Julia Drusilla (16 September AD 16 – 10 June AD 38) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, who, after her death, had her deified under the name Diva Drusilla Panthea, and named his daughter Julia Drusilla after her.
Drusilla was born in Abitarvium, modern day Koblenz, Germany. Besides the future emperor she also had two other brothers, Nero Julius Caesar and Drusus Caesar, as well as two sisters, Julia Livilla and the later empress Agrippina the Younger. She was a great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus and empress Livia, grand-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, niece of the Emperor Claudius, and aunt of the Emperor Nero. After the death of her father, Germanicus, she and her siblings were brought back to Rome by their mother and raised with the help of their paternal grandmother, Antonia Minor.
Marriages
In 33, Drusilla was married to Lucius Cassius Longinus, a friend of the Emperor Tiberius.[1] She and Cassius are not known to have had any children.[a] After Caligula became emperor in 37 he ordered their divorce and married his sister to his friend, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.[4]
During an illness in 37, Caligula changed his will to name Drusilla his heir,[5] making her the first woman to be named heir in a Roman imperial will. This was probably an attempt to continue the Julian line through any children she might have, leaving her husband to rule in the meantime.[6] Caligula recovered however, and in 38, at the age of twenty-one, Drusilla died.[4][7] Her brother went on to deify her, consecrating her with the title Panthea (all-goddess) and mourning at her public funeral as though he were a widower.[5][8]
Reputation
Reportedly, Drusilla was her brother's favorite. There also are rumors that they were lovers, with the two reportedly having been together while they were still underage.[9] If true, that role probably gained her great influence over Caligula. Although the activities between the brother and sister might have been seen as incestuous by their contemporaries, it is not certain whether they were sexual partners. Even if their relationship was not sexual, their close relationship was still very public. Caligula would treat her as if she was his "legal wife" even while she was married. Drusilla earned a rather poor reputation because of the close bond she shared with Caligula and even was likened to a prostitute by later scholars, in attempts to discredit Caligula.[10]
Some historians suggest that Caligula was motivated by more than mere lust or love in pursuing intimate relationships with his sisters, thinking instead, that he may have decided deliberately to pattern the Roman lineage after the Hellenistic monarchs of the Ptolemaic dynasty where marriages between jointly ruling brothers and sisters had become tradition rather than sex scandals. This also has been used to explain why his despotism apparently was more evident to his contemporaries than those of Augustus and Tiberius.
The source of many of the rumors surrounding Caligula and Drusilla may be derived from formal Roman dining habits.[10] It was customary in patrician households for the host and hostess of a dinner (or in other words, the husband and the wife in charge of the household) to hold the positions of honor at banquets in their residence. In the case of a young bachelor being the head of the household, the female position of honor traditionally was to be held by his sisters, in rotation. In Caligula's case, Agrippina the Younger, Drusilla, and Julia Livilla would have taken turns sitting in the place of honor. Apparently, Caligula broke with this tradition and reserved the place of honor exclusively for Drusilla. This could also be explained by Caligula wanting to have her in a place of prominence in public after naming her his heir.[11]
Another reason for the rumors of incest that surrounded Drusilla and Caligula could be due to attempts to discredit Caligula's leadership after his death. The most popular source of these rumors comes from Suetonius, a Roman historian and writer who was not born until 28 years after Caligula's death. He wrote that "[Caligula] lived in habitual incest with all his sisters" and that the two had once been caught together by their grandmother, Antonia.[1]
Death and aftermath
Inscription found at Caere (Etruria), dedicated to deified Drusilla, sister of Caius Augustus, whose name is cancelled. CIL XI, 3598
Drusilla died on 10 June 38 AD, probably of an illness that was rampant in Rome at the time. Caligula was said never to have left her side throughout her illness and, after she had died, he would not let anyone take away her body.
Caligula was badly affected by the loss. He buried his sister with the honours of an Augusta and acted as a grieving widower. He had the Roman Senate declare her a Goddess, as Diva Drusilla, deifying her as a representation of the Roman goddess Venus or the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Drusilla was consecrated as Panthea, most likely on the anniversary of the birthday of Augustus.[10]
In addition the other honors she was given after her death by Caligula, he also declared a period of mourning. During this time, it became a capital crime to laugh, bathe, or dine with your parents, spouse, or children.[9]
A year later, Caligula named his only known daughter, Julia Drusilla, after his dead sister. Meanwhile, the widowed husband of Drusilla, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, reportedly became a lover to her sisters, Julia Livilla and Agrippina the Younger, in an apparent attempt to gain their support so that he could succeed Caligula. This political conspiracy was discovered during that autumn by Caligula while in Germania Superior. Lepidus was swiftly executed and Livilla and Agrippina were exiled to the Pontine Islands.
Cultural references
In the Robert Graves novel, I, Claudius, the narrator of the story states that he believes that Drusilla was killed by Caligula, although he admits that he does not have firm evidence of this.
