Maternal Megalomania: Julia Domna and the Imperial Politics of Motherhood

by Julie Langford

Overview

How the maternal image of the empress Julia Domna helped the Roman empire rule.

Ancient authors emphasize dramatic moments in the life of Julia Domna, wife of Roman emperor Septimius Severus (193–211). They accuse her of ambition unforgivable in a woman, of instigating civil war to place her sons on the throne, and of resorting to incest to maintain her hold on power. In imperial propaganda, however, Julia Domna was honored with unprecedented titles that celebrated her maternity, whether it was in the role of mother to her two sons (both future emperors) or as the metaphorical mother to the empire. Imperial propaganda even equated her to the great mother goddess, Cybele, endowing her with a public prominence well beyond that of earlier imperial women. Her visage could be found gracing everything from state-commissioned art to privately owned ivory dolls.

In Maternal Megalomania, Julie Langford unmasks the maternal titles and honors of Julia Domna as a campaign on the part of the administration to garner support for Severus and his sons. Langford looks to numismatic, literary, and archaeological evidence to reconstruct the propaganda surrounding the empress. She explores how her image was tailored toward different populations, including the military, the Senate, and the people of Rome, and how these populations responded to propaganda about the empress. She employs Julia Domna as a case study to explore the creation of ideology between the emperor and its subjects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421408477
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	07/24/2013
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Julie Langford is an associate professor of history at the University of South Florida.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction 1

Julia Domna Who? 6

Carving Out a Niche 7

Severan Dynastic Propaganda and Julia Domna 14

Chapter 1 Not Your Momma Problematizing Julia Domna as the Mater Castrorum 23

Women and the Military 24

Faustina the Younger: The Mother of All" Mothers of the Camp 31

The Military and the Domus Augusta: All in the Family? 33

Severus and the Mater Castrorum Title 36

Severus, the Military, and Julia Domna 38

About Face! 44

Conclusion 47

Chapter 2 Romancing the Romans Julia Domna and the Populus Romanus 49

The Nature of the Sources 50

The Princeps and the Plebs 53

The Roman Populace, Public Demonstrations, and Divine Inspiration 55

Severan Propaganda and the Urban Plebs 63

Roman Matrona, Mother, and Protectress 69

Severus, the Populus Romanus, and the Collegia 75

And Julia Domna? 79

But What Does It All Mean? 82

Chapter 3 Mater Senatus, Mater Patriae Julia Domna as Senatorial Savior 84

Natural Rivals: Imperial Women and the Senate 87

Severus's Senate 93

Creating Consensus in the Senate: Wooing, Marginalizing, and

Exterminating 96

Negotiating Dynasty: Maternal Megalomania and Senatorial Subversions 104

Julia Domna in Cassius Dio 108

Moderating Maternal Megalomania 111

Conclusion 113

Ideological Crisis 116

On the Dangers of Taking Ideology Too Seriously 120

Appendix A Hoard Details of the Severan Hoard Analysis Database by Clare Rowan 125

Appendix B Frequency of Julia Domna Coin Types in Hoards around the Mediterranean 130

Appendix C Dating the Mater Senatus, Mater Patriae Titles 134

Notes 137

Bibliography 181

Index 199

What People are Saying About This

Brian K. Harvey

Langford successfully uses an extremely important methodology to illuminate facts about not only what happened but also how events and policies were advertised to the subjects of the Empire. She does an excellent job of presenting Julia Domna as a case study of how this communication worked during a tumultuous time—just as the new Severan dynasty was being founded.

From the Publisher

Langford successfully uses an extremely important methodology to illuminate facts about not only what happened but also how events and policies were advertised to the subjects of the Empire. She does an excellent job of presenting Julia Domna as a case study of how this communication worked during a tumultuous time—just as the new Severan dynasty was being founded.
—Brian K. Harvey, Kent State University

Editorial Reviews

Using contemporary and later literary sources and artifacts such as imperial coins and monument inscriptions produced during the Severan dynasty, Langford questions Empress Julia Domna's power and influence in Severan politics.
—Choice

Provocative and original . . . Langford's conclusions are daring and . . . mark out significant new territory in the study of the political culture of the High Empire.
—Adam Kemezis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

In just 123 pages, Langford adds a new dimension to the proliferation of texts about Rome's first third-century empress.
—Ryan Ricciardi, New England Classical Journal

From the Publisher

Using contemporary and later literary sources and artifacts such as imperial coins and monument inscriptions produced during the Severan dynasty, Langford questions Empress Julia Domna's power and influence in Severan politics.

Choice

In just 123 pages, Langford adds a new dimension to the proliferation of texts about Rome's first third-century empress.

New England Classical Journal - Ryan Ricciardi

Provocative and original . . . Langford's conclusions are daring and . . . mark out significant new territory in the study of the political culture of the High Empire.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review - Adam Kemezis