Octavia the Younger ( la, Octavia Minor; c. 66 BC – 11 BC) was the elder sister of the first
Roman 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 Pr ...
(known also as Octavian), the half-sister of
Octavia the Elder
Octavia the Elder (died after 29 BC) was the daughter of the Roman governor and senator Gaius Octavius by his first wife, Ancharia. She was the elder half-sister to Octavia the Younger and Roman Emperor Augustus.
Biography Early life
Octavi ...
, and the fourth wife of
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...
. She was also the great-grandmother of the Emperor
Caligula and Empress
Agrippina the Younger, maternal grandmother of the Emperor
Claudius, and paternal great-grandmother and maternal great-great-grandmother 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 unti ...
.
One of the most prominent women in Roman history, Octavia was respected and admired by contemporaries for her loyalty, nobility and humanity, as well as for maintaining traditional Roman feminine virtues.
Life
Childhood
Octavia was born around 66 BC. Full sister to
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 Pr ...
, Octavia was the only daughter born of
Gaius Octavius' second marriage to
Atia, niece of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...
. Octavia was born in
Nola
Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...
, present-day
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
; her father, a Roman governor and senator, died in 59 BC from natural causes. Her mother later remarried, to the consul
Lucius Marcius Philippus. Octavia spent much of her childhood travelling with her parents. Marcius was in charge of educating Octavia and her brother Octavian, later known as Augustus.
First marriage
Some time before 54 BC, her stepfather arranged for her to marry
Gaius Claudius Marcellus. Marcellus was a man of consular rank, a man who was considered worthy of her and was consul in 50 BC. He was also a member of the influential
Claudian family and descended from
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...
, a famous general in the
Second Punic War. In 54 BC, Octavia's great-uncle Julius Caesar is said to have been anxious for her to divorce her husband so that she could marry
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...
, who had just lost his wife
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 ...
(Caesar's daughter, and thus Octavia's cousin once removed). The couple did not want to get a divorce, so instead
Pompey declined the proposal and married
Cornelia Metella
Cornelia Metella ( 73 BC – after 48 BC) was the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica (who was a consul in 52 BC and originally from the gens Cornelia). She appears in numerous literary sources, including an official dedicat ...
. Thus, Octavia's husband continued to oppose Julius Caesar, including in the crucial year of his consulship, 50 BC. Civil war broke out when Caesar invaded Italy from Gaul in 49 BC.
Marcellus, a friend of
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
, was an initial opponent of Julius Caesar when Caesar invaded Italy, but did not take up arms against his wife's great uncle at the
Battle of Pharsalus
The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War fought on 9 August 48 BC near Pharsalus in central Greece. Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the Roman Republic under the command of Pompey. P ...
, and was eventually pardoned by him. In 47 BC he was able to intercede with Caesar for his cousin and namesake, also a former consul, then living in exile. Presumably, Octavia continued to live with her husband from the time of their marriage (she would have been between 12 and 15 when they married) to her husband's death. They had three surviving children:
Claudia Marcella Major,
Claudia Marcella Minor
Claudia Marcella Minor (''PIR2'' C 1103, born some time before 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor Augustus. She was the second surviving daughter of the emperor's sister Octavia the Younger and her first husband Gaius Claudius Marcellu ...
and
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...
. All three were born in Italy. Although according to the anonymous ''Περὶ τοῦ καισαρείου γένους'' Octavia bore Marcellus four sons and four daughters. Her husband Marcellus died in May 40 BC.
Second marriage
By a
Senatorial
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
decree, Octavia married
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...
in October 40 BC, as his fourth wife (his third wife
Fulvia
Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...
having died shortly before). This marriage had to be approved by the Senate, as she was pregnant with her first husband's child, and was a politically motivated attempt to cement the uneasy alliance between her brother Octavian and
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...
