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{{Short description|Wife of Cicero}}
{{otherpeople5|Terentia
'''Terentia''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|r|ɛ|n|ʃ|i|ə|,_|-|ʃ|ə}}; 98 BC – 6 AD) was the wife of the renowned orator [[Marcus Tullius Cicero]]. She was instrumental in Cicero's political life both as a benefactor and as a fervent activist of his cause.▼
{{Infobox person
| name = Terentia
| image = Terentia forcibly dragged from the Temple of Vesta.jpg
| caption = Terentia being dragged from the Temple of Vesta
| birth_date = 98 BC
| birth_place =
| death_date = 6 AD (aged 103–104)
| death_place =
| known_for = Being the wife (and ex-wife) of Cicero
| spouse = [[Cicero]]
| children = [[Tulliola]]<br>[[Cicero Minor]]
| mother =
| father =
}}
▲'''Terentia''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|r|ɛ|n|ʃ|i|ə|,_|-|ʃ|ə}}; 98 BC –
==Family background==
Terentia was born into a wealthy [[plebeian]] family by the name of [[
Terentia had one half-sister named Fabia, who was a [[Vestal Virgin]] and the daughter of a [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] named [[Fabius]]. If
She was endowed with a huge [[dowry]], which included at least two blocks of tenement apartments in Rome, a plot of woods in the suburbs of Rome, and a large farm.<ref name="Salisbury"/> The apartments and farm generated a considerable annual income. There is evidence that Terentia had much land in her own name. In addition to the public land she possessed, Terentia acquired a large woodland property among many other investments.<ref>[[s:Letters to Atticus/2.4]]</ref><ref>[[s:Letters to Atticus/2.15]]</ref><ref name="Treggiari 34">Treggiari 34</ref> She also owned a village which she intended to sell in the crisis of Cicero's exile.<ref name="s:Letters to friends/14.1">[[s:Letters to friends/14.1]]</ref>
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==Marriage, family life, and children==
Terentia was around 18 years old when she married Cicero in
Terentia was responsible for conducting family affairs as well. Besides assigning slaves to complete tasks such as weaving and cooking, Terentia was serious about making offerings to the gods and demonstrating proper piety. Cicero refers to her regular worship in several correspondences; in one letter he describes her piety as an act of pure devotion.<ref name="s:Letters to friends/14.4">[[s:Letters to friends/14.4]]</ref> In another, Cicero jokes that Terentia should sacrifice to the god that made him ill enough to expel his anxiety.<ref>Cicero ''Ad Familiares'' 14.7</ref>
[[Tullia (daughter of Cicero)|Tullia]], the daughter of Terentia and Cicero, was born in 78 BC. Since at this time they had already been married for two years without children, it is likely that the couple was not very fertile. Their son [[Cicero Minor|Marcus Tullius Cicero Minor]] was not born until 65 BC. Lack of fertility is also suggested by the fact that Tullia herself had problems conceiving children later in life.<ref>Treggiari 44</ref>
In 51, when Cicero departed for his
Since Cicero was a Pompeian and Dolabella a Caesarian, any decisive news of the civil war meant that the situation was getting worse for one of them.<ref>Treggiari 118</ref> Terentia and Tullia had a strong relationship that helped them persevere through the tumultuous time of the civil war.<ref name="Lightman, Majorie, and Benjamin Lightman">Lightman</ref>
==Cicero's exile and family crisis==
In 58 BC, Cicero was exiled from Rome for
▲In 58 BC, Cicero was exiled from Rome for illegally executing Roman citizens in the [[Catiline]] conspiracy. [[Publius Clodius Pulcher]] enacted the bill with the purpose of getting revenge on Cicero for the fact that he had nullified Clodius' alibi in the [[Bona Dea]] affair.<ref name="Salisbury">Salisbury, Joyce E. ''Encyclopedia of women in the ancient world.'' Santa Barbara, Calif.: Abc-Clio, 2001</ref> [[Plutarch]], in his ''[[Parallel Lives]]'', tells us that Cicero was forced to testify against Clodius by Terentia, in order to prove that he was not having an affair with [[Claudia Pulchra (wife of Metellus)|Clodia]] (Clodius' sister). However, this story is most likely conceived either by Plutarch himself or a slanderer of Cicero. Plutarch's intentions were to show Terentia as an oppressive wife and thus to show Cicero as a weak man under the control of his wife.<ref>[[s:Lives (Dryden translation)/Cicero]]</ref><ref>Treggiari 49</ref>
Upon his exile, Cicero left his estate in chaos. Terentia was thus left in charge of the affairs concerning Cicero's houses, villas, revenues, and his slaves. The responsibility of Cicero Minor's upbringing, the welfare of the household, and the safety of Tullia also fell to Terentia. She continued to act as a wife to Cicero even though his exile legally ended their marriage.<ref>Treggiari 60</ref>
