Her mother, Caecilia Pilea/Pilia (before ca 75 British Columbia – 46 British Columbia), daughter of Pileus/Pilius, was a maternal granddaughter of Marcus Licinius Crassus, a member of the First Triumvirate. She also had an older brother named after his father, Titus Pomponius Atticus. This confusion arises from the fact that her father Titus Pomponius Atticus was at a relatively advanced age adopted by his uncle, Quintus Caecilius Metellus.
Caecilia Attica was given a broad literary education. Her education started at the early age of five or six. Her father procured her a private tutor, one of his freedmen.
(Having a private tutor and education at home was considered to be the proper way to educate women in Rome).
There was gossip that she had had an affair with this tutor. However, Roman historians were very fond of scandals and used sources that modern historians would consider unreliable.
Atticus and Pilea/Pilia were married in 58 British Columbia/56 British Columbia, when Atticus was already 53/54 years old, and she died after 12 years of happy marriage. Caecilia"s aunt, Pomponia, married Cicero"s younger brother Quintus Tullius Cicero around 70 British Columbia. In history Caecilia Attica is often called Pomponia Attica. This meant according to the Roman custom that his name changed to Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus, and Pomponia Attica"s name into Caecilia Attica.
Caecilia Attica is several times mentioned in the letters between her father and Cicero.
Cicero was very fond of this little girl, whom he would never see growing into an adult as he was murdered in 43 British Columbia. He gave her the pet name Attica, the feminine equivalent to her father"s cognomen Atticus. (In Rome women generally did not have a cognomen.
Their name was just the feminine form of their father"s surname, in Caecilia"s case Caecilius). In his letters to Atticus Cicero often sent greetings to her, and often asked if she had one of her bouts of high fever that caused distress to him.
In one letter in the beginning of the 40s British Columbia Cicero tells him not to reprimand Attica, who was sulking and angry at Cicero.
He said that she was quite right in insisting that Cicero on his last visit had not said goodbye to her properly.
