Flavian Women Flashcards
(13 cards)
What are the reign dates for the Flavians?
69-79: Vespasian
79-81: Titus
81-96: Domitian
What are the literary sources for the Flavians?
Suetonius, Dio
References in Martial, Juvenal, Statius, Pliny the Younger
Who was Flavia Domitilla?
Wife of Vespasian
Died before his accession; he never remarried
Three children: Titus (b. 39), Domitilla (b. ca. 45), Domitian (b. 51)
Who was Domitia Longina?
Wife of Domitian
Did Domitia Longina have children?
Titus has no sons, any male offspring of Domitia and Domitian would be the heir after Domitian
Suetonius tells us she was made Augusta, had a son who died, divorced her and couldn’t bear it so took her back
Who was Julia Titi?
Daughter of Titus
Did Julia Titi have any titles?
AUGUSTA and DIVUS
Given the title Augusta by January 81. Unclear when Julia died; she was deified in 89 or 90, so likely late in 89
What does Bingham think of the allegations of incest between Julia Titi and Domitian?
Bingham likes the idea that this is a total fabrication, playing into the established topos of incest between uncle and niece. Bingham thinks that Vespasian was trying to get Julia and Domitian to marry
What are the counterarguments for incest between Julia Titi and Domitian?
Martial wouldn’t have been dumb enough to write 6.3 in ca. 90 if there had been an affair or Julia was seen in a negative light
He was a contemporary author, so wanted to keep Domitian happy, and presenting Julia as a guardian angel for the potential child of Domitia must only have been possible if the affair was a later fabrication
Did Domitia have power/influence beyond the reign of Domitian?
Possible that Domitia was involved in the death of Domitian, Trajan honoured her with a new portrait type, perhaps due to an involvement in Domitian’s murder
Domitia lasts until the age of Hadrian and is treated kindly by all subsequent emperors, despite the damnatio memoriae suffered by Domitian, still styling herself as his wife…?
Why might the sources have fabricated incest between Domitian and Julia Titi?
The incest is applied to Julia and Domitian to emphasise Domitian’s tyranny
His killing of the Vestal Virgin for breaking correctio morum is a demonstration of his religious piety, and the incest with his niece is created in order to counteract any ‘virtue’ Domitian is demonstrating
The resentment among the elite by his enforcement of adultery laws provided the catalyst for his treatment by writers
Possible that Domitia’s infertility motivated Domitian to pursue Julia?
Why was Julia Titi significant (to Domitian and Titus)?
Titi’s death meant the end of Titus’ lineage and represented the effective end of a dynasty
Her deification made her the symbolic protector of the dynasty (like Drusilla) and this is reflected in Martial’s poem
Who were the two power bases in the imperial domus of Domitian?
Julia and Domitia, Domitian utilising peacock coins to make them more equal in the eyes of the elite
Both had potential to bear children, Domitian needed them both close in order to protect the dynasty
The power dynamics between the two had to be controlled by Domitian to avoid a split in the imperial domus and to avoid threatening the dynasty
