Gaius Octavius

Gaius Octavius ( – 59 BC) was a Roman politician. He was an ancestor to the Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was the father of the emperor Augustus, step-grandfather of the emperor Tiberius, great-grandfather of the emperor Claudius, and great-great grandfather of the emperors Caligula and Nero. Hailing from Velitrae, he was a descendant of an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebeian gens Octavia. Not being of senatorial rank, he was a novus homo ("new man") at Rome. His grandfather, Gaius Octavius, fought as a military tribune in Sicily during the Second Punic War. His father, Gaius Octavius, was a municipal magistrate who lived to an advanced age. Personal life Octavius' first wife was named Ancharia. The two had a child named Octavia the Elder. It is not known how the marriage ended, although it is possible that Ancharia died during child birth. Octavius later married the niece of Julius Caesar, Atia. How they met is not known, although Atia's family on her father's side (the Atii Balbi) lived close to Velitrae, which was the ancestral home of the Octavii. They had two children: Octavia the Younger (b. 69 BC) and Gaius Octavius (b. 63 BC), who became Roman Emperor Augustus. Political career Some time before 73 BC, he had served as military tribune. He may have been elected quaestor some time around 73 BC and later plebeian aedile around 64 BC. His first clearly noted office was that of praetor in 61 BC.