Scribonia (68 BC-16) was the daughter of Lucius Scribonius Libo and Cornelia Sulla, the granddaughter of Pompey the Great and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Her brother of the same name was consul and died in 34 BC.^[1] She was the second wife of Roman Emperor Augustus and the mother of his only natural child, Julia Caesaris. She was the grandmother of Gaius Caesar, Julia the Younger, Lucius Caesar, Agrippina the Elder and Agrippa Postumus, great-grandmother to Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, who was the wife of the Emperor Claudius. She was the great-great-grandmother of Emperor Nero. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC - 60s BC - 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC Years: 73 BC 72 BC 71 BC 70 BC 69 BC 68 BC 67 BC 66 BC 65... Events A Roman army of 90,000 men commanded by Germanicus gains a victory at Idistaviso, defeating the German war chief Arminius and capturing his wife Thusnelda, and recovering the lost eagles of Varus legions. ... There were three Lucius Scribonius Libo in the Roman Republic, all member of the gens Scribonia: Lucius Scribonius Libo was apart of a senatorial family. ... For other meanings see Pompey (disambiguation). ... Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (Latin: L•CORNELIVS•L•F•P•N•SVLLA•FELIX)[1] (ca. ... This article is about the Roman rank. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC - 30s BC - 20s BC 10s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 39 BC 38 BC 37 BC 36 BC 35 BC 34 BC 33 BC 32 BC 31 BC 30 BC... Ordinary Magistrates Extraordinary Magistrates Titles and Honors Emperor Politics and Law This article discusses the nature of the imperial dignity, and its dynastic development throughout the history of the Empire. ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... For other Roman women named Julia Caesaris, see Julia Caesaris. ... Gaius Julius Caesar Vipsanianus (20 BC - AD 4), most commonly known as Gaius Caesar, was the oldest son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. ... Julia Minor or the Younger or Julilia (little Julia) (Classical Latin: IVLIA•MINOR,[1] 19 BC-28 or early 29) was the eldest daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder and as such Emperor Augustus granddaughter through her mother). ... Lucius Julius Caesar (17 BC-2 AD), most commonly known as Lucius Caesar, was the second son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. ... (Vipsania) Agrippina (PIR1 V 463) (14 BC – 18 October 33), most commonly known as Agrippina Major or Agrippina the Elder, was one of the most prominent women in the Roman Empire in the early 1st century AD. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa by his third wife Julia... Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Postumus, (12 BC-14 AD) also known as Agrippa Postumus or Postumus Agrippa, was a son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. ... This article is about the Roman emperor. ... Julia Agrippina; known as Agrippina Minor (Latin for the ‘younger’, Classical Latin: IVLIA•AGRIPPINA; from the year 50, called IVLIA•AVGVSTA•AGRIPPINA[1], Greek: η Ιουλία Αγκιππίνη, November 6, 15 - between 19-23 March, 59), was a Roman Empress. ... For other persons named Claudius, see Claudius (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nero (disambiguation). ...

Life

Little is known of Scribonia's early life. According to Suetonius, her first two marriages were to former consuls. Her first husband is unknown, though it had been suggested that he was Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus (consul 56 BC), as there is an inscription that refers to freedmen (post 39 BC) of Scribonia and her son Cornelius Marcellinus ^[2][3], indicating that she had a son from her previous marriage and that he was living with her after she divorced her third husband. He may have died young and ignored by historians. Her second husband was Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito^[4]. They had a daughter Cornelia Scipio who married Lucius Aemilius Paullus who served as a censor. Scribonia may have also been the mother to Publius Cornelius Scipio, cousul in 16 BC. Salvito was a supporter of Pompey. The Twelve Caesars is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. ... Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus (Around 90 BC-48 BC?) was a Roman statesmen and consul of 56 BC. He was married at least twice. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 61 BC 60 BC 59 BC 58 BC 57 BC 56 BC 55 BC 54 BC 53... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC - 30s BC - 20s BC 10s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC - 39 BC - 38 BC 37 BC 36 BC 35 BC... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Cornelia Scipio was the daughter of Scribonia Libo and the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito. ... Publius Cornelius Scipio (Around 48/46 BC) was probably the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito and Scribonia [1][2]. He was elder brother to Cornelia Scipio and the elder half-brother to Julia the Elder, who was the daughter of Augustus and uncle to Gaius Caesar, Vipsania Julia, Lucius... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC - 10s BC - 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s Years: 21 BC 20 BC 19 BC 18 BC 17 BC 16 BC 15 BC 14 BC 13 BC 12 BC 11 BC... For other meanings see Pompey (disambiguation). ...

