Vipsania (likely born between 28–22 BC and sometimes called Vipsania Marcella to differentiate her from her sisters) was an ancient Roman noblewoman of the first century BC. She was married to the politician

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 was a daughter of Roman general

Marcus Vipsanius 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 buildi ...

and his second wife

Claudia Marcella Major Claudia Marcella Major (''PIR2'' C 1102; born some time before 40 BC) was the senior niece of Roman emperor Augustus, being the eldest daughter of his sister Octavia the Younger and her first husband Gaius Claudius Marcellus. She became the seco ...

(the niece of emperor

Caesar 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 ...

History

Early life

Vipsania was likely born between 28 BC and 22 BC to

and his second wife

, the eldest daughter of emperor Augustus sister

Octavia Minor Octavia the Younger ( la, Octavia Minor; c. 66 BC – 11 BC) was the elder sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus (known also as Octavian), the half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and the fourth wife of Mark Antony. She was also the great-gra ...

. This hypothesis is rebutted by

Meyer Reinhold Meyer Reinhold (September 1, 1909 – July 2002) was an American classical scholar and also a specialist in Jewish studies. He was co-author or editor of 23 books. With his wife Diane he had two children, Helen Reinhold Barrett, later Dean of the ...

who considered that she was the daughter by Agrippa's first wife Pomponia Caecilia Attica. She is thought to have had a younger full sister and two older half sisters ( one who married

Quintus Haterius Quintus Haterius (c. 63 BCAD 26) was a Roman politician and orator born into a senatorial family. Career Haterius was a Populares orator under Augustus, but his style of oration was sometimes criticised. In Seneca's Epistle, "On the Proper Style ...

and another named

Vipsania Agrippina Vipsania Agrippina (; 36 BC – 20 AD) was the first wife of the Roman emperor, Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Caecilia Attica, Pomponia Caecilia Attica, thus a granddaughter of Titus Pomponius Atticus, th ...

who married the future 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 ...

) as well as five younger half-siblings named

Gaius Caesar Gaius Caesar (; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was the grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gai ...

Lucius Caesar Lucius Caesar (17 BC – 20 August AD 2) was a grandson of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. The son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, Augustus' only daughter, Lucius was adopted by his grandfather along with his older brother, ...

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 ...

Vipsania Julia Vipsania Julia Agrippina (19 BC – c. AD 29) nicknamed Julia Minor (Classical Latin: IVLIA•MINOR) and called Julia the Younger by modern historians, was a Roman noblewoman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was emperor Augustus' first grandda ...

and

Agrippa Postumus Marcus Agrippa Postumus (12 BC – AD 14),: "The elder Agrippa died, in the summer of 12 BC, while Julia was pregnant with their fifth child. The boy was very likely born sometime after June 26 of the following year. When his grandfather adopted ...

from her father's third and last marriage to

Julia the Elder Julia the Elder (30 October 39 BC – AD 14), known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia (Classical Latin: IVLIA•CAESARIS•FILIA or IVLIA•AVGVSTI•FILIA), was the daughter and only biological child of August ...

. From her mother she also likely had several younger half siblings, among them Lucius Antonius and

Iulla Antonia Iulla Antonia or Antonia Iulla is thought to be a daughter of Roman consul of 10 BCE Iullus Antonius (son of Mark Antony) and Claudia Marcella Major (niece of emperor Augustus). The only direct evidence of her existence that has been found is a fu ...

Marriage

She likely married Varus around 14 BC. She was his second wife. Their marriage was considered the reason why Varus was selected to be consul in 13 BC with Tiberius. She might have been the mother of

Sextus Nonius Quinctilianus Sextus Nonius Quinctilianus (fl. 1st century AD) was a Roman Senator. He was appointed consul in AD 8 as the colleague of Marcus Furius Camillus. Biography Nonius Quinctilianus was probably the son of Lucius Nonius Asprenas, who was the son of the ...

if he was indeed Varus' son or another son who served with his father in 4 AD. Their marriage did not last much longer than a decade from his consulship, since by then Varus was married to another woman.

Research

Her existence was first discovered to modern historians upon the rediscovery of a papyrus recounting Augustus funeral oration for Agrippa which states that Varus and Tiberius were both sons-in-law to Agrippa.

References

{{Authority control Vipsanii 20s BC births Julio-Claudian dynasty 1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century Roman women 1st-century deaths Children of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa

History

Early life

Marriage

Research

See also

References