Faustina I - Roman Empress Wife of Roman Emperor Marcus
Aurelius -
Bronze As 27mm Rome mint: 148-161 A.D.
Reference: RIC 1178 (Antoninus Pius), S 4648, C 114
DIVAFAVSTINA - Draped bust right.
AVGVSTA - Vesta standing left, holding Palladium and torch.
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Vesta was the
virgin goddess of the
hearth, home,
and family in
Roman mythology. Although she is often mistaken as analogous to
Hestia in
Greek mythology, she had a large, albeit mysterious, role in Roman religion
long before she appeared in Greece. Little is known about the goddess, since,
unlike other Roman deities, she went without mention in
myths.
Vesta's presence was symbolized by the
sacred fire that burned at her hearth and temples.
In
Greek and
Roman mythology, a
palladium
or palladion was an
image
of great antiquity on which the safety of a city was said to depend. "Palladium"
especially signified the wooden statue (xoanon)
of
Pallas Athena that
Odysseus
and Diomedes
stole from the
citadel of Troy
and which was later taken to the future site of
Rome by
Aeneas. The
Roman story is related in
Virgil's
Aeneid and
other works.
Annia
Galeria Faustina, more familiarly referred to as Faustina the Elder (Latin:
Faustina Major; born
September 21 about 100[citation
needed], died October or November 140[1]
), was a Roman Empress and wife of
Roman
Emperor
Antoninus Pius.
Faustina was the only known daughter of consul and prefect
Marcus Annius Verus and
Rupilia
Faustina. Her brothers were consul
Marcus Annius Libo and
praetor
Marcus Annius Verus. Her maternal aunts perhaps were Roman Empress
Vibia
Sabina,
Matidia Minor. Her paternal grandfather had the same name as her father and
her maternal grandparents possibly were
Salonina Matidia (niece of Roman Emperor
Trajan) and
suffect consul
Lucius Scribonius Libo Rupilius Frugi Bonus. Faustina was born and raised in
Rome.
As a private citizen, she married Antoninus Pius between 110
and 115. Faustina and Antoninus had a very happy marriage. Faustina bore
Antoninus four children, two sons and two daughters. They were:
-
Marcus Aurelius Fulvius Antoninus (died before 138); his
sepulchral inscription has been found at the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.
-
Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus (died before 138); his
sepulchral inscription has been found at the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.
His name appears on a Greek Imperial coin.
-
Aurelia Fadilla (died in 135); she married Aelius Lamia
Silvanus or Syllanus. She appears to have had no children with her husband
and her sepulchral inscription has been found in
Italy.
-
Annia Galeria Faustina Minor or
Faustina the Younger (between 125-130-175), a future Roman Empress; she
married her maternal cousin, future Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius. She was the only child who survived to adulthood.
On
July 10,
138, her uncle
emperor Hadrian
had died and her husband became the new emperor. Antoninus was Hadrian's adopted
son and heir. Faustina became Roman Empress and the senate accorded her the
title of
Augusta. Faustina as an empress was well respected and this beautiful
woman was renowned for her wisdom. The
Augustan History impugned her character, criticizing her as having
"excessive frankness" and "levity". However, this doesn’t appear to be the case
with her character. Throughout her life, Faustina as a private citizen and an
empress was involved in assisting with charities, assisting the poor and
sponsoring and assisting in the education of Roman children, particularly of
Roman girls.
She can be viewed as one of the most moral, stable and
respected empresses in the history of the
Roman
Empire. When Faustina died, Antoninus was in complete mourning for Faustina.
Antoninus did the following in memory of his loving wife:
-
Deified her as a goddess (her apotheosis was portrayed on an
honorary column)
-
Had
a temple built in the
Roman
Forum in her name, with priestesses in the temple.
-
Had various coins with her portrait struck in her honor.
These coins were inscribed DIVA FAVSTINA ("Divine Faustina")
and were elaborately decorated.
-
Founded a charity called Puellae Faustinianae or
Girls of Faustina, which assisted orphaned girls.
-
Created a new alimenta (see
Grain supply to the city of Rome).
In 2008, archaeologists digging at the ancient site of
Sagalassos
in Turkey
discovered a colossal marble head which is believed to be that of Faustina.[2]
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