; however, Octavia does appear to have been a loyal and faithful wife to Antony. Between 40 and 36 BC, she travelled with Antony to various provinces and lived with him in his
Athenian
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
mansion. There she raised her children by Marcellus as well as Antony's two sons;
Antyllus
Antyllus ( grc, Ἄντυλλος) was a Greek surgeon, who lived in the 2nd century AD in Rome. He is most notable for his method of treatment of aneurysms. He described the types of aneurysms, and created a taxonomy related to the lesions' poten ...
and
Iullus, as well as the two daughters of her marriage to Antony,
Antonia Major
Antonia the Elder. (born August/September 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, being the eldest daughter of Octavia the Younger and her second husband, the Triumvir Mark Antony. She married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and be ...
and
Antonia Minor who were born there.
Breakdown
The alliance was severely tested by Antony's abandonment of Octavia and their children in favor of his former lover Queen
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
of Egypt (Antony and Cleopatra had met in 41 BC, an interaction that resulted in Cleopatra bearing twins,
Alexander Helios, a boy, and
Cleopatra Selene, a girl). After 36 BC, Octavia returned to Rome with the daughters of her second marriage. On several occasions she acted as a political advisor and negotiator between her husband and brother. For example, in the spring of 37 BC, while pregnant with her daughter Antonia Minor, she was considered essential to an arms deal held at Tarentum, in which Antony and Augustus agreed to aid each other in their Parthian and Sicilian campaigns. She had won over her brother's advisers Agrippa and Maecenas and convinced him to renew their aliance. She was hailed as a "marvel of womankind." In 35 BC, after Antony suffered a disastrous campaign in Parthia, she brought fresh troops, provisions, and funds to Athens. There Antony had left a letter for her, instructing her to go no further. Mark Antony divorced Octavia in late 33 BC. In 33, Antony sent men to eject her from his house in Rome. She became sole caretaker of their children, except for Antyllus who was already with his father in the East. After Antony's suicide in 30 BC, her brother executed Antyllus but allowed Octavia to raise Antony's younger son Iullus by Fulvia as well as his children by Cleopatra (the two sons Alexander Helios and
Ptolemy Philadelphus
; egy, Userkanaenre Meryamun Clayton (2006) p. 208
, predecessor = Ptolemy I
, successor = Ptolemy III
, horus = ''ḥwnw-ḳni'Khunuqeni''The brave youth
, nebty = ''wr-pḥtj'Urpekhti''Great of strength
, gol ...
, and one daughter, Cleopatra Selene II).
Later life
In 35 BC, Augustus accorded a number of honours and privileges to Octavia, and Augustus' wife
Livia, previously unheard of for women in Rome. They were granted ''sacrosanctitas,'' meaning it was illegal to verbally insult them. Previously, this had been only granted to tribunes. Livia and Octavia were made immune from ''tutela,'' the male guardianship which all women in Rome except for 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 were required to have. This meant they could freely manage their own finances. Finally, they were the first women in Rome to have statues and portraits displayed en masse in public places. Previously, only one woman, Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi, had been part of the public statues displayed in Rome. In Augustus' rebuilding of Rome as a city of marble, Octavia was featured. In all her representations she wore the "nodus" hairstyle, which at the time was considered conservative and dignified, and worn by women from many classes.
Augustus adored, but never adopted, her son
Marcellus. When Marcellus died of illness in 23 BC unexpectedly, Augustus was thunderstruck, Octavia disconsolate almost beyond recovery.
Aelius Donatus
Aelius Donatus (; fl. mid-fourth century AD) was a Roman grammarian and teacher of rhetoric.
Works
He was the author of a number of professional works, of which several are extant:
*Ars maior – A commentary on Latin grammar.
* Ars minor ...
