Anicia Faltonia Proba
Encyclopedia
Anicia Faltonia Proba was a Roman noblewoman of the gens Anicia
.
(consul in 379); the famous poet Faltonia Betitia Proba
was a relative. She married Sextus Petronius Probus (consul in 371), and had three sons - Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius and Anicius Probinus
, joint consuls in 395, and Anicius Petronius Probus
consul in 406 - and one daughter, Anicia Proba. Her son Olybrius married Anicia Iuliana, and his daughter Demetrias
was Proba's granddaughter. She was related to the aristocratic families of the Petronii, Olybrii and Anicii
; in two inscriptions dating to 395 she is described as daughter, wife and mother of consuls.
In 395 she was already a widow. A Christian, she was in contact with several members of the cultural circles of her age, among which Augustine of Hippo
and John Chrysostom
, in favour of whom she acted.
Proba was in Rome during the sack of the city
in 410; according to Procopius of Caesarea, she opened the gates of the city to relieve the sufferings of the people besieged, but historians have suggested that this story was forged by her enemies. She then fled to Africa with her daughter-in-law Anicia Iuliana and her granddaughter Demetrias
, but here she was abused by Heraclianus
, who imprisoned and then freed them only after receiving a huge sum.
Proba inherited several possessions in Asia, and sold them to give the money to the Church and to the poor. She died in Africa in 432; it is known that her husband had been buried in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in a tomb where Proba was to be buried too.
As several other women in her family, Proba was well-educated. Her grand-mother, Faltonia Betitia Proba
, were a poet, Anicia probably composed the epigraph in honour of the husband, and her nephew Demetria was a friend of Jerome
's, who describes her as well-educated.
Anicia (gens)
The gens Anicia was a plebeian family at Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the 4th century BC The first of the Anicii under to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war against the Illyrii during the Third Macedonian War, in 168 BC.A noble family...
.
Biography
Proba's father was Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus OlybriusQuintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius
Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius was a Roman politician, praefectus urbi of Rome in 368–370 and Roman consul in 379...
(consul in 379); the famous poet Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba was a Latin Roman Christian poetess, possibly the most influential Latin poetess of Late Antiquity....
was a relative. She married Sextus Petronius Probus (consul in 371), and had three sons - Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius and Anicius Probinus
Anicius Probinus
Flavius Anicius Probinus was a politician and aristocrat of the Roman Empire.- Biography :A member of the noble gens Anicia, Probinus was the son of Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus, one of the most influential men of his era and consul in 371, and of Anicia Faltonia Proba; he was then the brother...
, joint consuls in 395, and Anicius Petronius Probus
Anicius Petronius Probus
Flavius Anicius Petronius Probus was a politician of the Western Roman Empire.- Biography :A member of the gens Anicia, he was the son of Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus and of Anicia Faltonia Proba; his elder brothers were Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius and Anicius Probinus , his sister Anicia...
consul in 406 - and one daughter, Anicia Proba. Her son Olybrius married Anicia Iuliana, and his daughter Demetrias
Demetrias (daughter of Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius)
Demetrias was a Roman noblewoman, member of the powerful family of the Anicii and acquaintance of several churchmen.- Biography :...
was Proba's granddaughter. She was related to the aristocratic families of the Petronii, Olybrii and Anicii
Anicia (gens)
The gens Anicia was a plebeian family at Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the 4th century BC The first of the Anicii under to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war against the Illyrii during the Third Macedonian War, in 168 BC.A noble family...
; in two inscriptions dating to 395 she is described as daughter, wife and mother of consuls.
In 395 she was already a widow. A Christian, she was in contact with several members of the cultural circles of her age, among which Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, in favour of whom she acted.
Proba was in Rome during the sack of the city
Sack of Rome (410)
The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire, replaced in this position initially by Mediolanum and then later Ravenna. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a...
in 410; according to Procopius of Caesarea, she opened the gates of the city to relieve the sufferings of the people besieged, but historians have suggested that this story was forged by her enemies. She then fled to Africa with her daughter-in-law Anicia Iuliana and her granddaughter Demetrias
Demetrias (daughter of Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius)
Demetrias was a Roman noblewoman, member of the powerful family of the Anicii and acquaintance of several churchmen.- Biography :...
, but here she was abused by Heraclianus
Heraclianus
Marcus Aurelius Heraclianus was a Roman soldier who rose to the rank of Praetorian Prefect in the latter part of the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. He was a member of the cabal of senior commanders of the Imperial field army that plotted and achieved the assassionation of the Emperor Gallienus....
, who imprisoned and then freed them only after receiving a huge sum.
Proba inherited several possessions in Asia, and sold them to give the money to the Church and to the poor. She died in Africa in 432; it is known that her husband had been buried in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in a tomb where Proba was to be buried too.
As several other women in her family, Proba was well-educated. Her grand-mother, Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba
Faltonia Betitia Proba was a Latin Roman Christian poetess, possibly the most influential Latin poetess of Late Antiquity....
, were a poet, Anicia probably composed the epigraph in honour of the husband, and her nephew Demetria was a friend of Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
's, who describes her as well-educated.
Primary sources
; ; ; =;Secondary sources
- Arnold Hugh Martin JonesArnold Hugh Martin JonesArnold Hugh Martin Jones — known as A.H.M. Jones — was a prominent 20th century British historian of classical antiquity, particularly of the later Roman Empire.-Biography:...
, John Martindale, John MorrisJohn Morris (historian)John Robert Morris was an English historian who specialised in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain...
: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Vol. 1, Cambridge 1971, pp. 732-733. - Jane Stevenson: Women Latin Poets. Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 65.