Quintilia (1st century) was an Ancient Roman stage performer (mime dancer and actress). She was a famed beauty during the reign of

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 ...

. She was the lover of the senator Pompedius. The rival of Pompedius, senator Timidius, reported Pompedius to Caligula and claimed that Quintilia had knowledge of a plot against Caligula. Caligula had Quintilia arrested and severely tortured. She revealed nothing, and was finally released and financially compensated by Caligula. Her loyalty toward Pompedius was praised as a role model by

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

and

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

in a rare instance when a stage performer, a profession with a very low status at that time, was praised as a role model.Jan Sewell, Clare Smout,
The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Women on Stage
'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quintilia Ancient actresses 1st-century Roman women Ancient Roman actors Ancient Roman theatre practitioners Caligula Ancient Roman dancers Quinctilii