Editing Catiline (section)

===Family background===
Catiline was a member of an ancient [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] family, the [[Sergia gens|gens Sergia]], who claimed descent from [[Sergestus]], a Trojan companion of Aeneas.{{sfn|Berry|2020|p=10}} While Sallust says he was one of the ''[[nobiles]]'',{{sfn|Sall. ''Cat.''|loc=5.1}} which implies a consular heritage,{{sfn|Badian|2012a}} the specifics are unclear: no member of the gens Sergia had held the consulship since the second consulship of Gnaeus Sergius Fidenas Coxo in 429&nbsp;BC; a few other Sergii had served in the [[consular tribunes|consular tribunate]], but the last was in 380&nbsp;BC.<ref>See ''[https://romanrepublic.ac.uk/person/?nomen=Sergius Digital Prosopography of the Roman Republic]'' s.v. "Sergius".</ref>

The exact year of Catiline's birth is unknown. From the offices he held it can be deduced that he was born no later than 108&nbsp;BC, or 106&nbsp;BC if patricians enjoyed a right to hold magistracies two years earlier than plebeians.{{sfn|Berry|2020|p=10}} Catiline's parents were Lucius Sergius Silus and Belliena.{{sfn|Zmeskal|2009|p=61}} His father was poor by the standards of the [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Münzer |first=Friedrich |title=Sergius 39 |encyclopedia=Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft |volume=II A,2 |year=1927 |publisher=Butcher |location=Stuttgart |at=col. 1719 |url=https://elexikon.ch/meyers/RE/IIA,2_1721.png |language=de}}</ref> His maternal uncle had served as [[praetor]] in 105&nbsp;BC; earlier, Catiline's great-grandfather – [[Marcus Sergius Silus]] – had served with distinction as praetor in 197&nbsp;BC during the [[Second Punic War]].{{sfn|Berry|2020|pp=10–11}}