Terentia

Terentia (/təˈrɛnʃiə, -ʃə/; 98 BC – 6 AD) was the wife of the renowned orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. She was instrumental in Cicero's political life both as a benefactor and as a fervent activist of his cause.

Family background

Terentia was born into a wealthy plebeian family by the name of Terentius. She may have been a daughter of the Terentii Varrones, who were the most important senatorial branch of that family. This is suggested by the fact that Cicero had a cousin with the cognomen Varro and a friend by the name of Marcus Terentius Varro. This Varro owned a house near Arpinum not far from Cicero's own birthplace. Therefore, if Terentia was indeed the daughter of a Varro, Cicero's links to this family may have influenced his marriage to Terentia.

Terentia had one half-sister named Fabia, who was a Vestal Virgin and the daughter of a patrician named Fabius. If Terentia’s mother married the plebeian Terentius first, then Terentia was the older sister and probably the sole inheritor of her father’s estate. Upon her father's death, Terentia became incredibly wealthy.

Terentia (gens)

Terentius was the name (nomen) of an ancient Roman family (gens). Members of the gens Terentia include:

Male members

Female members

See also

1189 Terentia

1189 Terentia, provisional designation 1930 SG, is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 17, 1930, by Russian astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Crimean Simeiz Observatory. The carbonaceous asteroid, classified as Ch-type in the SMASS taxonomy system, measures about 56 kilometers in diameter.

It was named after Lidiya Terent'eva (1879–1933), female collaborator at the Simeis Observatory.

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