, in his Life of Vergil, states that
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
recited three whole books f_his_Aeneid.html" ;"title="Aeneid.html" ;"title="f his Aeneid">f his Aeneid">Aeneid.html" ;"title="f his Aeneid">f his Aeneidfor Augustus: the second, fourth, and sixth—this last out of his well-known affection for Octavia, who (being present at the recitation) is said to have fainted at the lines about her son, "… You shall be Marcellus" [''Aen''. 6.884]. Revived only with difficulty, she sent Virgil ten thousand sesterces for each of the verses."
She may have never fully recovered from the death of her son and retired from public life, except on important occasions. The major source that Octavia never recovered is
Seneca
Seneca may refer to:
People and language
* Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname
* Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America
** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people
Places Extrat ...
(''
De Consolatione ad Marciam
Seneca's Consolations refers to Seneca the Younger, Seneca’s three consolatory works, ''De Consolatione ad Marciam'', ''De Consolatione ad Polybium'', ''De Consolatione ad Helviam'', written around 40–45 AD.
Context of the Consolations
Seneca ...
'', II.) but Seneca may wish to show off his rhetorical skill with hyperbole, rather than adhere to fact. Some dispute Seneca's version, as Octavia publicly opened the Library of Marcellus, dedicated in his memory, while her brother completed the
Marcellus's theatre in his honor. Undoubtedly Octavia attended both ceremonies, as well as the Ara Pacis ceremony to welcome her brother's return in 13BC from the provinces. She was also consulted in regard to, and in some versions advised, that Augustus's daughter
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 ...
marry
Agrippa Agrippa may refer to:
People Antiquity
* Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa
* Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century
* Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century
* Agri ...
after her mourning for Marcellus ended. Agrippa had to divorce Octavia's daughter
Claudia Marcella Major in order to marry Julia, so Augustus wanted Octavia's endorsement very much.
Death
Octavia died of natural causes. Suetonius says she died in Augustus' 54th year, thus 11 BC with Roman inclusive counting. Her funeral was a public one, with her sons-in-law (Drusus, Ahenobarbus, Iullus Antony, and possibly Paullus Aemillius Lepidus) carrying her to the grave in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Drusus delivered one funeral oration from the rostra and Augustus gave her the highest posthumous honors (building the Gate of Octavia and
Porticus Octaviae
The Porticus Octaviae (Portico of Octavia; it, Portico di Ottavia) is an ancient structure in Rome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, as well as a library. The structure was used as a fi ...
in her memory).
[Dio 54.35.5] Augustus also had the Roman senate declare his sister to be a goddess. Augustus declined some other honors decreed to her by the senate, for reasons unknown.
She was one of the first Roman women to have coins minted bearing her image; only Antony's previous wife Fulvia pre-empted her.
Issue
;Children with Marcellus
Octavia and her first husband had one son and two daughters who survived to adulthood.
#
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...
#
Claudia Marcella Major
#
Claudia Marcella Minor
Claudia Marcella Minor (''PIR2'' C 1103, born some time before 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor Augustus. She was the second surviving daughter of the emperor's sister Octavia the Younger and her first husband Gaius Claudius Marcellu ...
;Children with Mark Antony
Octavia and Mark Antony had two surviving daughters by their marriage (her second, his fourth), and both were the ancestors of later
Roman emperors.
#
Antonia Major
Antonia the Elder. (born August/September 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, being the eldest daughter of Octavia the Younger and her second husband, the Triumvir Mark Antony. She married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and be ...
: grandmother to 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 unti ...
.
#
Antonia Minor: mother to Emperor
Claudius, grandmother to Emperor
Caligula, and great-grandmother to Emperor Nero.
Descendants
Three
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 lette ...
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
s,
Caligula,
Claudius and
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 unti ...
, were amongst the most famous of her descendants.
*Octavia the Younger
**
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...
(42 BC – 23 BC), no issue
**
Claudia Marcella Major (born 41 BC)
***
Vipsania Marcella Major
***
Vipsania Marcella Minor
***Iullus Antonius (? – ?), issue unknown
***
Lucius Antonius (20 BC – AD 25), issue unknown
***
Iulla Antonia (? – ?), issue unknown
**
Claudia Marcella Minor
Claudia Marcella Minor (''PIR2'' C 1103, born some time before 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor Augustus. She was the second surviving daughter of the emperor's sister Octavia the Younger and her first husband Gaius Claudius Marcellu ...