This theme was embellished considerably in the 1976 BBC television adaptation of I, Claudius, where Drusilla was played by Beth Morris. A pregnant Drusilla was subjected to a brutal Caesarean section by an insane Caligula, who swallows the child off-camera as Chronos did his children. A subsequent shot depicting Caligula and his blood-soaked beard was cut from the episode before broadcast in the United States, but has since been restored in later VHS and DVD releases. A closing shot of Drusilla's body has been lost however.[citation needed]
Teresa Ann Savoy played Drusilla in the 1979 motion pictureCaligula, which showed a version of Drusilla dying from a fever, followed by a scene of Caligula licking her corpse in mourning, and then having sexual intercourse with Drusilla one last time in an act of necrophilia. The last scene was deleted from all the released versions of the film.[citation needed]
^Some historians have tentatively speculated that she could have been the mother of Cassia Longina, mother of empress Domitia Longina,[2] but this theory is not endorsed to any extent. Ronald Syme believes that if Cassia was a daughter of Lucius then she was so by a later wife.[3]
References
^ abSuetonius, The Lives of the Caesars, "Life of Caligula", 21.
^Fraser, Trudie E. (2015). "Domitia Longina: An Underestimated Augusta (c. 53-126/8)". Ancient Society. 45: 210. JSTOR 44080008.
^Syme, Ronald (1989). The Augustan Aristocracy (illustrated and revised ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 187. ISBN9780198147312.
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January 09, 2023
julia, drusilla, other, uses, disambiguation, september, june, member, roman, imperial, family, second, daughter, fifth, child, germanicus, agrippina, elder, survive, infancy, favorite, sister, emperor, caligula, after, death, deified, under, name, diva, drusi. For other uses see Julia Drusilla disambiguation Julia Drusilla 16 September AD 16 10 June AD 38 was a member of the Roman imperial family the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula who after her death had her deified under the name Diva Drusilla Panthea and named his daughter Julia Drusilla after her Julia DrusillaDivaDrusilla Statens Museum for KunstBorn16 September AD 16Abitarvium GermaniaDied10 June AD 38 aged 21 Rome ItalySpouseLucius Cassius LonginusMarcus Aemilius LepidusPosthumous nameDiva Drusilla PantheaDynastyJulio ClaudianFatherGermanicusMotherAgrippina the Elder Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Marriages 2 Reputation 3 Death and aftermath 4 Cultural references 5 Ancestry 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksBiography EditEarly life Edit Drusilla was born in Abitarvium modern day Koblenz Germany Besides the future emperor she also had two other brothers Nero Julius Caesar and Drusus Caesar as well as two sisters Julia Livilla and the later empress Agrippina the Younger She was a great granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus and empress Livia grand niece of the Emperor Tiberius niece of the Emperor Claudius and aunt of the Emperor Nero After the death of her father Germanicus she and her siblings were brought back to Rome by their mother and raised with the help of their paternal grandmother Antonia Minor Marriages Edit In 33 Drusilla was married to Lucius Cassius Longinus a friend of the Emperor Tiberius 1 She and Cassius are not known to have had any children a After Caligula became emperor in 37 he ordered their divorce and married his sister to his friend Marcus Aemilius Lepidus 4 During an illness in 37 Caligula changed his will to name Drusilla his heir 5 making her the first woman to be named heir in a Roman imperial will This was probably an attempt to continue the Julian line through any children she might have leaving her husband to rule in the meantime 6 Caligula recovered however and in 38 at the age of twenty one Drusilla died 4 7 Her brother went on to deify her consecrating her with the title Panthea all goddess and mourning at her public funeral as though he were a widower 5 8 Reputation EditReportedly Drusilla was her brother s favorite There also are rumors that they were lovers with the two reportedly having been together while they were still underage 9 If true that role probably gained her great influence over Caligula Although the activities between the brother and sister might have been seen as incestuous by their contemporaries it is not certain whether they were sexual partners Even if their relationship was not sexual their close relationship was still very public Caligula would treat her as if she was his legal wife even while she was married Drusilla earned a rather poor reputation because of the close bond she shared with Caligula and even was likened to a prostitute by later scholars in attempts to discredit Caligula 10 Some historians suggest that Caligula was motivated by more than mere lust or love in pursuing intimate relationships with his sisters thinking instead that he may have decided deliberately to pattern the Roman lineage after the Hellenistic monarchs of the Ptolemaic dynasty where marriages between jointly ruling brothers and sisters had become tradition rather than sex scandals This also has been used to explain why his despotism apparently was more evident to his contemporaries than those of Augustus and Tiberius The source of many of the rumors surrounding Caligula and Drusilla may be derived from formal Roman dining habits 10 It was customary in patrician households for the host and hostess of a dinner or in other words the husband and the wife in charge of the household to hold the