Julia Balbilla
Julia Balbilla | |||||
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Princess of Commagene | |||||
Born | AD 72 Rome, Roman Empire | ||||
Died | after AD 130 | ||||
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House | Orontid | ||||
Father | Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes | ||||
Mother | Claudia Capitolina |
Julia Balbilla (Greek: Ἰουλία Βαλβίλλα, AD 72 – after AD 130) was a Roman noble woman and poet.[1] Whilst in Thebes, touring Egypt as part of the imperial court of Hadrian, she inscribed three epigrams which have survived.[2]
Family and early life
Balbilla's family were well-connected members of the royal family of the
Balbilla's parents were distant cousins. Claudia Capitolina's paternal grandmother was Aka II of Commagene, the great-granddaughter of
Balbilla's maternal grandfather, after whom she was named, was
.Balbilla's paternal grandparents,
The family later moved to Athens where Balbilla's father, Epiphanes, died in AD 92 of unknown causes. Capitolina then returned to Alexandria where she married Marcus Junius Rufus, a Roman politician. Capitolina spent her remaining years in Alexandria. Balbilla lived with her for a time then returned to the home of her brother, Philopappos, in Athens.
Despite her aristocratic life, Balbilla's status in Rome may not have been secure as her father was not a senator. However, Philopappos did become a senator, serving as a consul until AD 109.[5] When Philopappos died in AD 116, Balbilla built for him a burial monument, the Philopappos Monument, on Musaios Hill, south-west of the Acropolis in Athens. Later, Balbilla married an aristocrat in Athens with no issue.
The Epigrams
Balbilla was a court poet and friend of
The first and second epigrams tell the story of a mythical king of
made immortal. Balbilla is not addressing Memnon but is flattering Hadrian and Sabina.When the August Hadrian Heard Memnon
Memnon the Egyptian I learnt, when warmed by the rays of the sun,
speaks from Theban stone.
When he saw Hadrian, the king of all, before rays of the sun,
he greeted him - as far as he was able.
But when the Titan driving through the heavens with his steeds of white,
brought into shadow the second measure of hours,
like ringing bronze Memnon again sent out his voice.
Sharp-toned, he sent out his greeting and for a third time a mighty roar.
The emperor Hadrian then himself bid welcome to
Memnon and left on stone for generations to come.
This inscription recounting all that he saw and all that he heard.
It was clear to all that the gods love him.
When with the August Sabina I Stood Before Memnon
Memnon, son of Aurora and holy Tithon,
seated before Thebes, city of Zeus,
or Amenoth, Egyptian King, as learned.
Priests recount from ancient stories,
greetings, and singing, welcome her kindly,
the August wife of the emperor Hadrian.
A barbarian man cut off your tongue and ears:
Impious Cambyses; but he paid the penalty,
with a wretched death struck by the same sword point
with which pitiless he slew the divine Apis.
But I do not believe that this statue of yours will perish,
I saved your immortal spirit forever with my mind.
For my parents were noble, and my grandfathers,
the wise Balbillus and Antiochus the king.
When on the first day
We didn't hear Memnon
Yesterday Memnon received [Hadrian's] wife in silence,
so that the beautiful Sabina might come back here again.
For the lovely form of our queen pleases you.
When she arrives, send forth a divine shout,
so the king won't be angry with you. As it is now,
you've fearlessly detained for too long his noble wedded wife.
And Memnon, trembling at the power of Hadrian,
suddenly spoke, and she rejoiced to hear it.
Balbilla dedicates the third epigram to her parents and grandfathers and to her noble bloodline.
For pious were my parents and grandfathers:
Balbillus the Wise and King Antiochus;
Balbillus, the father of my mother of royal blood and King Antiochus, the father of my father. From their line I too draw my noble blood,
and these verses are mine, pious Balbilla.
After her poetry, no more is known about Balbilla.
A fourth epigram, in
Demo
Son of Aurora, I greet you. For you addressed me kindly,
Memnon, for the sake of the Pierides, who care for me,
song-loving Demo. And bearing a pleasant gift,
my lyre will always sing of your strength, holy one.
Nerva–Antonine family tree
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Notes:
Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.
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References:
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Ancestry
Ancestors of Julia Balbilla | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fictional references
- The Emperor by Georg Ebers (1880).[13]
- The Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar (1951)
- Opus Gemini (part of the Romanike series) by Codex Regious (2014).[14]
- The Glass Ball Game radio play (part of the Caesar! series by Mike Walker.[15]
Further reading
- Julia Balbilla (2010) by Patricia Rosenmyer.[16]
- Matrona Docta: Educated Women in the Roman Élite from Cornelia to Julia Domna (2004) by Emily Ann Hemelrijk.[17]
- Memoirs of Hadrian (1951) by Marguerite Yourcenar.[18]
- Early Roman Rule in Commagene by Michael A. Speidel [19]
- Hellenism and Empire: Language, Classicism, and Power in the Greek World, AD 50-250 (1996) by Simon Swain.[20]
- Amalia Cirio, Gli epigrammi di Giulia Balbilla, Pensa Multimedia, 2011.
- Patricia A. Rosenmeyer, The Language of Ruins: Greek and Latin Inscriptions on the Memnon Colossus (2018).
- Some images of the epigrams available at: https://egiptomaniacos.foroactivo.com/t4845-colosos-de-memnon-graffiti and http://nefertiti-returns.blogspot.com/2009/09/graffiti-carved-on-foot-of-memnon.html
References
- ISBN 0806136219, 9780806136219
- ISBN 0198030002, 9780198030003
- ^ Rowlandson J. Women and Society in Greek and Roman Egypt: A Sourcebook. Cambridge University Press, 1998 p310
ISBN 0521588154, 9780521588157
- ^ Lamour D. H. J. and Wilson K. (ed.) An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers, Volume 1 Taylor & Francis, 1991, p 74
ISBN 0824085477, 9780824085476.
- ISBN 0521840627, 9780521840620.
- ISBN 0674030958, 9780674030954.
- ISBN 0198185022, 9780198185024
- ISBN 0195176138, 9780195176131.
- ISBN 1317591275, 9781317591276.
- JSTOR 4352060.
- OCLC 53375124.
- ^ "A List of Women Authors from the Ancient World". Sententiae Antiquae. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ISBN 1434412644, 9781434412645.
- ISBN 1502542374, 9781502542373.
- ^ Caesar BBC Radio 4 website. Accessed 15 August 2015.
- ISBN 9780415430067.
- ISBN 0415341272, 9780415341271.
- ISBN 0-374-52926-4.
- ^ Speidel M. A. Early Roman Rule in Commagene Archived 2015-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Mavors Institut, Basel. PDF.
- ISBN 0198147724, 9780198147725