Aconia Fabia Paulina (died c. 384) was an aristocratic Roman woman, the daughter of

Aconius Catullinus Philomatius Aconius Catullinus Philomatius ( 338–349 AD) was a Roman senator who held high state offices under the emperor Constans. Biography Aconius (or Aco) Catullinus was probably a son of the identically-named senator who served as governor of Afri ...

, who was consul in 349. In 344 she married

Vettius Agorius Praetextatus Vettius Agorius Praetextatus (ca. 315 – 384) was a wealthy pagan aristocrat in the 4th-century Roman Empire, and a high priest in the cults of numerous gods. He served as the praetorian prefect at the court of Emperor Valentinian II in 384 until ...

. Paulina was initiated into the

Eleusinian mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries ( el, Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια, Eleusínia Mystḗria) were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Elefsina in ancient Greece. They are the " ...

and was a priestess of

Hecate Hecate or Hekate, , ; grc-dor, Ἑκάτᾱ, Hekátā, ; la, Hecatē or . is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicte ...

and of the

Magna Mater Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible foreru ...

Biography

Paulina was the daughter of

, a prominent aristocrat who held the offices of ''

Praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

'' of Rome in 342-344 and was Consul in 349. In 344, Paulina married

, a prominent exponent of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, an important imperial officer and a member of several pagan circles; Paulina was initiated into the

and to the Lernian mysteries of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

and

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

, was devoted to several female deities, such as

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

(of whom she was

hierophant A hierophant ( grc, ἱεροφάντης) is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed ''holy''. As such, a hierophant is an interpreter of sacred mysteries and wikt:arcane, arcane principles. The word ...

), the

(as a tauroboliata) and

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

. Praetextatus and Paulina owned at least two houses. The first was on the

Esquiline Hill The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

, probably situated between

via Merulana Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...

and viale del Monte Oppio in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where the modern Palazzo Brancaccio stands (). The garden around the palace, the so-called ''Horti Vettiani'', extended to the modern

Roma Termini railway station Roma Termini (in Italian, ''Stazione Termini'') is the main railway station of Rome, Italy. It is named after the district of the same name, which in turn took its name from ancient Baths of Diocletian (in Latin, ''thermae''), which ...

. Archaeological investigations in this area brought out several discoveries related to Praetextatus' family. Among them was the base of a statue dedicated to

Coelia Concordia The gens Coelia, occasionally written Coilia, was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The Coelii are frequently confounded with the Caelii, with some individuals called ''Caelius'' in manuscripts, while they appear as ''Coelius'' or ''Coilius'' o ...

, one of the last

Vestal Virgins In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

, who had erected a statue in honour of Praetextatus after his death (384); in exchange for this honour Paulina dedicated a statue to Concordia. They also had a house on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the sou ...

.Kahlos On the base of the funerary monument to Pratextatus, Paulina had a poem composed by herself inscribed, which celebrated her husband and their love, a poem probably derived by the oration read by Paulina at her husband's funeral. This poem is cited by

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...

in a letter in which he mocks Praetextatus, claiming he was not in paradise but in hell. Paulina died shortly after her husband. Their son or daughter dedicated them a funerary monument with statues in their house..

Notes

Bibliography

Primary sources

* , ,

Secondary sources

* Kahlos, Maijastina
"Paulina and the Death of Praetextatus"
''Arduum res gestas scribere'' * Kahlos, Maijastina, ''Vettius Agorius Praetextatus. A senatorial life in between'', Institutum Romanum Finlandiae, Roma, 2002, (Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae, 26). * Lanciani, Rodolfo

Houghton & Mifflin, Boston e New York, 1898, pp. 169–170. * Stevenson, Jane, ''Women Latin Poets'', Oxford University Press, 2005, , pp. 71–72. * Thayer, Bill

''Lacus Curtius'' {{Authority control 384 deaths 4th-century clergy 4th-century Latin writers 4th-century Roman poets 4th-century Roman women 4th-century women writers Ancient Roman women writers Ancient women poets Late-Roman-era pagans Fabii Priestesses from the Roman Empire Year of birth unknown