Decimus Brutus, another of the assassins. When the rebelMark Antony marched against Decimus in 43 BC and besieged him atMutina, Aquila did not remain holed up with Decimus in the city, but instead went out on the field, recruited troops and gathered equipment from his own pocket, and conducted operations independently. In late January, he took the town ofClaternae jointly with the consulAulus Hirtius, and then proceeded toPollentia, where he defeated Antony's subordinate,Titus Munatius Plancus Bursa, in battle. Aquila joined Hirtius again outside Mutina to break Antony's siege of Decimus at Mutina.[5] Inthe ensuing battle, the republicans were victorious, but both Hirtius and Aquila were killed. At the request ofCicero, theSenate honored Aquila with a statue and reimbursed his heirs with the costs he had personally incurred during the war. Münzer commented that, of Caesar's known assassins, Aquila met the most honorable end.[6]
It has been suggested that Aquila be identified with the Pontius whose property nearNeapolis was, according toCicero, confiscated by Caesar, which would have given Aquila an additional motive to conspire against the dictator aside from political convictions.[7] Münzer was sceptical, however, since Cicero generally referred to Aquila by his surname.[5] Zvi Yavetz has also suggested that Caesar's triumph over fellow Romans in a civil war might also been a factor in Aquila's refusal to salute the Roman leader.[8] Evans noted that "Pontius" is a name ofSamnite origin, and conjectured that Caesar's rule might have reminded Aquila ofSulla's reign, in which Samnites had been ruthlessly treated.[9][page needed]
Aquila may have been an ancestor ofPontius Pilate, a 1st-century prefect ofJudaea who is known for puttingJesus of Nazareth to death.[10]