In 40 BC Scribonia was forced to divorce her husband and marry Octavian, who was younger than her by several years. Octavian in turn divorced his wife Clodia, marrying Scribonia to cement a political alliance with her uncle Sextus Pompeius. Their daughter Julia the Elder was born in 39 BC, probably in October, and on that very same day Octavian divorced her ^[5]. Their marriage had not been a happy one; Octavian felt she nagged him too much. She never remarried. Cassius Dio and Marcus Velleius Paterculus says that when her youngest child, Julia, was sent into exile for adultery and treason, she requested that she be allowed to accompany her. ^[6] Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 10s BC Years: 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC 39 BC 38 BC 37... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... Clodia Pulchra (Also known as Claudia) was the daughter of Fulvia (Later wife of Mark Antony) and her first husband Publius Clodius Pulcher. ... Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius, in English Sextus Pompey, was a Roman general from the late Republic (1st century BC). ... For other Roman women named Julia Caesaris, see Julia Caesaris. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC - 30s BC - 20s BC 10s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC - 39 BC - 38 BC 37 BC 36 BC 35 BC... Cassius Dio Cocceianus (ca. ... Marcus Velleius Paterculus (c. ... This article is about the act of adultery. ... For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation) or Traitor (disambiguation). ...

When Emperor Tiberius came into power, he separated Scribonia from her daughter, and allegedly starved Julia to death. When Scribonia died is unknown. It is mainly placed two years after Julia and Augustus. In Seneca, she is mentioned as being alive and in full possession of her wits as late as the end of 16 when she tried to convince her nephew Marcus Scribonius Libo not to commit suicide and face his punishment. For other persons named Tiberius, see Tiberius (disambiguation). ... Seneca may refer to: Roman figures (any links to Seneca in Roman pages should be relinked to one of these two) Marcus (or Lucius) Annaeus Seneca also called rhetor, Roman orator and father of Seneca the philosopher and dramatist. ... Events A Roman army of 90,000 men commanded by Germanicus gains a victory at Idistaviso, defeating the German war chief Arminius and capturing his wife Thusnelda, and recovering the lost eagles of Varus legions. ... Marcus Scribonius Drusus Libo was a son to the consul Lucius Scribonius Libo. ...

No one knows what Scribonia was really like as her image as a shrew was likely to have been the end product of propaganda to divert the potentially scandalous circumstances of her divorce from Augustus. Seneca describes her as a gravis femina; gravis meaning “dignified” and “severe”. Modern scholars are divided on her character; while some describe her as "tiresome" and "morose" ^[7] most others view her as an ideal example of a Roman matron as she clearly had the "composure" and "calmness" to look after depressed and suicidal characters such as her daughter and nephew ^[8][9]. Sextus Propertius praises her motherhood referring to her as "sweet mother Scribonia" in Cornelia Scipio's funeral elegy in 16 BC. For other uses, see Propaganda (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... Bust, traditionally thought to be Seneca, now identified by some as Hesiod. ... Sextus Propertius was a Latin elegiac poet born about 50 BC in or near Bevagna, who died between 15 BC and 2 BC. Propertius was a post-neoteric era Roman poet. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC - 10s BC - 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s Years: 21 BC 20 BC 19 BC 18 BC 17 BC 16 BC 15 BC 14 BC 13 BC 12 BC 11 BC...

