Julia, or possibly Ilia (c. 129 BC – c. 104 BC), was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
noblewoman who was the first wife of
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force.
Sulla had ...
, later a
Roman dictator
A Roman dictator was an extraordinary Roman magistrate, magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the other ...
.
Biography
Little is known of her life and sources are confused as to whether her name was ''
Julia
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g. ...
'' or ''Ilia''. There is no satisfactory identification for her. If Julia is correct, she could have been a daughter of Lucius Julius Caesar and Popillia, therefore a sister of future consul
Lucius Julius Caesar and
Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo
Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo "Vopiscus" (c. 131 – 87 BC) was the younger son of Lucius Julius Caesar and his wife Popillia, and younger brother of Lucius Julius Caesar, consul in 90 BC. His cognomen 'Strabo' indicates he was possibly cross-eyed, ...
.
[Keaveney, p. 8.] It is also possible that she was a daughter of Gaius Julius Caesar (grandfather of Caesar). Around 110 BC, while both were young, Julia married Sulla. A marital connection to the
Julii Caesares
The Julii Caesares were the most illustrious family of the patrician ''gens Julia''. The family first appears in history during the Second Punic War, when Sextus Julius Caesar was praetor in Sicily. His son, Sextus Julius Caesar, obtained th ...
may have served Sulla in his political life, as when he was chosen to serve under
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...
in the
Jugurthine War
The Jugurthine War ( la, Bellum Iugurthinum; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and king Jugurtha of Numidia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopted ...
.
[Keaveney, p. 8, 13-14.] Julia and Sulla had a daughter,
Cornelia, who later was active in Roman society. Julia apparently died young, and Sulla married his second wife,
Aelia.
[
]
Cultural depictions
In the historical novel, ''The First Man in Rome
''The First Man in Rome'' is a 1990 historical novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough, and the first in her ''Masters of Rome'' series.
The cast includes most of the major historical figures of the late Roman Republic, including Gaius Mar ...
'' by Colleen McCullough
Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being ''The Thorn Birds'' and ''The Ladies of Missalonghi''.
Life
...
she is a character called Julilla who is portrayed as the younger sister of the Julia, the wife of Marius, her husband's mortal enemy. Julilla commits suicide after learning of the relationship between her husband Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force.
Sulla had ...
and the actor Metrobius Metrobius ( grc, Μητρόβιος; lived 1st century BC) was an actor and apparently a talented singer, in the Roman Republic, he was said to be the lover of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, the famed general and dictator. Metrobius is mentioned twi ...
.
See also
*Julia gens
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician (ancient Rome), patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Roman Republic, Republic ...
*Julii Caesares
The Julii Caesares were the most illustrious family of the patrician ''gens Julia''. The family first appears in history during the Second Punic War, when Sextus Julius Caesar was praetor in Sicily. His son, Sextus Julius Caesar, obtained th ...
*Rhea Silvia
Rhea (or Rea) Silvia (), also known as Ilia (as well as other names) was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Her story is told in the first book of ''Ab Urbe Condita Libri'' of Livy and in Cassius D ...
, also called ''Ilia''
References
Citations
Bibliography
*Keaveney, Arthur, ''Sulla: The Last Republican'', Routledge; 2 edition (June 23, 2005). .
{{Sulla
120s BC births
100s BC deaths
Deaths in childbirth
Julii
Wives of Sulla