Publius Septimius Geta (father of Septimius Severus)

Publius Septimius Geta (fl. 2nd century, c. 110 – 171)

Africa (East of Tripoli in modern Libya).^[2]

Early life

Geta was of

Carthaginian Empire, founded by Phoenicians. His father, Lucius Septimius Severus (c. 70 – aft. 110) was sufes and prefectus when Leptis was made a colonia and its inhabitants were granted citizenship under Trajan; Lucius was the first duumvir of the new colonia (IRT 412). He is likely the wealthy equestrian that is highly commemorated by the Flavian dynasty poet Statius (Silvae 4.5, 4.praef.). Geta's paternal grandparents were Marcus Septimius Aper (born c. 35), and possibly an Octavia.^[4] Geta also had a sister named Septimia Polla, who apparently never married; Geta honored her memory with a silver statue.^[5]

While Geta seems to have held no political offices, either local or imperial, other members of his family were distinguished. He had two cousins, who served as Consuls under Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius: Gaius Septimius Severus, suffect consul in 160; and Publius Septimius Aper, suffect consul in July 153.^[6] Another relative of his was Gaius Septimius Severus Aper, ordinary consul in 207.^[5]

Family

Geta married Fulvia Pia (c. 125 – bef. 198), a woman of Roman descent belonging to the

Italian patrician family that originated in Tusculum.^[7]

He died after his son Septimius had achieved the rank of

Baetica to serve as proconsul, i.e. in 171. Septimius was forced to return to Africa to settle his father's affairs.^[8]

Severan dynasty family tree

v
t
e
Severan family tree

Septimius Macer

Gaius Claudius Septimius Aper Fulvius Pius Lucius Septimius Severus

Publius Septimius Aper Gaius Septimius Aper Fulvia Pia Publius Septimius Geta Septimia Polla Julius Bassianus

Septimius Publius Septimius Geta Septimia Octavilla Paccia Marciana (1) Septimius Severus
(r. 193–211)^[i] Julia Domna (2) Julia Maesa Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus

Gaius Septimius Severus Aper Fulvia Plautilla Caracalla
(r. 197–217)^[ii] Geta
(r. 209–211)^[iii] Julia Soaemias Sextus Varius Marcellus Julia Avita Mamaea Unknown^[iv] (2)

Julia Cornelia Paula (1) Aquilia Severa (2 and 4) Elagabalus
(r. 218–222)^[v] Annia Faustina (3) Sallustia Orbiana Severus Alexander
(r. 222–235)^[v]

(1) = 1st spouse

(2) = 2nd spouse

(3) = 3rd spouse

(4) = 4th spouse

Dark green indicates an emperor of the Severan dynasty

Notes:

Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.

^ Birley, Anthony R. (1999). Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London: Routledge. p. i.

^ Burrell, Barbara (2004). Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors. p. 216.

^ Burrell, Barbara (2004). Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors. p. 247.

ISBN 978-1-84885-362-1
.

^ ^a ^b Gibbon, Edward; Smith, William (1889). The Student's Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. pp. 45–47.

Bibliography:

Birley, Anthony R. (1999). Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London: Routledge.
ISBN 0415165911
.

Gibbon, Edward; Smith, William (1889). The Student's Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: Murray.
OCLC 993285639
.

References

^ Platnauer, Maurice, The life and reign of the Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus

^ Historia Augusta, "Severus", 1.2; 2.3. A.R. Birley, Septimius Severus: The African Emperor, revised edition (New Haven: Yale University, 1988), pp. 215, 218

ISBN 978-1-4443-0296-7
. Retrieved 7 November 2020.

^ Birley, Septimius Severus, pp. 218f

^ ^a ^b Birley, Septimius Severus, p. 214

^ Birley, Septimius Severus, pp. 214, 219

^ Adam, Alexander, Classical biography,Google eBook, p.182: FULVIUS, the name of a "gens" which originally came from Tusculum (Cic. Planc. 8)

^ Historia Augusta, 2.3; translated in Anthony Birley, Lives of the Later Caesars (Hammondsworth: Penguin, 1976), pp. 202f

External links

http://www.roman-emperors.org/sepsev.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20000819000400/http://www.roman-empire.net/decline/sept-severus.html

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Septimius_Severus*.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20080108231453/http://www.ga.k12.pa.us/academics/MS/8th/romanhis/Forum/mattb/severus/index.htm

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Publius_Septimius_Geta_(father_of_Septimius_Severus)&oldid=1216099472"

[9] Birley, Anthony R. (1999). Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London: Routledge. p. i.

[10] Burrell, Barbara (2004). Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors. p. 216.

[11] Burrell, Barbara (2004). Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors. p. 247.

[12] ISBN 978-1-84885-362-1
.

[gibbon-13] Gibbon, Edward; Smith, William (1889). The Student's Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. pp. 45–47.

[1] Platnauer, Maurice, The life and reign of the Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus

[2] Historia Augusta, "Severus", 1.2; 2.3. A.R. Birley, Septimius Severus: The African Emperor, revised edition (New Haven: Yale University, 1988), pp. 215, 218

[3] ISBN 978-1-4443-0296-7
. Retrieved 7 November 2020.

[4] Birley, Septimius Severus, pp. 218f

[Birley-214-5] Birley, Septimius Severus, p. 214

[6] Birley, Septimius Severus, pp. 214, 219

[7] Adam, Alexander, Classical biography,Google eBook, p.182: FULVIUS, the name of a "gens" which originally came from Tusculum (Cic. Planc. 8)

[8] Historia Augusta, 2.3; translated in Anthony Birley, Lives of the Later Caesars (Hammondsworth: Penguin, 1976), pp. 202f

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