Sempronia

Sempronia was an Ancient Roman woman of the late Republic who was the wife of Decimus Junius Brutus, the consul of 77 B.C. and step-mother of his son Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus who became one of Julius Caesar's assassins. Biography Early life It has been speculated that she may have been the daughter of Gaius Gracchus, although historian Erich Gruen considers this unlikely. Others instead believes that she was the sister of Fulvia's mother Sempronia, but this is unsure as well. A third option put forward is that she could have been the daughter of Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus, the consul of 129 BC. Adult life Sempronia was described as a distinguished, witty, beautiful, accomplished, and passionate woman, who spoke Greek and Latin. She could sing, play the lyre and dance very well. The historian Sallust states she was extremely fortunate in life, marriage, and children, yet had a profligate character. According to him she had "masculine daring" and involved herself in politics. Without the knowledge or consent of her husband, she participated in the conspiracy of Catiline and allowed the conspirators to meet in her home to plan. Sempronia and women like her represented a "new woman" in Rome, with abilities and interests that would become common for women of Rome in later years, a contrast to classical Roman women like Cornelia who stood for values from the earlier Republican period. She was said to have had many male lovers and Sallust stated that she "sought out men more than she was sought out by them".