Quintus Hortensius
Little is known about the life of Hortensia aside from her career as an orator. She was the daughter of Quintus Hortensius (114-50 BC) apparently by his first wife Lutatia. Her father was well-known among Romans due to his moving sermons on history and law and from his rivalry with his fellow orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. As a member of the aristocracy, Hortensia grew up in a wealthy household, and thus had access to Greek and Latin literature from a young age. She later concentrated on the study of rhetoric by reading speeches by the likes of her father and prominent Greek orators.