Septimius is noticeably darker skinned than his wife reflecting his African origins. Julia Domna (160-217 CE) was a Syrian-born Roman empress during the reign of her husband, Roman emperor Septimius Severus (r. April 193 - February 211 CE). In 193 CE, an opportunity arose for Severus to fulfill this prophecy. This would make him a more legitimate candidate for emperor than was Macrinus. Several medallions for Domna were issued by Severus as early as 207, on the reverses of which is "Vesta Mater" (Mother Vesta), which, according to Molly M. Lindner, "could refer to an invocation to Vesta during prayers and supplications that the Vestal Virgins made whenever they prayed publicly".

[35] Her sister, Julia Maesa restored the Severan dynasty in 218;[36][37] the dynasty ruled again until 235 (when the Crisis of the Third Century, a fifty-year period of Roman civil war, commenced). He met Gaius Julius Bassianus, Julia’s father and high priest of the Temple of the Sun, who introduced him to his youngest, unmarried daughter. "Julia Domna: Two Portraits in Bronze.

The Four Roman Julias: Powerful Women of Imperial Rome. All content copyright © 1995–2020 Livius.org. She was also the mother of the emperors Geta (r. 209-211 CE) and Caracalla (r. 198-217 CE, sole ruler 211-217 CE), whom she persuaded to accept joint rule after Severus’ death, per the latter’s wishes. When Septimius Severus became emperor in 193, Julia Domna invited her sister, Julia Maesa, to come to Rome. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s.
Julia Maesa forced her grandson Elagabalus to adopt his nephew, Alexander, as his son and heir, and Elagabalus was then murdered in 222. As empress, Julia was often involved in intrigues and had plenty of political enemies who accused her of treason and adultery. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Known for: one of the four Severan Julias or Roman Julias; niece of Julia Domna, daughter of Julia Maesa and sister of Julia Mamaea; mother of Roman emperor Elagabalus. Possessing superior diplomacy and propaganda skills, and positioned nearer to Rome than the others as governor of a German province, Severus marched on Rome and was recognized by the Senate as emperor, closing a sequence which is now known as the Year of the Five Emperors. Empress Julia Domna instructed the writer Philostratus to write a biography of Apollonius, and it is speculated that her motive for doing so stemmed from her desire to counteract the influence of Christianity on Roman civilization. Caracalla was murdered on that campaign, and when Julia Domna heard that Macrinus had become the emperor, she committed suicide. Elagabalus gave his mother the title "Augusta avia Augustus." Julia Domna was Syrian – from a town close to Laodicaea ad Mare, no less – which would inevitably lead to greater prestige for Syria and all of its cities should he gain power. 09 Oct 2020. Julia Domna often went with her husband on military campaigns. Unlike her mother and aunt, both of whom were deified on their deaths, Julia Soaemias' name was erased from public records, and she was declared an enemy of Rome. She received titles such as "Mother of the Invincible Camps". Julia was from a Syrian family, thought to be of Arab descent, of the city of Emesa (Homs today). His behavior in fighting enemies led to a rebellion, with dire consequences for both Julia and Alexander. However, the two young men had a discordant relationship,[27] and Geta was murdered by Caracalla's soldiers in December of the same year. Bronze statue of Julia Mamaea, sister of Julia Soaemias. Before her marriage, Domna inherited the estate of her paternal great-uncle Julius Agrippa, a former leading centurion. According to Cassius Dio, Geta died in Julia’s arms, and Julia herself was so thoroughly covered in Geta’s blood that she failed to notice that she had sustained a wound to her hand in the attack. [32] Domna chose to commit suicide after hearing about the rebellion,[33][34] perhaps a decision hastened by the fact that she was suffering from breast cancer, as well as a reluctance to return to private life. Domna accompanied Caracalla to Antioch, where she established her chancery while he advanced to the frontier. Cast sculpture of head of Roman empress Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, sister of Julia Maesa. Later, however, both her bones and those of Geta were transferred by Maesa to the Mausoleum of Hadrian. [7] Her name, Domna, is an archaic Arabic word meaning "black"[8][9], referencing the nature of Elagabal which took the form of a black stone. Julia Domna exerted influence over her son Caracalla during his rule as emperor. Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and mother of Emperors Geta and Caracalla, Julia was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire. It will be expanded to a full-fledged article. After Severus’ death, the murderous rancour of her two sons, the joint emperors Caracalla and Geta, culminated in the assassination of Geta by Caracalla in her presence (212), an act she was helpless to prevent. Cassius Dio; Foster, Herbert Brown (translator). ", H.W. Bronze medallion with portraits of Alexander Severus and his mother Julia Avita Mamaea, Roman coins, 3rd century AD. The four Roman Julias: they were four women named Julia, all descended from Bassianus, who was the high priest of Emesa's patron god, the sun god Heliogabalus or Elagabal.
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Review of Julia Langford, Maternal Megalomania. The Praetorian Guard, chafing at the discipline instilled by new emperor Pertinax (r. 193 CE), assassinated him, and then auctioned off the imperial throne to the highest bidder, a senator named Julianus (r. 193 CE). Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and mother of Emperors Geta and Caracalla, Julia was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire. Julia Domna, (died 217), second wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (reigned 193–211) and a powerful figure in the regime of his successor, the emperor Caracalla. Ancient History Encyclopedia. It was at the behest of Julia that Philostratus wrote his now famous Life of Apollonius, which comes to us in full form almost two thousand years later.

When Septimius Severus, husband of her maternal aunt, was killed while at war in Britain, Macrinus became the emperor, and Julia Soaemias and her family returned to Syria.

Julia was a Syrian (Domna being her Syrian name) and was the daughter of the hereditary high priest Bassianus at Emesa (present-day Ḥimṣ) in Syria and elder sister of Julia Maesa. After Julia Soaemias married another Syrian, Sextus Varius Marcellus, they lived in Rome and had a number of children, including a son, Varius Avitus Bassianus. Alexander fought attempts of the Parthian ruler to take back territory that Rome had annexed, but alexander failed, and was seen in Rome as a coward. There is only circumstantial evidence for her presence in Germany, but she was certainly at court in Nicomedia, and later resided at Antioch in 216 (see § Death, below). Julia Domna (160-217 CE) was a Syrian-born Roman empress during the reign of her husband, Roman emperor Septimius Severus (r. April 193 - February 211 CE). She was also the mother of the emperors Geta (r. 209-211 CE) and Caracalla (r. 198-217 CE, sole ruler 211-217 CE), whom she persuaded to accept joint rule after Severus’ death, per the latter’s wishes. According to Hiesinger, many inscriptions in Syria relating to Julia can be dated to this year. [19] As worded by Barbara Levick, Domna "was to exceed all other empresses in the number and variety of her official titles. The family had enormous wealth and was promoted to Roman senatorial aristocracy.


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