Junius Licinius Balbus (ca. 180 - after 238) was a

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 ...

who served as a Suffect Consul.

Family

He is known for being the husband of

Antonia Gordiana Antonia Gordiana (born 201) was a prominent, wealthy and noble Roman woman who lived in the troubled and unstable 3rd century. She was the daughter of Roman Emperor Gordian I; sister to Roman Emperor Gordian II and mother to Roman Emperor Gordia ...

, daughter of

Gordian I Gordian I ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; 158 – April 238 AD) was Roman emperor for 22 days with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, ...

and sister of

Gordian II Gordian II ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; 192 – April 238) was Roman emperor with his father Gordian I in 238 AD, the Year of the Six Emperors. Seeking to overthrow Maximinus Thrax, he died in battle outside Carthage ...

, and being the father of the Roman emperor

Gordian III Gordian III ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus; 20 January 225 – February 244) was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole emperor up to that point (until Valentinian II in 375). Gordian was the son of Anto ...

. Or so the ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the si ...

'' claims; modern historians dismiss this identification of the husband of Antonia Gordian and father of the child emperor. According to the ''Historia Augusta'', Balbus was the son of Junius Licinius Balbus, a man of consular rank and his wife, Servilia the daughter of the Roman nobles Ceionia Plautia, sister of

Lucius Verus Lucius Aurelius Verus (15 December 130 – January/February 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together wit ...

, and Quintus Servilius Pudens. Although Antonia Gordiana married an unnamed Roman Senator, modern historians suspect this connection to the Antonine dynasty to be a

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

fabrication Fabrication may refer to: * Manufacturing, specifically the crafting of individual parts as a solo product or as part of a larger combined product. Processes in arts, crafts and manufacturing * Semiconductor device fabrication, the process used ...

by the anonymous author of the ''Historia Augusta''.

Family tree

References

Sources

* Christian Settipani, ''Continuité gentilice et continuité sénatoriale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale'', 2000 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Romans Junii Licinii Nerva–Antonine dynasty Year of birth uncertain 180s births 3rd-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Gordian dynasty {{AncientRome-bio-stub