(born 40 BC)
***
Paullus Aemilius Regulus (? – ?), issue unknown
***
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 ...
(14 BC–26)
***
Marcus Valerius Messala Barbatus
The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of the ...
(11 BC – 20/21)
****
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus (64 BC – AD 8 or c. 12) was a Roman general, author, and patron of literature and art.
Family
Corvinus was the son of the consul in 61 BC, Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger,Syme, R., ''Augustan Aristocracy'', ...
(? – ?), possibly son of
Aurelius Messalinus
****
Valeria 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 reputatio ...
(17 AD or 20 AD – 48 AD)
*****
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia (late 39 or early 40 – June 9, AD 62) was a Roman empress. She was the daughter of the Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina. After her mother's death and father's remarriage to her cousin Agrippina the Younger, she becam ...
(39 AD or 40 AD – 62 AD), no issue
*****
Tiberius Claudius Caesar ''Britannicus'' (41 AD – 55 AD), no issue
***
Valeria Messallia (c. 10 BC – ?)
****
Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola
Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla (c. 10 – aft. 59) was a Roman Senator.
Life
Messalla was ordinary consul in 48 as the colleague of the future emperor Vitellius.
Based on the elements of his ''cognomeni'' Poplicola Messalla, Ronald Sy ...
(c. 10 – after 59)
*****
Gaius Valerius Poplicola (? – ?), issue unknown
****
Gaius Vipstanus Messalla Gallus
(Gaius) Vipstanus Messalla Gallus (c. 10 BC – aft. 60) was a Roman senator.
Life
He was ''consul suffectus'' in the '' nundinium'' of July-December 48 as the colleague of Lucius Vitellius. J. Devrecker has offered the argument that the elem ...
[ Syme, Ronald. ''The Augustan Aristocracy'' (1986), pg. 242] (c. 10 BC – after 60)
*****
Lucius Vipstanus Messalla (c. 45 – c. 80)
******
Lucius Vipstanus Messalla (c. 75 – after 115), according to some authors, this man may be one of Saint
Melania's ancestors.
[Mennen, Inge. ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011), pg. 123-124-125-127.][Settipani, Christian. ''Continuité gentilice et continuité sénatoriale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale'' (2000), pgs. 227-228-229.]
**
Antonia Major
Antonia the Elder. (born August/September 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, being the eldest daughter of Octavia the Younger and her second husband, the Triumvir Mark Antony. She married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and be ...
(39 BC – before 25 AD)
***
Domitia Lepida the Elder (c. 19 BC – 59 AD)
****
Quintus Haterius Antoninus Quintus Haterius Antoninus or known as Antoninus was a Roman senator, who was active during the reign of Claudius and Nero.
Life
He was suffect consul in the year AD 53 as the colleague of Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus.
Antoninus was the only ...
(? – ?)
***
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (17 BC – 40 AD)
****
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus) (37 AD – 68 AD)
*****
Claudia Augusta
Claudia Augusta (; January 63 – April 63) was the only daughter of the Roman Emperor Nero and his second wife, the Roman Empress Poppaea Sabina. Claudia and her mother were honored with the title of Augusta by Nero. She was born in Antium on ...
(January 63 AD – April 63 AD), died young
***
Domitia Lepida the Younger
Domitia Lepida (c. 5 BC – AD 54) was a Roman aristocrat, related to the imperial family. She was mother of Valeria Messalina, wife of the Emperor Claudius. Lepida was a beautiful and influential figure. Like her sister, she was also very wealth ...
