Domitilla the Elder
15 – 66 · Generation V · Flavian
Flavia Domitilla the Elder was the wife of Vespasian and the mother of the emperors Titus and Domitian, though she did not live to see any of them rule. She was born at Sabratha in North Africa, to Italian colonists. Her father, Flavius Liberalis, was a humble clerk from Ferentium in Italy.
Before her marriage she lived with Statilius Capella, an equestrian of Sabratha, and Suetonius calls her his favourite, a word usually taken to mean a sexual relationship. Her status at the time is unclear: Suetonius says she had only Latin rights, and a later source calls her a freedwoman. Her father went to law, and arbiters declared her a freeborn Roman citizen.
She married Vespasian, probably between 37 and 39, as his senatorial career was beginning. Besides Titus and Domitian they had a daughter, also Domitilla. Both mother and daughter died before Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69, of causes that are not recorded. Coins of Titus honour a deified Diva Domitilla, who is often identified with her, though some scholars think the title belongs to her daughter.
One of 4 people of Flavian (9–96) in this archive. Vespasian and his two sons — the house that closed the year of four emperors.
Partners
- Married Vespasian Flavianus (9 – 79) in 38 — 2 children together
Children
- Titus Flavianus (39 – 81)
- Domitian Flavianus (51 – 96)
Life
- 15 — Born
- 38 — Married Vespasian
- 66 — Died
Sources
- Domitilla the Elder · Wikipedia
- Vespasian · Wikipedia