Flavia Domitilla Major was the wife of the Roman Emperor

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

and mother of the emperors

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

and

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

.Suetonius: ''Divus Vespasianus'', 3
/ref> She died before her husband became emperor in 69 AD. After her death she is thought to have been deified by the name Diva Domitilla.

Life

Flavia Domitilla was born in

Sabratha Sabratha ( ar, صبراتة, Ṣabrāta; also ''Sabratah'', ''Siburata''), in the Zawiya DistrictAugustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

. She was the daughter of Flavius Liberalis, a humble

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

’s clerk from

Ferentium Ferentium was a town of ancient Etruria, situated near the modern city of Viterbo in the northern part of the Roman province of Latium, now in modern Lazio. The city was also known as ''Ferentinum'', ''Ferentum'' or ''Ferentia'', and should not ...

(modern Ferento), a country town in Italy. Before her marriage, she was in residence with Statilius Capella, an equestrian also from Sabratha. Her role in this relationship is characterized by

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

with the term ''delicata'' (''Dom.'' 3)'','' which in this context is taken to mean "the favorite of" Statilius and is commonly used to imply a sexual relationship between the two. Regardless of the exact circumstances surrounding this relationship, the context suggests that Domitilla filled some servile role within the estate of Statilius. In Suetonius she is described as being of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

rank (''Dom''. 3), though in the

Epitome de Caesaribus The ''Epitome de Caesaribus'' is a Latin historical work written at the end of the 4th century. It is a brief account of the reigns of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Theodosius the Great. It is attributed to Aurelius Victor, but was written ...

she is designated as a ''liberta'' (freedwoman) (''Ерit. de Caes.'' X.1). In a case established by her father, Domitilla's status was raised to that of a freeborn Roman citizen through the approval of the arbiters. She and Vespasian likely married between the years of 37-39 AD, during the establishment of Vespasian's senatorial career. In addition to the emperors

and

, Domitilla and Vespasian also had a daughter by the name

Domitilla the Younger Flavia Domitilla the Younger or Flavia Domitilla Minor (c. 45 – c. 66) was the only daughter of the Roman Emperor Vespasian. Biography She was the child of Vespasian and his wife Domitilla the Elder. She was born after her brother Titus a ...

.Suetonius: ''Divus Vespasianus'', 3
/ref>

Death

Both her cause of death and exact date of death are unknown, though Suetonius (''Dom''. 3) states that both she and her daughter,

, passed before Vespasian's acclamation as emperor. After her death she is often identified with the figure Diva Domitilla, a deified woman of the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as ...

; though there is a debate over whether this title belongs to her or to her daughter. Evidence for her as Diva Domitilla is provided mostly through her representations on the coins issued during the reign of her son,

Flavian family tree

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Various Roman coinage of Domitilla the Elder
{{Authority control Flavian dynasty Domitilla Year of death uncertain 1st-century Roman women 1st-century deaths Wives of Roman emperors Year of birth unknown People from Sabratha Vespasian