Vibia Aurelia Sabina
Encyclopedia
Vibia Aurelia Sabina was a Roman Princess, she was the youngest daughter and child born to Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger
. She was a sister to Roman Empress Lucilla
and Roman Emperor Commodus
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder
and her paternal grandparents were Domitia Lucilla
and praetor Marcus Annius Verus
.
Aurelia Sabina could have been born in Sirmium
, Pannonia
. In the year of her birth, her parents were preparing war expeditions at Sirmium. Aurelia Sabina was named in honor of the late Roman Empress Vibia Sabina, who was the wife of the Roman Emperor Hadrian
and her late father the distinguished suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus
. Vibia Sabina
was a relative of her parents, as she was a great aunt to her parents who was half maternal sister to Rupilia
Faustina. Rupilia Faustina was the paternal grandmother of Marcus Aurelius and the maternal grandmother Faustina the Younger.
Throughout her childhood, Aurelia Sabina had travelled extensive with her parents throughout the Roman Empire
. Sometime before her father died in 180, Aurelia Sabina was betrothed to the African Roman Senator
Lucius Antistius Burrus
who came from Thibilis, a town near Hippo Regius
in the Africa Province
, whom she later married.
When her parents died, her older brother Commodus succeeded her father as Roman Emperor in 180. After Aurelia Sabina married Antistius Burrus in Rome, they returned and settled in Thibilis. In 181, her husband served as an ordinary consul. In 188, Antistius Burrus was involved in a conspiracy against Commodus, he was one of various Roman Senators in this conspiracy. When this conspiracy was uncovered, Antistius Burrus was put to death. After her first husband had died, Aurelia Sabina married Lucius Aurelius Agaclytus
, a Greek
Freedman
who was of Equestrian rank. Aurelia Sabina spent her remaining years in Thibilis. It appears from her marriages, she had no children.
Due to her status; the status of her family and her connections, Aurelia Sabina became a prominent Italian resident in North Africa
. According to surviving inscriptions found in Thibilis, Aurelia Sabina became an important patron in Thibilis and the citizens of Thibilis made Aurelia Sabina an honorary citizen.
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger
Faustina the Younger
Annia Galeria Faustina Minor , Faustina Minor or Faustina the Younger was a daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder. She was a Roman Empress and wife to her maternal cousin Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius...
. She was a sister to Roman Empress Lucilla
Lucilla
Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla was the second daughter and third child of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger and an elder sister to future Roman Emperor Commodus....
and Roman Emperor Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder
Faustina the Elder
Annia Galeria Faustina, more familiarly referred to as Faustina I , was a Roman Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.-Early life:...
and her paternal grandparents were Domitia Lucilla
Domitia Lucilla
Domitia Lucilla Minor sometimes known as Domitia Calvilla or Lucilla , was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 2nd century....
and praetor Marcus Annius Verus
Marcus Annius Verus (praetor)
Marcus Annius Verus was a distinguished Roman politician who lived in the 2nd century, served as a praetor and was the biological father of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius....
.
Aurelia Sabina could have been born in Sirmium
Sirmium
Sirmium was a city in ancient Roman Pannonia. Firstly mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by the Illyrians and Celts, it was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC and subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Pannonia. In 294 AD, Sirmium was...
, Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. In the year of her birth, her parents were preparing war expeditions at Sirmium. Aurelia Sabina was named in honor of the late Roman Empress Vibia Sabina, who was the wife of the Roman Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
and her late father the distinguished suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus
Lucius Vibius Sabinus
Lucius Vibius Sabinus was a Roman Senator that lived in the 1st century. Little is known on his family however Sabinus originally came from a family of consular rank. There is a possibility, Sabinus was related to Lucius Junius Quintus Vibius Crispus and his brother Quintus Vibius Secundus...
. Vibia Sabina
Vibia Sabina
Vibia Sabina was a Roman Empress, wife and second cousin, once removed, to Roman Emperor Hadrian. She was the daughter to Salonina Matidia , and suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus...
was a relative of her parents, as she was a great aunt to her parents who was half maternal sister to Rupilia
Rupilia
Rupilia Faustina was an influential Roman noble woman. She was the daughter of Salonina Matidia and suffect consul Lucius Scribonius Libo Rupilius Frugi Bonus. She possibly had another sister called Rupilia Annia....
Faustina. Rupilia Faustina was the paternal grandmother of Marcus Aurelius and the maternal grandmother Faustina the Younger.
Throughout her childhood, Aurelia Sabina had travelled extensive with her parents throughout the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Sometime before her father died in 180, Aurelia Sabina was betrothed to the African Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
Lucius Antistius Burrus
Lucius Antistius Burrus
Lucius Antistius Burrus Adventus was a Roman Senator that lived in the 2nd century. He was one of the son-in-laws of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger....
who came from Thibilis, a town near Hippo Regius
Hippo Regius
Hippo Regius is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, in Algeria. Under this name, it was a major city in Roman Africa, hosting several early Christian councils, and was the home of the philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo...
in the Africa Province
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
, whom she later married.
When her parents died, her older brother Commodus succeeded her father as Roman Emperor in 180. After Aurelia Sabina married Antistius Burrus in Rome, they returned and settled in Thibilis. In 181, her husband served as an ordinary consul. In 188, Antistius Burrus was involved in a conspiracy against Commodus, he was one of various Roman Senators in this conspiracy. When this conspiracy was uncovered, Antistius Burrus was put to death. After her first husband had died, Aurelia Sabina married Lucius Aurelius Agaclytus
Agaclytus
Agaclytus was the name of two separate people in Classical history:*Agaclytus was a freedman of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, said to have had great influence over Aurelius and his co-emperor, Lucius Verus. He was given in marriage to the noblewoman Fundania, the widow of the paternal uncle of...
, a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
Freedman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
who was of Equestrian rank. Aurelia Sabina spent her remaining years in Thibilis. It appears from her marriages, she had no children.
Due to her status; the status of her family and her connections, Aurelia Sabina became a prominent Italian resident in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. According to surviving inscriptions found in Thibilis, Aurelia Sabina became an important patron in Thibilis and the citizens of Thibilis made Aurelia Sabina an honorary citizen.
Sources
- From Tiberius to the Antonines: a history of the Roman Empire AD 14-192, by Albino Garzetti, 1974
- The Roman Government of Britain, by Anthony R. Birley, Oxford University Press, 2005
- Marcus Aurelius, by Anthony Richard Birley, Routledge, 2000
- https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/4969/latin_literature.pdf?sequence=1
- http://thecorner.wordpress.com/2006/06/21/chapter-two-septimius-and-the-cursus-honorum/