Arrecina Tertulla was a Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 woman that lived in the 1st century. She came from obscure origins and her family were of Equestrian

Equestrian (Roman)

The Roman equestrian order constituted the lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the patricians , a hereditary caste that monopolised political power during the regal era and during the early Republic . A member of the equestrian order was known as an eques...

 rank.

Tertulla’s father was called Marcus Arrecinus Clemens. Clemens was an honourable Praetorian Prefect

Praetorian prefect

Praetorian prefect was the title of a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief aides...

, that served in 38 in the reign of Emperor Caligula

Caligula

Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...

. Tertulla’s mother could have been named Julia and she had a brother called Marcus Arrecinus Clemens

Marcus Arrecinus Clemens (prefect 70)

Marcus Arrecinus Clemens , was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard.Clemens came from obscure origins and according to the historian Suetonius, his family were of Equestrian rank. He was the namesake of his father...

, who also served as a Praetorian Prefect in 70 under the Emperor Vespasian

Vespasian

Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...

.

Her cognomen

Cognomen

The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...

 Tertulla, is a nickname for the female cognomen Tertia. Tertia in Latin means “the third daughter”. A Roman woman who was nicknamed as “Tertulla” was Junia Tertia

Junia Tertia

Junia Tertia, or Tertulla, was the third daughter of Servilia Caepionis and her second husband Decimus Junius Silanus, half-sister of Marcus Junius Brutus, and wife of Gaius Cassius Longinus....

, a half-sister of Roman Republic

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

an Politician Marcus Junius Brutus

Marcus Junius Brutus

Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...

. There is a possibility that Tertulla would be related to the paternal side of Vespasian

Vespasian

Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...

. Vespasian’s paternal grandmother bore the cognomen Tertulla.

Very little is known on Tertulla’s family and her life. In 62, Tertulla married the future Emperor Titus

Titus

Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....

, who was Vespasian’s first son. This marriage could have been arranged by the fathers of Tertulla and Titus, to promote Titus’ political and military career, but to provide financial relief from the debt incurred by Vespasian’s proconsul

Proconsul

A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...

ship. Unfortunately this marriage didn’t last, as sometime after the marriage Tertulla died. Titus and Tertulla didn’t have any children. In 63, Titus married for the second time to Marcia Furnilla

Marcia Furnilla

Marcia Furnilla was a Roman noble woman that lived in the 1st century. Furnilla was the second and last wife of the future Roman Emperor Titus.-Family:...

.