What is it about?
The ancient literary sources credit Julia Domna, Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias and Julia Mammaea, empresses of the Severan dynasty (193-235 CE), with an extraordinary amount of political power. In this article, I discuss how these women are portrayed in the histories and biographies of (male) Greco-Roman authors. They emerge as devious schemers, domineering (grand)mothers and depraved women with loose sexual morals, which are well-worn tropes applied to women who were perceived to step out of bounds. However, the inconsistent application of these tropes reveals that the four Julias never really take centre stage in the narratives of the Severan dynasty, but are primarily used to parallel or contrast the virtues and vices of the emperors and courtiers with whom they are associated.
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Why is it important?
On the one hand, Roman empresses such as the four Julias were highly visible and resided at the centre of imperial power, where they played a crucial dynastic role. On the other hand, as women they were not supposed to meddle in politics. They therefore occupied an ambiguous position blurring the lines between the public and private spheres. While the biases and distortions in the literary record make it problematic to determine how much power the Severan empresses actually wielded, these historical narratives do provide us with a valuable perspective on male perceptions of powerful women.
Perspectives
When I wrote my PhD thesis on the Severan emperor Elagabalus, I focused on the image of the emperor and only discussed the Severan empresses as figures in the margins. Ironically, this is how they have usually been treated by Greco-Roman authors as well. In line with the general theme of the volume, I have tried to readdress their marginalized position by placing them at the focus of attention.
Martijn Icks
Universiteit van Amsterdam
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This page is a summary of: Empresses Taking Charge, February 2023, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004534513_005.
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