Marriages and issues

• Her first husband, Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus
  • Cornelius Marcellinus
• Her second husband, Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito
  • Publius Cornelius Scipio (consul of 16 BC)
  • Cornelia Scipio
• Her third husband, Augustus
  • Julia the Elder (wife of Agrippa and Tiberius)

Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus (Around 90 BC-48 BC?) was a Roman statesmen and consul of 56 BC. He was married at least twice. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Publius Cornelius Scipio (Around 48/46 BC) was probably the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito and Scribonia [1][2]. He was elder brother to Cornelia Scipio and the elder half-brother to Julia the Elder, who was the daughter of Augustus and uncle to Gaius Caesar, Vipsania Julia, Lucius... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC - 10s BC - 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s Years: 21 BC 20 BC 19 BC 18 BC 17 BC 16 BC 15 BC 14 BC 13 BC 12 BC 11 BC... Cornelia Scipio was the daughter of Scribonia Libo and the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito. ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... For other Roman women named Julia Caesaris, see Julia Caesaris. ... Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c. ... For other persons named Tiberius, see Tiberius (disambiguation). ...

Scribonia in popular culture

Little is known about Scribonia, but she is mentioned in various dramas and novels, each having a different opinion on what she was like.

Literature

• Scribonia is mentioned in Robert Graves's novel I, Claudius when he recalls Julia's birth and later when Julia is exiled. He describes her as a good, moderate and generally kind Roman matron. She is forbidden to see Julia and is only allowed to be with her once she is exiled. Livia convinces Augustus that Scribonia has been unfaithful to him causing him to divorce her faster than he cared to. Evidently Augustus believed she was innocent, as he kept Julia. Graves places Scribonia's death at least two years prior to when it is traditionally placed.

• Scribonia gets several mentions in the novel Augustus by Allan Massie. Allan Massie portrays her stereotypically, being ugly, gap-toothed and fat. The novel suggests that Julia got her personality from Scribonia rather than Augustus as historians tend to claim.

• Scribonia plays a major role in the novel Caesar's Daughter by Edward Burton, trying to aid Julia in her daily life. She is a very politically aware woman, with detailed information gathering and she plays patroness to many poets such as Horace and Ovid as well as being very popular with the people of Rome. Despite their differences, Augustus respects her.

• Scribonia is mentioned in I Loved Tiberius by Elisabeth Dored. Augustus' reign is portrayed as a dictatorship and Scribonia is portrayed as a pretty, gentle, sensitive, warm and steadfast woman made a victim of her husband's cruelty but eventually makes herself a martyr for her daughter, Julia.

Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, scholar, and novelist. ... I, Claudius is a novel by Robert Graves, (ISBN 067972477X) first published in 1934, dealing sympathetically with the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesars assassination in 44 BC to Caligulas assassination in 41 AD... Allan Massie (born 1938) is a well-known Scottish journalist, novelist and establishment figure. ... Caesars Daughter a novel by Edward Burton centred on Julia Caesaris, the daughter of Caesar Augustus. ... Horace, as imagined by Anton von Werner Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (December 8, 65 BC - November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. ... For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation) Publius Ovidius Naso (March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD) was a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid who wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ... Jeg Elsket Tiberius a 1959 romance novel by Elisabeth Dored. ... For other uses, see Martyr (disambiguation). ...

Drama

• Scribonia in Imperium: Augustus is only a few years older than Augustus, and he marries her for her money to pay his armies. Maecenas describes her as being "lovely" and "charming". Julia is loyal to Scribonia blaming Augustus for his bad treatment of her and using her just used her to get a baby. However, Augustus claims he loved Scribonia in his own way because she gave him Julia.

Notes

1. ^ Schied, J. Scribonia Caesaris et les Julio-Claudiens: Problèmes de vocabulaire de parenté. Mémoires de l'École francaise de Rome et Athènes. 87: 349-71.
2. ^ CIL 6.26033: Libertorum et familiae Scribonae Caes. et Corneli Marcell. f. eius
3. ^ Schied, J, Scribonia Caesaris et les Cornelii Lentuli, Bulletin de Correspondence Helléenigue 100: 185-201.
4. ^ Billows, R. American Journal of Ancient History.
5. ^ Cassius Dio 48.34.3
6. ^ Fantham, Elaine. (2006) Julia Augusti. "Routledge". ISBN 0-415-33146-3.
7. ^ Syme, R. (1939) The Roman Revolution. Oxford.
8. ^ Fantham, Elaine. (2006) Julia Augusti. "Routledge". ISBN 0-415-33146-3.
9. ^ Barrett, A.A. (2004) Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome. "Yale University Press". ISBN 0-300-10298-4