positions of honor at banquets in their residence In the case of a young bachelor being the head of the household the female position of honor traditionally was to be held by his sisters in rotation In Caligula s case Agrippina the Younger Drusilla and Julia Livilla would have taken turns sitting in the place of honor Apparently Caligula broke with this tradition and reserved the place of honor exclusively for Drusilla This could also be explained by Caligula wanting to have her in a place of prominence in public after naming her his heir 11 Another reason for the rumors of incest that surrounded Drusilla and Caligula could be due to attempts to discredit Caligula s leadership after his death The most popular source of these rumors comes from Suetonius a Roman historian and writer who was not born until 28 years after Caligula s death He wrote that Caligula lived in habitual incest with all his sisters and that the two had once been caught together by their grandmother Antonia 1 Death and aftermath Edit Inscription found at Caere Etruria dedicated to deified Drusilla sister of Caius Augustus whose name is cancelled CIL XI 3598 Drusilla died on 10 June 38 AD probably of an illness that was rampant in Rome at the time Caligula was said never to have left her side throughout her illness and after she had died he would not let anyone take away her body Caligula was badly affected by the loss He buried his sister with the honours of an Augusta and acted as a grieving widower He had the Roman Senate declare her a Goddess as Diva Drusilla deifying her as a representation of the Roman goddess Venus or the Greek goddess Aphrodite Drusilla was consecrated as Panthea most likely on the anniversary of the birthday of Augustus 10 In addition the other honors she was given after her death by Caligula he also declared a period of mourning During this time it became a capital crime to laugh bathe or dine with your parents spouse or children 9 A year later Caligula named his only known daughter Julia Drusilla after his dead sister Meanwhile the widowed husband of Drusilla Marcus Aemilius Lepidus reportedly became a lover to her sisters Julia Livilla and Agrippina the Younger in an apparent attempt to gain their support so that he could succeed Caligula This political conspiracy was discovered during that autumn by Caligula while in Germania Superior Lepidus was swiftly executed and Livilla and Agrippina were exiled to the Pontine Islands Cultural references EditIn the Robert Graves novel I Claudius the narrator of the story states that he believes that Drusilla was killed by Caligula although he admits that he does not have firm evidence of this This theme was embellished considerably in the 1976 BBC television adaptation of I Claudius where Drusilla was played by Beth Morris A pregnant Drusilla was subjected to a brutal Caesarean section by an insane Caligula who swallows the child off camera as Chronos did his children A subsequent shot depicting Caligula and his blood soaked beard was cut from the episode before broadcast in the United States but has since been restored in later VHS and DVD releases A closing shot of Drusilla s body has been lost however citation needed Teresa Ann Savoy played Drusilla in the 1979 motion picture Caligula which showed a version of Drusilla dying from a fever followed by a scene of Caligula licking her corpse in mourning and then having sexual intercourse with Drusilla one last time in an act of necrophilia The last scene was deleted from all the released versions of the film citation needed Ancestry EditAncestors of Julia Drusilla16 Tiberius Claudius Nero8 Tiberius Claudius Nero17 Unknown4 Nero Claudius Drusus18 Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus9 Livia Drusilla19 Alfidia2 Germanicus20 Marcus Antonius Creticus10 Mark Antony21 Julia5 Antonia Minor22 28 Gaius Octavius11 Octavia Minor23 29 Atia1 Julia Drusilla12 Lucius Vipsanius6 Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa3 Agrippina the Elder28 22 Gaius Octavius14 Augustus29 23 Atia7 Julia the Elder30 Lucius Scribonius Libo15 Scribonia31 SentiaSee also EditJulio Claudian family treeNotes Edit Some historians have tentatively speculated that she could have been the mother of Cassia Longina mother of empress Domitia Longina 2 but this theory is not endorsed to any extent Ronald Syme believes that if Cassia was a daughter of Lucius then she was so by a later wife 3 References Edit a b Suetonius The Lives of the Caesars Life of Caligula 21 Fraser Trudie E 2015 Domitia Longina An Underestimated Augusta c 53 126 8 Ancient Society 45 210 JSTOR 44080008 Syme Ronald 1989 The Augustan Aristocracy illustrated and revised ed Clarendon Press p 187 ISBN 9780198147312 a b Cassius Dio 59 11 1 a b Suetonius The Lives of the Caesars Life of Caligula 24 Susan Wood Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula American Journal of Archaeology 99 1995 p 459 Suetonius The Lives of the Caesars Life of Caligula 24 2 Cassius Dio 59 11 1 5 a b Suetonius 2020 02 04 How to Be a Bad Emperor An Ancient Guide to Truly Terrible Leaders Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 20094 1 a b c Wood Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula pp 457 482 Stark Haley January 2 2020 Senatorial Bias in the Portrayal of Gaius Caligula Further reading EditEdmund Groag Arthur Stein Leiva Petersen edd Prosopographia Imperii Romani saeculi I II et III Berlin 1933 I 664External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Julia Drusilla Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Julia Drusilla amp oldid 1120515292, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
