Titus Pomponius Atticus (109 BC - 32 BC) was a Roman knight, businessman and personal friend of Marcus Tullius Cicero. His daughter Caecilia Attica married Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa with whom she would receive the daughter Vipsania Agrippina, Tiberius's first wife.
His nickname Atticus was due to a long stay (from 88 to 65 BC) in Athens, where he had fled to escape the prosecution under the dictatorship of Sulla. Although his political p for the Optimates party, he himself, after returning to Rome, abstained from any political activity, striving for a good understanding with both the Conservatives and the Caesar people. He managed to survive the Roman civil wars by his consistent way of being everyone's friend and nobody's ally. Until his death in 32 he was in favor of Octavian.
His great material prosperity, Attic, firstly attributed to the proceeds of his vast landings in Epirus, and in addition he inherited a large amount of his greedy uncle Quintus Caecilius. This ability he still managed to increase significantly through active participation in all kinds of economic activities, ranging from banking to publishing companies. Nevertheless, he lived soberly. He was a fancy, critical art protector and sponsor, with a deep admiration for Greek art. His house in Rome, located on the Quirinal, formed the heart of a renowned literary circle.
Even viewed in the light of the Epicuristic view of life, one can ask questions about Attic's calculative and opportunistic way of life, aimed at keeping strict neutrality. Yet his personality certainly had attractive sides. His well-being, his tact and compassion gave him many friends, making him the ideal trust person, among others, for Cicero. Atticus also published the full correspondence between him and Cicero, but his own literary work was completely lost.
[Bron: art. Pomponius Atticus, Titus, in Oxford Classical Dictionary (1996³), p. 1218.]
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