Domitia Decidiana
Encyclopedia
Domitia Decidiana was a Roman
woman who lived in the 1st century. She was a well-connected woman of illustrious descent.
In 62 she married the Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola
, who had just recently returned from service in Britain
as a military tribune
. She gave birth to a son, whose name is not known, in 63, and in 64 to a daughter, Julia Agricola
. Not long after Julia's birth, the son died. Julia married the historian Tacitus
in 78. Agricola and Domitia had another son in 83, who died within a year.
According to Tacitus
, not only did Domitia and Agricola have a very happy marriage, Domitia's connections were useful to her husband's political career. She survived him when he died in 93, and was named as co-heir, along with Julia and the emperor Domitian
, in his will.
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 who lived in the 1st century. She was a well-connected woman of illustrious descent.
In 62 she married the Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
, who had just recently returned from service in Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
as a military tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
. She gave birth to a son, whose name is not known, in 63, and in 64 to a daughter, Julia Agricola
Julia Agricola
Julia Agricola was the daughter of Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola and Domitia Decidiana, a lady of illustrious birth. Shortly after her birth her elder brother, who was just a young child, died. She had another brother, born in 83, who also died in infancy.In 78, at the age of fourteen,...
. Not long after Julia's birth, the son died. Julia married the historian Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
in 78. Agricola and Domitia had another son in 83, who died within a year.
According to Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, not only did Domitia and Agricola have a very happy marriage, Domitia's connections were useful to her husband's political career. She survived him when he died in 93, and was named as co-heir, along with Julia and the emperor Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
, in his will.