(10 BC – 54 AD)
**** Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus (same man as
above), possibly son of
Aurelius Messalinus or
Valerius Barbatus (same man as
above)
**** Valeria Messalina (same woman as
above)
***** ''See her line
above''
****
Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix
Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix (22 – 62 AD) was one of the lesser known figures of the Julio-Claudian dynasty of Ancient Rome.
Life
Felix was the son of Domitia Lepida the Younger and the suffect consul of 31, Faustus Cornelius Sulla Lucullus, a ...
(22 AD – 62 AD)
*****
A son, died young
**
Antonia Minor (36 BC – 37 AD)
***
''Germanicus'' Julius Caesar (15 BC – 19 AD)
****
Nero Julius Caesar Germanicus (6 AD – 30 AD), no issue
****
Drusus Julius Caesar Germanicus (8 AD – 33 AD), no issue
**** Tiberius Julius Caesar Germanicus (born between 7 and 12 AD), died as an infant
**** ''Ignotus'' (born between 7 and 12 AD), died as an infant
**** Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus Major (born between 7 and 12 AD), died in childhood
****
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (''Caligula'') (12 AD – 41 AD)
*****
Julia Drusilla (39 AD – 41 AD), died young
****
Julia ''Agrippina'' (Agrippina Minor) (15 AD – 59)
***** Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus) (same man as
above)
****** ''See his line
above''
****
Julia Drusilla (16 AD – 38 AD), no issue
****
Julia Livilla
Julia Livilla ( – ) was the youngest child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and the youngest sister of the Emperor Caligula.
Life
Julia Livilla was the youngest great-granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, great-niece and adoptive grandd ...
(18 AD – 42 AD), no issue
***
Claudia Livia Julia (Livilla) (13 BC – 31 AD)
****
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
Jul ...
(7 AD – 43 AD)
*****
Gaius Rubellius Plautus (33 AD – 62 AD), had several children
[Their names are unknown, but it is known that all of them were killed by Nero, thus descent from this line is extinct.]
***** Gaius Rubellius Blandus (? – ?), issue unknown
***** Rubellius Drusus (? – ?), issue unknown
****
Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus (19AD – 37 AD or 38 AD), no issue
**** Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus II Gemellus (19 AD – 23 AD), died young
***
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (10 BC – 54 AD)
****
Tiberius Claudius Drusus, died young
****
Claudia Antonia
Claudia Antonia (Classical Latin: ANTONIA•CLAUDII•CAESARIS•FILIA (edd), ''Prosopographia Imperii Romani saeculi I, II et III'', Berlin, 1933 - A 886) (c. AD 30–AD 66) was the daughter and oldest surviving child of the Roman Emperor ...
(c. 30 AD – 66 AD)
***** A son (same individual as
above)
**** Claudia Octavia (same woman as
above)
**** Tiberius Claudius Caesar ''Britannicus'' (same man as
above)
Cultural depictions
A famous anecdote, recorded in the late fourth-century ''
vita'' of
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
by
Aelius Donatus
Aelius Donatus (; fl. mid-fourth century AD) was a Roman grammarian and teacher of rhetoric.
Works
He was the author of a number of professional works, of which several are extant:
*Ars maior – A commentary on Latin grammar.
* Ars minor ...
, in which the poet read the passage in Book VI in praise of Octavia's late son Marcellus and Octavia fainted with grief, has inspired several works of art. The most famous example is
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ...
's 1812 painting ''
Virgil reading The Aeneid before Augustus, Livia and Octavia
''Virgil reading the Aeneid before Augustus, Livia and Octavia'', known in French as '' Tu Marcellus Eris'', is an 1812 painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It is an oil on canvas measuring 304 x 323 cm (120 x 127 in.) and is in the Mus ...
'' but other artists, including
Jean-Joseph Taillasson,
Antonio Zucchi
Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi (1 May 1726 – 1 December 1795) was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassic period.
Life
Zucchi was born in Venice, he studied under his uncle Carlo Zucchi and later Francesco Fontebasso and Jacopo ...
