Archaeological Institute of America
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Three women figured prominently in the public imagery and official coinage of the Flavain dynasty, an obscure family that unexpectedly came to power after the fall of Nero and the civil wars of 68 C.E. The first of these women, Domitilla, had died before Vespasian became emperor, but was honored on coins, first as a mortal and later as a Diva, or deified woman. Her identity is controversial, but I believe that |
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she was Vespasian’s wife and the mother of his two sons Titus and Domitian. Her role, of course was purely symbolic, but the other two women of the dynasty were very much alive, and often influenced the family’s fate, for good or ill. One was Julia, the daughter of the emperor Titus, and the other Domitia Longina, the wife of his younger brother Domitian. These were the first two women to share the title Augusta while both were still alive, and they must have felt some competition with one another. Popular gossip accused them, whether fairly or not, of also being rivals for the affections of Domitian after he succeeded to power, a situation probably aggravated by Domitian’s inept handling ofhis relationships with them. The coins that attempt to portray the Flavian dynasty as happy and harmonious were an unsuccessful effort at propaganda that was unable to counter the even more powerful forces of gossip. As such, they offer us an intriguing study of a public relations program that failed, a situation that has repeated itself many times in earlier and later history. |
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