Julia Soaemias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Julia Soaemias |
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| Augusta | |||||||||
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| Augusta of the Roman Empire | |||||||||
| Reign | 8 June 218 – 11 March 222 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Nonia Celsa (likely) | ||||||||
| Successor | Julia Maesa and Julia Mamaea | ||||||||
| Co-Augustae |
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| Born | 180 AD Emesa, Syria |
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| Died | 11 March 222 AD (aged 41–42) Rome, Italy |
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| Spouse | Sextus Varius Marcellus | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Severan | ||||||||
| Father | Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus | ||||||||
| Mother | Julia Maesa | ||||||||
Julia Soaemias Bassiana (born in 180 AD – died March 11, 222 AD) was an important woman from Syria who lived during the Roman Empire. She was the mother of Elagabalus, who became a Roman emperor and ruled from 218 to 222 AD. Julia Soaemias was one of her son's main advisors. She worked closely with her own mother, Julia Maesa, to guide the young emperor. However, problems and disagreements within the family led to her son being replaced by her nephew, Severus Alexander. Julia Soaemias was killed along with her son by the Praetorian Guard, who were the emperor's bodyguards.
Julia Soaemias was born and grew up in Emesa, a city in Syria. Through her mother, she was connected to the Royal family of Emesa. Through her marriage, she also became part of the Severan dynasty, a powerful family that ruled Ancient Rome.
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Julia Soaemias's Family and Early Life
Julia Soaemias was the first daughter of a very influential Syrian Roman noblewoman named Julia Maesa. Her father was Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus. She was the sister of Julia Avita Mamaea and the niece of Julia Domna. This also made her a niece by marriage to Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus.
At some point, Julia Soaemias married Sextus Varius Marcellus. He was a politician and a member of the Roman equestrian order, a class of wealthy Roman citizens. He was from Apamea in Roman Syria. Because they were part of the imperial Severan dynasty family, they lived in Rome. Julia's husband eventually became a member of the Roman Senate, a powerful governing body. Julia and Marcellus had two sons. One son's name is not known, but the other was named Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, who later became the Roman emperor Elagabalus. Her husband died around 215 AD while he was serving as a Roman governor in Numidia, a Roman province in North Africa. After his death, Julia and her two sons set up a tombstone for him. This tombstone was found in Velletri, a town not far from Rome. It has two inscriptions, one in Latin and one in Greek, which tell us about his political career and the honors he received.
Life in Rome and the Rise of an Emperor
How Her Family Returned to Power
In 217 AD, Julia Soaemias's cousin, Emperor Caracalla, was killed. After his death, a man named Macrinus became the new emperor. Julia's family was allowed to return to Syria with their great wealth, and they went back to their home city of Emesa. While in Emesa, Julia's son, Bassianus, became the chief priest of a Syrian god named Elagabalus.
Julia Maesa, Soaemias's mother, used her family's large fortune to convince soldiers from a Roman army unit called Legio III Gallica to support her grandson, Bassianus. This legion was stationed near Emesa. Soon after, Bassianus, along with his mother Julia Soaemias and her sister, was brought to the military camp. The soldiers dressed him in imperial purple robes and crowned him as emperor.
Some historians, like Cassius Dio, tell a slightly different story. They suggest that a young man named Gannys, who was close to Julia Soaemias, played a key role in the revolt. He supposedly dressed Bassianus in Caracalla's clothes and secretly brought him to the camp, convincing the soldiers to support him. However, it's unlikely that Julia Maesa, who had so much to gain, would have been completely unaware of such a plan. Other accounts suggest that Maesa and her family were the main organizers. Regardless of the exact details, Bassianus gained the support of many important people from Emesa.
After gaining the support of the army, Bassianus went into battle against Macrinus. Bassianus won the battle and entered the city of Antioch as the new emperor. Macrinus tried to escape but was captured and executed.
Julia Soaemias's Role During Her Son's Reign
When Bassianus became emperor, he took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. His mother, Julia Soaemias, was given the important title of Iulia Soaemias Augusta. As emperor, Elagabalus was very interested in religious matters. The worship of the sun god had become more popular in the Roman Empire. Elagabalus and his mother saw this as a chance to make Elagabal, the Syrian sun god, the most important god in the Roman pantheon (the collection of Roman gods). The god was renamed Deus Sol Invictus, meaning God of the Undefeated Sun. This new god was even honored above Jupiter, the traditional chief Roman god.
Elagabalus and his family spent the winter of 218 AD in Bithynia, a Roman province, at a city called Nicomedia. It was here that the emperor's strong religious beliefs started to cause problems. The historian Cassius Dio suggests that Elagabalus later had Gannys killed because Gannys encouraged the emperor to live a more sensible life. To help Romans accept an emperor who was also a priest of an Eastern god, Julia Maesa (Soaemias's mother) sent a painting of Elagabalus in his priestly robes to Rome. This painting was hung in the Senate House above a statue of the goddess Victoria. This meant that senators had to make offerings to Elagabalus whenever they made offerings to Victoria, which was unusual for them.
Julia Soaemias and Elagabalus tried to make their new religion more popular with the Romans. They tried to connect Elagabal with Roman goddesses like Astarte, Minerva, or Urania as his partner. Julia Soaemias and her mother are often mentioned in stories about Elagabalus's rule. They were known for having a lot of influence over the emperor. Julia Soaemias and her mother helped the emperor significantly. She even appeared in the Senate next to Elagabalus when he adopted Severus Alexander. She received the senatorial title of clarissima, which meant "most distinguished." She also held a "Women's Senate" where they discussed matters of fashion and proper behavior. She was given many honors and titles, including 'Augusta, mater Augusti' (Augusta, mother of the Emperor) and 'Mater castrorum et senatus et totius domus divinae' (Mother of the army camps, the Senate, and the entire imperial family).
However, their rule was not popular with everyone, and soon people became unhappy. Elagabalus lost the support of both the Praetorian Guard and the Senate. This was mainly because of his many unusual actions. When Elagabalus's grandmother, Julia Maesa, realized that the emperor was losing public support, she decided that he and his mother, who had encouraged his religious practices, needed to be replaced. As new options, she looked to her other daughter, Julia Avita Mamaea, and her grandson, the thirteen-year-old Severus Alexander.
Death
Elagabalus tried several times to get rid of his cousin, Alexander. When these attempts failed, Elagabalus decided to take away Alexander's titles and his position as consul. Elagabalus then spread a false rumor that Alexander was dying, just to see how the Praetorian Guard would react. A riot broke out, and the Guard demanded to see both Elagabalus and Alexander at the Praetorian camp. Julia Soaemias went into the camp to try and protect her son. However, she was killed along with Elagabalus by the Praetorian Guard in 222 AD. After her death, Julia Soaemias was declared a public enemy, and her name was removed from all official records, a process known as Damnatio memoriae.
Severan dynasty family tree
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See also
- Women in Ancient Rome
- Severan dynasty family tree
Images for kids
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A bust of Julia Soaemias.
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A full-body statue of Julia Soaemias.
