Appius Annius Atilius BraduaPomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity''Birley, ''The Roman government of Britain'' p. 114 was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

in the 2nd century AD. Annius Bradua was born and raised in an aristocratic family of consular rank and was a member of the gens Annia. He was a member of the venerable family of the Annii Regilli.Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'' p. 14 Regilli means 'Little Queen'. His father was Appius Annius Trebonius Gallus. Annius Gallus was a distinguished Senator and one of the serving consuls in the year 139 and his mother was

Atilia Caucidia Tertulla Atilia Caucidia TertullaPomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence of antiquity'' p. 15 (flourished 2nd century) was an aristocratic woman from Ancient Rome, Ancient Roman society. Atilia was a member of the Atilia gens and was ...

. His sister, Appia Annia Regilla Atilia Caucidia Tertulla, otherwise known as

Aspasia Annia Regilla Appia Annia Regilla, full name Appia Annia Regilla Atilia Caucidia TertullaPomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'' (Greek: , 125–160), was a wealthy, aristocratic and influential Roman woman, who was a dista ...

, married the prominent Greek

Herodes Atticus Herodes Atticus ( grc-gre, Ἡρώδης; AD 101–177) was an Athenian rhetorician, as well as a Roman senator. A great philanthropic magnate, he and his wife Appia Annia Regilla, for whose murder he was potentially responsible, commissioned ...

.Birley, ''The Roman government of Britain'' p. 112 The paternal grandparents of Annius Bradua were the Senator Appius Annius Trebonius Gallus and his unnamed wife, while his maternal grandparents were the Senator and Governor

Marcus Appius Bradua Marcus Appius Bradua, also known by his full name Marcus Atilius Metilius BraduaBirley, ''Roman government'', p. 112 (Greek: ''Μαρκόν Άππιον Βραδούαν'' This version of his name is known from an honorific Greek stone inscrip ...

and Caucidia Tertulla. His mother's brother was Marcus Atilius Metilius Bradua Caucidius Tertullus...Bassus.Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'' p.15Birley, ''The Roman government of Britain'' p. 113-114 His uncle served as a polyonymous

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

of the Africa Province under the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Antoninus Pius (138-161). His grandfathers were both consular colleagues in the year 108. Through his paternal grandfather, Annius Bradua was related to the

Marcus Annius Verus, who was a brother-in-law of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

and father of Antoninus Pius' wife

Faustina the Elder Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder, sometimes referred to as Faustina I or Faustina Major (born on February 16 around 100; died in October or November of 140), was a Roman empress and wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. The emperor Marcus Au ...

, who was, in turn, the mother of the Empress Faustina the Younger and aunt of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

. In the year 160, Annius Bradua served as an ordinary consul, during which time, his sister, eight months pregnant with her sixth child, was kicked to death in the abdomen by a freedman of Herodes Atticus named Alcimedon. Annius Bradua brought charges in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

against his brother-in-law, alleging that he had been responsible for her death; however, Herodes Atticus was exonerated of the charge by

, his student, who would become emperor the following year.

References

Sources

* http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/women_civicdonors.html * A. R. Birley, ''The Roman Government of Britain'', Oxford University Press, 2005 * S. B. Pomeroy, ''The murder of Regilla: a case of domestic violence in antiquity'', Harvard University Press, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Annius Atilius Bradua, Appius 2nd-century Romans Atilius Bradua, Appius Annius Bradua, Appius