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Both Tullia and Terentia protested the exile publicly. They wore their hair unkempt and put on black mourning clothes. In this fashion they visited the houses of their friends in Rome in order to gain sympathy and support for Cicero's return. After Cicero's house on the [[Palatine Hill]] was burned down by Clodius' mob, Terentia took refuge in the house of the Vestal Virgins. Although she may have also stayed at the home of Tullia's husband Piso, it is likely that Terentia spent the entire duration of Cicero's exile living with Fabia and the Vestals.<ref>Treggiari 61</ref>
During this time, Cicero himself was depressed and at times suicidal. He writes that he is wretched and that he should no longer live. He asks frequently what he should do and despairs that he cannot ask Terentia to come to him for she is an exhausted woman
In an earlier letter, Cicero commends Terentia's relentless courage and fortitude. He says that he has heard how active Terentia is from many of his friends. This indicates that Terentia was able to rally widespread support on behalf of Cicero. Furthermore, Cicero reassures Terentia that he has given proper thanks to those
However, Terentia did not reveal the worst details to Cicero, probably so as not to encourage his depression.<ref>Treggiari 65</ref> He found out from P. Valerius that Terentia was dragged from the Temple of Vesta to the Valerian Bank.<ref name="s:Letters to friends/14.2"/> Terentia may have also suffered physical abuse
Thus, even though others such as Atticus, Tullia, Piso and Quintus were also lobbying for Cicero's return, Terentia was one of the most fervent activists in the crisis. Cicero was able to return to Rome in 57 BC.
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==Civil war and divorce==
At the beginning of the civil war between [[Julius Caesar]] and [[
Their time apart and the strained atmosphere of the civil war caused the letters of Terentia and Cicero to become increasingly emotionless and reserved. While Cicero was staying in [[Brundisium]], he often found time to write Terentia. However, his letters were terse and ineloquent, which was unlike most letters between the two.<ref>Burns</ref> The pair had further disagreement over Terentia's will in 47 BC, specifically about what should be left to their children.<ref>Treggiari 122 - 123</ref> At the same time, Tullia's marriage to
The strain on their marriage led to divorce in 47 or 46 BC. Terentia was around 52 years old at the time. According to [[Jerome|Hieronymus Stridonensis]], Terentia later remarried two times, her second husband being the historian [[Sallust]] and her third the writer and general [[Marcus Valerius Messala Corvinus]].<ref>[[Jerome|Hieronymus]]. Adversus Jovinianum Libri Duo, I, 48: "Illa [Terentia][…] nupsit Sallustio […], et tertio Messalae Corvino". Read online: [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/02m/0347-0420,_Hieronymus,_Adversus_Jovinianum_Libri_Duo,_MLT.pdf].</ref> But Hieronymus lived much later, in the fourth century AD, and his assertions are not confirmed by any other ancient writer. Prominent scholars of Roman prosopography such as [[Ronald Syme]] refute the possibility of those two marriages (for instance, both actual wives of Messala Corvinus are known).<ref>{{Cite
==Notes==
{{reflist
==References==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*Treggiari, Susan. ''Terentia, Tullia and Publilia: The Women of Cicero's Family.'' New York: Routledge, 2007.
*Cicero, Marcus Tullius. ''Letters to Atticus.'' Trans. [[E.O. Winstedt]].Vol.2. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1912.
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*Lightman, Marjorie, and Benjamin Lightman. ''Biographical dictionary of ancient Greek and Roman women: notable women from Sappho to Helena.'' New York: Facts On File, 2000.
*Burns, Mary S.R., et al. "Chapter 17. Coolness towards Terentia." ''Introducing Cicero: A selection of passages from the writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero.'' London: Bristol Classical Press, 2002.
{{Refend}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:98 BC births]]
[[Category:AD 6 deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman women]]▼
[[Category:1st-century BC Romans]]▼
[[Category:1st-century Romans]]▼
[[Category:1st-century BC Roman women]]
▲[[Category:1st-century BC Romans]]
[[Category:1st-century Roman women]]
▲[[Category:1st-century Romans]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman centenarians]]
[[Category:Terentii]]
[[Category:Women centenarians]]
[[Category:Ancient landowners]]
[[Category:Ancient businesswomen]]
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