Vipsania (likely born between 36 and 28 BC and sometimes called Vipsania Attica to
differentiate her from her sisters) was an ancient Roman noblewoman of the first century BC. She was married to the orator
Quintus Haterius and was likely the 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 build ...
and his first wife
Pomponia Caecilia Attica.
History
Early life
Vipsania is never directly referenced in surviving ancient Roman writing, but her existence can be inferred by her son's name,
Decimus Haterius Agrippa Decimus may refer to:
Romen praenomen
* Decimus (praenomen)
* Decimus Carfulenus (died 43 BC), Roman statesman
* Decimus Haterius Agrippa (died 32 AD), consul in 22 AD
* Decimus Junius Brutus (consul 77 BC)
* Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus (� ...
, and his age. She has often been assumed to have been a daughter by her father's second wife
Claudia Marcella Major, but Ronald Syme has rejected this theory, feeling that Decimus Agrippa was too old to have been the son of one of Marcella's daughters, thus she must have been born to Pomponia, her father's first wife. Syme has also argued that it is unlikely that a man of Haterius' stature would have been allowed to be honoured to the degree of marrying a grand-niece of
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 Pr ...
.
[ There are also those like Sabina Tariverdieva who believe that Haterius wife was actually a sister of Agrippa, possibly his sister Vipsania Polla.
There has been some disagreement as to whether Vipsania was older or younger than her full sister Vipsania Agrippina (the wife of 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 ...
). If she was older, then her full name would possibly have been ''Vipsania Agrippina Major'' and if she was younger, ''Vipsania Agrippina Minor''. Besides her full sister she also had several half siblings, Vipsania Marcella Major and Vipsania Marcella Minor from her father's second marriage, and 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, ...
, 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) an ...
, Vipsania Julia 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 ...
(the daughter 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 Pr ...
).
Marriage
By the time of Vipsania's marriage to Haterius he was far older than her and a ''novus homo
''Novus homo'' or ''homo novus'' (Latin for 'new man'; ''novi homines'' or ''homines novi'') was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul. When ...
'' (meaning that no other man in his family had ever been a consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
before him). Their son was likely born around 13 BC.
Cultural depictions
Vipsania and her husband may be depicted in the Ara Pacis
The Ara Pacis Augustae ( Latin, "Altar of Augustan Peace"; commonly shortened to Ara Pacis) is an altar in Rome dedicated to Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 BC to honour the retu ...
.
See also
* List of Roman women
The list below includes Roman women who were notable for their family connections, or their sons or husbands, or their own actions. In the earlier periods, women came to the attention of (later) historians either as poisoners of their husbands ( ...
* Women in ancient Rome
Freeborn women in ancient Rome were Roman citizenship, citizens (''cives''), but could not vote or hold Roman magistrate, political office. Because of their limited public role, women are named less frequently than men by Roman historiography, Ro ...
* Vipsania Marcella (disambiguation)
References
{{Reflist
Children of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
1st-century BC Roman women
1st-century BC Romans
1st-century Roman women
Vipsanii