A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ATILICINUS. ATILIUS. 403
was the son of Apollo, who had intercourse with ATILIUS. 1. L. ATILIUS, a plebeian, consular
her in the form of a dragon, while she was sleeping tribune B. c. 399, and again in 396. (Liv. v. 13,18;
on one occasion in the temple of the god. (Dion Diod. xiv. 54, 90.) He must be distinguished from
Cass. xlv. 1; Suet. Oct. 94.) She carefully at- L. Atilius, the consular tribune in B. c. 444 (Liv.
tended to the education of her son, and is on this iv. 7), who was a patrician, and whose cognomen
account classed by the author of the Dialogue on was Longus, as we learn from Dionysius (xi. 61).
Orators (c. 29) along with Cornelia, the mother of 2. L. ATILIUS, tribune of the plebs, B. c. 311,
the Gracchi, and Aurelia, the mother of C. Julius brought forward a bill, in conjunction with his
Caesar. Her husband died in B. c. 59, when her colleague, C. Marcius, giving the people the power
son was only four years of age, and she afterwards of electing 16 military tribunes in the four legions,
married L. Marcius Philippus, who was consul in the usual number levied annually. (Liv. ix. 30.)
B. c. 56. On the death of Julius Caesar, she and As there were six tribunes in each legion, the peoher husband tried to dissuade her son from accept- ple by this bill had the election of two-thirds of
ing the inheritance which his great-uncle had left the whole number. Previously they appointed
him. (Plut. Cic. 44; Suet. Oct. 8; Vell. Pat. ii. 60; only six; the remaining eighteen were nominated
Appian, B. C. iii. 10.) She died in the first con- by the consuls. (Comp. Liv. vii. 5.)
sulship of her son, B. c. 43, and was honoured with 3. L. ATILIUS, quaestor in B. c. 21 6, slain at
a public funeral. (Suet. Oct. 61; Dion. Cass. the battle of Cannae in the same year. (Liv.
xlvii. 17.) xxii. 49.)
A'TIA GENS, plebeian. The word is always 4 and 5. M. and C. ATILII, duumviri in B. c.
written on coins with one t; but in manuscripts we 216, dedicated the temple of Concord, which L.
find bothAttius and Aiucs. This gens does not appear Manlius, the praetor, had vowed. (Liv. xxiii. 22.)
to have been of any great antiquity, and none of 6. L. ATILIUS, commander of the Roman garits members ever attained the consulship; but, since risen in Locri, escaped with his troops by sea,
Augustus was connected with it on his mother's when the town was surrendered to Hannibal in
side [ATIA], the flattery of the poets derived its B. c. 215. (Liv. xxiv. 1.)
origin from Atys, the son of Alba, and father of 7. L. ATILIUS, praetor B. c. 197, obtained SarCapys. (Virg. Aen. v. 568.) The cognomens of dinia as his province. (Liv. xxxii. 27, 28.)
the Atii are BALBus, LABIENUS, RUFUS, VARUS: 8. L. ATILIUS, served in the fleet of Cn. Octafor those who have no cognomens, see ATIus. vius, who was sent by the consul Paullus to
The only cognomens which occur on coins are Samothrace in B. c. 168, to demand Perseus, who
Balbus and Labienus. (Eckhel, v. p. 145.) had taken refuge there. Atilius addressed the
ATI'DIUS GE'MINUS. [GEMINUS.] Samothracian assembly in support of this demand.
ATILIA GENS, patrician and plebeian. On (Liv. xlv. 5.)
coins the name always occurs with only one 1, but 9. L. ATILIUs, the jurist. See below.
in MSS. usually with two. The cognomens of the 10. ATILIUS, one of the libertini, built an amAtilii under the republic are, BULBus, CALATINUS, phitheatre at Fidenae in the reign of Tiberius, A. D.
LONGUS, REGULUS, SERRANUS; and of these the 27; but in consequence of the slight and careless
Longi were undoubtedly patricians. (Dionys. xi. manner in which it was built, it fell down through
61.) The first member of this gens who obtained the weight of the spectators, and upwards of
the consulship was M. Atilius Regulus, in B. c. 20,000 persons perished, according to Suetonius
335; and the Fasti contain several consuls of this (Tib. 40), and as many as 50,000, according to
name under the emperors. The only cognomen Tacitus, were either injured or destroyed. Atilius
found on coins is Saranus, which appears to be the was banished in consequence. (Tac. Ann. iv. 62,
same as Serranus. (Eckhel, v. p. 146.) For those 63.)
Atilii who have no cognomen, see ATILIUS. L. ATI'LIUS, a Roman jurist, who probably
The annexed coin of the Atilia Gens represents lived in the middle of the sixth century of the city.
on the obverse the head of Pallas winged, and on By Pomponius (Dig. 1. tit. 2. s. 2. ~ 38) he is
the reverse the Dioscuri, with the inscription M. called Publius Atilius, and in some manuscripts of
ATILr. and underneath RoMA. Cicero (Amic. c. 2), Acilius, not Atilius. He was
among the earliest of the jurisconsults, after Coruncanius, who gave public instruction in law, and he
was remarkable for his science in p'ofitendo. He
____ was the first Roman who was called by the people
S Sapiens, although, before his time, the jurist P.
Sempronius (who was consul B. c. 304) had aco- Aquired the cognomen Sophus, less expressive to
Latin ears. Sapiens was afterwards a title freATILICI'NUS, a Roman jurist, who probably quently given to jurists. (Gell. iv. 1.) He wrote
lived about the middle of the first century of the Commentaries on the laws of the Twelve Tables.
Christian era. He seems to have been attached to (Cic. de Leg. ii. 23; Heinec. Hist. Jur. Rom. ~
the sect of Proculus (Heinec. Hist. Jur. Rom. 125.) [J. T. G.]
~ 230), to whom he addressed a letter, which is M. ATILIUS, one of the early Roman poets,
contained in the Digest in an extract from Proculus. is classed among the comic poets of Rome by Vulg
(Dig. 23. tit. 4. s. 17.) He is several times referred catius Sedigitus, who assigns him the fifth place
to in the Digest, and is also cited in the Institutes among them in order of merit. (Ap. Gell. xv.
(2. tit. 14, pr.) as an authority; but there is no 24.) But as Atilius translated into Latin the
direct extract from him, and the names of his works Electra of Sophocles (Cic. de Fin. L 2; comp. Suet.
have not been preserved, though Bach (Hist. Jur. Caes. 84), it would appear that he wrote tragedies
Rom. p. 411) seems to infer from Dig. 12. tit. 4. as well as comedies. The latter, however, may
s. 7. pr., that he published responsc. [J. T. G.] have been both superior to, and more numerous