Plancia Magna ( el, Πλανκία Μαγνά) was a prominent woman of

Perga Perga or Perge ( Hittite: ''Parha'', el, Πέργη ''Perge'', tr, Perge) was originally an ancient Lycian settlement that later became a Greek city in Pamphylia. It was the capital of the Roman province of Pamphylia Secunda, now located in ...

in the

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 ...

province of

Lycia et Pamphylia Lycia et Pamphylia was the name of a province of the Roman empire, located in southern Anatolia. It was created by the emperor Vespasian (69–79), who merged Lycia and Pamphylia into a single administrative unit. In 43 AD, the emperor Claudius ...

who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries. During her life she was not only a high priestess, but a member of the

decurio ''Decurio'' was an official title in Ancient Rome, used in various connections: * Decurion (administrative), a member of the senatorial order in the Italian towns under the administration of Rome, and later in provincial towns organized on the Ita ...

and a benefactress to the city, funding the restoration of the main city gates between the years AD 119 and 120.

Ancestry, family, and early life

Plancia Magna was the daughter of the

Roman Senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

Marcus Plancius Varus Marcus Plancius Varus was an Anatolian Roman noble who lived in the 1st century in the Roman Empire. His paternal ancestors were originally from Latium in Central Italy. They had immigrated to Anatolia in the time of the late Roman Republic. Varus ...

and the Herodian Princess

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. ...

, daughter of king

Tigranes VI of Armenia Tigranes VI, also known as Tigran VI or Roman citizenship, by his Roman name Gaius Julius Tigranes ( el, Γαίος Ιούλιος Τιγράνης, before 25 – after 68) was a Herodian dynasty, Herodian Prince and served as a Roman Client Kin ...

. Her mother became a priestess and served in the temple of the Ancient Greek Goddess

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

in Perga. Magna married the Roman Senator

Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus was a Roman senator who was active during the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. He is best known as the older friend of Pliny the Younger, with whom Cornutus was suffect consul for the '' nundinium'' of September t ...

suffect consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

in 100 with his friend

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...

. Magna bore Tertullus a son,

Gaius Julius Plancius Varus Cornutus Gaius Julius Plancius Varus Cornutus was a man of Roman Senatorial rank who lived in the Roman Empire in the 2nd century. Cornutus was the son of Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus and Plancia Magna. His paternal grandparents were the Proconsul and ...

Activity in Perga

Plancia Magna is an example of a successful and influential woman from

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. From surviving inscriptions mentioning her and her family, it is understood that they were wealthy and influential citizens in Perga. Due to the generosity of Magna, her father and her brother, they were accepted as the second founders of Perga. They each were given the honorific title of ''Ktistes'' or "Founder". In the reign of Roman Emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

, Plancia Magna funded major civic improvements in Perga. These improvements included restoration of the Hellenistic Gates at Perga, a magnificent structure that was the entrance to the city; a horseshoe-shaped courtyard adorned with a number of statues depicting various members of the imperial family and various Greek and Roman deities. These statues were annotated by a series of inscriptions indicating these were her donations; because

Plotina Pompeia Plotina (died 121/122) was Roman empress from 98 to 117 as the wife of Trajan. She was renowned for her interest in philosophy, and her virtue, dignity and simplicity. She was particularly devoted to the Epicurean philosophical school in ...

is not referred to as ''diva'' these inscriptions should be dated before her death in 122 and after that of

Salonia Matidia Salonia Matidia (4 July 68 – 23 December 119) was the daughter and only child of Ulpia Marciana and wealthy praetor Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus. Her maternal uncle was the Roman emperor Trajan. Trajan had no children and treated her like ...

in 119. Translated from

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 ...

irst two lines :to the genius of the city :Plancia Magna daughter of Marcus Translated from Greek ast two lines :to the fortune of the city :Plancia Magna = IK-54 90 Magna held the title of high-priestess of the temple of the ancient Greek Goddess

in Perga, as well as the high-priestess of the imperial cult and the high-priestess for life of the mother of the gods. Magna was honored by the Boule,

Demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

and

Gerousia The Gerousia (γερουσία) was the council of elders in ancient Sparta. Sometimes called Spartan senate in the literature, it was made up of the two Spartan kings, plus 28 men over the age of sixty, known as gerontes. The Gerousia was a pr ...

of Perga with the honorific title of ''Demiourgos''. The name of person who held this annual title was used to identify the year. Demiourgos was the highest civil servant position in the government of Perga. This title was usually reserved for men and through this title she had sponsored the local games held in Perga. A surviving inscription on a base from a statue erected by the community of Perga, reveals her position in the city: :Plancia Magna :Daughter of Marcus Plancius Varus :and daughter of the city. :Priestess of Artemis :and both first and sole public priestess :of the mother of the gods :for the duration of her life :pious and patriotic. When Magna died she was buried in a tomb which is located to the right of the Hellenistic Gates.

References

External links

Plancia Magna, Aurelia Paulina, and Regilla: Civic Donors
(last visited 24 March 2017)
Plancia Magna Inscription (AE 1965, 210 = IK-54 90)Statue of Plancia Magna
(photo)
Statue of Plancia Magna
(photo)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plancia Magna 1st-century Romans 2nd-century Romans 1st-century Roman women 2nd-century Roman women Priestesses of the Roman Empire 1st-century clergy 2nd-century clergy Herodian dynasty People from Roman Anatolia Plancii

Ancestry, family, and early life

Activity in Perga

References

Further reading

External links