Julia Livilla ( – ) was the youngest child of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

and

Agrippina the Elder Agrippina "the Elder" (also, in Latin, , "Germanicus's Agrippina"; – AD 33) was a prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (a close supporter of the first Roman emperor, Augustus) and ...

and the youngest sister of the Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

Life

Julia Livilla was the youngest great-granddaughter of Emperor

Augustus 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 ...

, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter of the Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

, sister of the Emperor

, niece of the Emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, and through her eldest sister

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claud ...

, maternal aunt of the Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

. In most ancient literary sources, on inscriptions and on coins, she is simply called "Julia". It is possible that she dropped the use of her

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

after the ''

damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Depending on the extent, it can be a case of historical negationism. There are and have been many routes to , includi ...

'' of her paternal aunt

Livilla Claudia Livia (Classical Latin: CLAVDIA•LIVIA; c. 13 BC – AD 31) was the only daughter of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor and sister to Roman Emperor Claudius and general Germanicus, and thus paternal aunt of emperor Caligula and ...

(sister of

and

) after whom she was named. However, on her sepulchral inscription, she is explicitly named "Livilla, daughter of Germanicus", which suggests that in her time she was called either "Julia" or "Livilla". She was born on

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

, one of the many

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

during her parents' grand tour of the eastern Mediterranean, leading Germanicus to his command base in the imperial province of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

for the ''maius imperium'' given to him by

over the territory east of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. As a young child, she was with her mother and brother

when they returned to

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 ...

after Germanicus' untimely death in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

in 19 CE. Julia Livilla grew up in the household of her great-grandmother

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

and later under the care of her paternal grandmother

Antonia Minor Antonia Minor (31 January 36 BC - 1 May 37 AD) was the younger of two surviving daughters of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was a niece of the Emperor Augustus, sister-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal grandmother of the Emperor Calig ...

. She was first betrothed to a distant cousin,

Quinctilius Varus Publius Quinctilius Varus ( Cremona, 46 BC – Teutoburg Forest, AD 9) was a Roman general and politician under the first Roman emperor Augustus. Varus is generally remembered for having lost three Roman legions when ambushed by Germanic tribes ...

, son of the ill-fated governor of Germania,

Publius Quinctilius Varus Publius Quinctilius Varus (Cremona, 46 BC – Teutoburg Forest, AD 9) was a Roman general and politician under the first Roman emperor Augustus. Varus is generally remembered for having lost three Roman legions when ambushed by Germanic tribes l ...

, and of

Claudia Pulchra Claudia Pulchra (14 BCAD 26) (''PIR2'' C 1116) was a Patrician woman of Ancient Rome who lived during the reigns of the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius. Biography Early life She was a daughter of Claudia Marcella Minor and the Roman consu ...

, grandniece of

, but after Quinctillius was charged of '' maiestas'' in 27, the marriage did not occur. In 33, she married Marcus Vinicius. Vinicius' family came from a small town outside of Rome. He descended from a family of the ''

equites The ''equites'' (; literally "horse-" or "cavalrymen", though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian o ...

'' class and his father and grandfather had served as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

s. Her husband was mild in character and was an elaborate

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...

. Vinicius was appointed by Tiberius as a commissioner in early 37. He was also consul in 30 and proconsul of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

in 38/39. According to an inscription, Julia Livilla may have accompanied her husband in Asia during his proconsulship. During the first years of Caligula's reign, Livilla, along with her elder sisters

and

Julia Drusilla Julia Drusilla (16 September AD 16 – 10 June AD 38) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, wh ...

, received considerable honours and striking privileges, such as the rights of the

Vestal Virgin 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 ...

s (like the freedom to view public games from the upper seats in the stadium), the inclusion of her name in the oath of loyalty to the emperor and her depiction on coins. Although seeming to experience an eventful and privileged court life, she was under full control of her brother, and, according to Suetonius, she, along with Agrippina, was prostituted by her brother to his

catamite In Homosexuality in ancient Greece, ancient Greece and Homosexuality in ancient Rome, Rome, a catamite (Latin: ''catamitus'') was a Puberty, pubescent boy who was the intimate companion of an older male, usually in a pederastic relationship. ...

s. Ancient writers even report gossip of incestuous relationships between Caligula and his sisters, including Livilla. In 39, Livilla was involved in an unsuccessful conspiracy (led perhaps by Agrippina) to overthrow

and to replace him by his brother-in-law Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (Drusilla's widower, but also lover of Agrippina and Livilla). Livilla and her sister

were banished to the

Pontine Islands The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Lazio region, Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipe ...