,
Jean-Baptiste Wicar
Jean-Baptiste Wicar (22 January 1762 – 27 February 1834) was a French Neoclassical painter and art collector.
Life
The son of a carpenter, Wicar was born in Lille. He studied drawing at the free school in Lille before further honing his t ...
,
Jean-Bruno Gassies
Jean-Bruno Gassies (1786–1832), a French historical and genre painter, was born at Bordeaux.
He studied under François-André Vincent, Vincent and Pierre Lacour, and died in Paris in 1832. He chiefly executed historical subjects from the Old ...
and
Angelica Kaufmann
Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, ...
, have also been inspired to depict this scene.
Octavia's later life, around the time of the death of Marcellus, is depicted in the 1976 television adaptation of
Robert Graves's novel ''
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 Ro ...
''. The role was played by Angela Morant, and should not be confused with her great-granddaughter
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia (late 39 or early 40 – June 9, AD 62) was a Roman empress. She was the daughter of the Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina. After her mother's death and father's remarriage to her cousin Agrippina the Younger, she becam ...
(also referred to as "Octavia" in the series),
Claudius's daughter and wife of the future 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 unti ...
, who was played by Cheryl Johnson.
In the
1963 film ''Cleopatra'', she is played by
Jean Marsh
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
in an uncredited role.
A highly fictionalized version of Octavia's early life is depicted in the 2005 television series ''
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 ...
'', in which Octavia of the Julii (
Kerry Condon
Kerry Condon (born 9 January 1983) is an Irish actress. She was the youngest actress to play Ophelia in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of ''Hamlet'' (2001–2002). She has since played Octavia of the Julii in ''Rome'' (2005–2007), Sta ...
) seduces and sleeps with her younger brother,
Gaius Octavian, has a lesbian affair with
Servilia of the Junii
This is a list of characters from the HBO series ''Rome''. The historical figures upon which certain characters are based are noted where appropriate.
Main
Recurring
Guest
* (historically, '' Antonia the Elder'' or '' Antonia Minor''), ...
(the series' version of
Servilia) and a romantic relationship with
Marcus Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law, and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of some of the most notable build ...
(based on the historical
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa), none of which has any historical basis.
In the TV series ''
Domina'' (2021), Octavia was played by Alexandra Moloney and
Claire Forlani.
Notes
References
;Sources
*
Further reading
;Life and virtues
Details on Octavia pt 1''"Octavian was much attached to his sister, and she possessed all the charms, accomplishments and virtues likely to fascinate the affections and secure a lasting influence over the mind of a husband. Her beauty was universally allowed to be superior to that of Cleopatra and her virtue was such as to excite even admiration in an age of growing licentiousness and corruption."''
says merely that she was "distinguished for her beauty and her virtue"
;Discussion
Octavia's birth and life discussed brieflyOctavia's marriage discussed briefly
;Family and descendants
;Print sources
*Cluett, Ronald. “Roman women and triumviral politics, 43-37 B.C.” ''Echos du monde classique. Classical views'' 17, no. 1 (1998), 67–84.
*Erhart, K. P. “A new portrait type of Octavia Minor (?).” ''The J. Paul Getty Museum journal'' 8 (1980), 117–28.
*Fischer. ''Fulvia und Octavia: die beiden Ehefrauen des Marcus Antonius in den politischen Kämpfen der Umbruchszeit zwischen Republik und Principat''. Berlin: Logos-Verl., 1999.
*Foubert, Lien. “Vesta and Julio-Claudian women in imperial propaganda.” ''Ancient society'' 45 (2015), 187–204.
*Freisenbruch, Annelise. 2010. ''The First ladies of Rome: the women behind the Caesars''. London: Jonathan Cape.
External links
entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
{{authority control
60s BC births
11 BC deaths
1st-century BC Roman women
1st-century BC Romans
Octavii Rufi
Family of Augustus
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Wives of Mark Antony