(they were most likely separated in their exile and each one sent to a different island). After the deaths of

, his fourth wife

Milonia Caesonia Milonia Caesonia (died AD 41) was Roman empress as the fourth and last wife of the emperor Caligula from their marriage in AD 39 until they were both assassinated in 41. Life Early life The daughter of Vistilia, Milonia was born toward the beg ...

, and their daughter

, she returned from exile on the orders of the new emperor, Livilla's paternal uncle

. Later in 41, she fell out of favour with

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

(Claudius's third wife) and was charged by her paternal uncle Claudius for having adultery with

Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (; 65 AD), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. Seneca was born in ...

. Both were exiled. She was most likely sent to

Ventotene Ventotene (; locally ; la, Pandataria or , from grc, Πανδατερία, Pandatería, or ) is one of the Pontine Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Gaeta right at the border between Lazio and Campania, Italy. The municipality of ...

.Barrett, ''Agrippina'', p. 82. Political considerations may have played a role in Julia Livilla's fate, more than just moral or domestic preoccupations as inferred in the ancient sources. In late 41 or early 42, her uncle ordered her execution, apparently by

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

, without a defense and on unsupported charges. She was executed around the same time as her cousin

Julia Livia Julia Livia (7 – 43 AD), was the daughter of Drusus Julius Caesar and Livilla, and granddaughter of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. She was also a first cousin of the emperor Caligula, and niece of the emperor Claudius. Biography Early life Julia ...

, the daughter of her aunt Livilla. Her remains were later brought back to Rome, probably when Agrippina became Empress; they were laid to rest in the

Mausoleum of Augustus The Mausoleum of Augustus ( it, Mausoleo di Augusto, italic=no) is a large tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy. The mausoleum is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, near the corner with Via ...

. The sepulchral inscription found on her

cippus A (plural: ''cippi''; "pointed pole") is a low, round or rectangular pedestal set up by the Ancient Romans for purposes such as a milestone or a boundary post. They were also used for somewhat differing purposes by the Etruscans and Carthaginians ...

reads: "Livilla, daughter of Germanicus, lies here" (''LIVILLA GERMANICI CAESARIS FILIA HIC SITA EST''). A rich and precious vase found near this cippus is believed to have contained Livilla's ashes.Massi, Compendious, p. 45.

Cultural depictions

*In ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Roma ...

'' and ''Claudius the God'', the novels by

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

, Livilla is called 'Lesbia', a name alluding to the island where she was born. She was almost omitted from the television adaptation, there was just a brief mention of Caligula having three sisters at one point, and another brief mention of two sisters just before his assassination. * In the 1968 British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

series '' The Caesars'' Julia Livilla was portrayed by Jenny White. * In the 2019 ''

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

'' season 3: Caligula: The Mad Emperor, Julia Livilla was played by New Zealand actress

Molly Leishman Molly Leishman is a New Zealand actress, known for her regular appearances from 2013–2014 as Isabella Kingston in New Zealand comedy-drama television series '' Agent Anna '', for her lead role in three seasons of TVNZ's ''The Cul De Sac'' and ...

Ancestry

References

Citations

Bibliography

* E. Groag, A. Stein, L. Petersen - e.a. (ed.), ''Prosopographia Imperii Romani saeculi I, II et III'', Berlin, 1933 * Raepsaet-Charlier M.-Th., ''Prosopographie des femmes de l'ordre sénatorial (Ier-IIe siècles),'' 2 vol., Louvain, 1987, 633 ff. * Barrett, Anthony A., ''Agrippina: Sex, Power and Politics in the Early Roman Empire.'' Yale University Press, New Haven, 1996. * Levick, Barbara, ''Claudius''. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1990. * Massi, Ercole G., ''Compendious description of the museums of ancient sculpture Greek and roman in the Vatican palace.'' Printing Establishment Morin, Rome, 1882. * Rose, Charles Brian, ''Dynastic Commemoration and Imperial Portraiture in the Julio-Claudian Period.'' Cambridge, 1997. * Wood, Susan, ''Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula'', American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 99, No. 3. (Jul., 1995), pp. 457–482. {{DEFAULTSORT:Livilla, Julia 1st-century Roman women 18 births 40s deaths Burials at the Mausoleum of Augustus Children of Germanicus Deaths by starvation Incest Julii Caesares Julio-Claudian dynasty People from Lesbos

Life

Cultural depictions

Ancestry

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography