Tertulla (wife of Crassus)

Tertulla was the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the richest man in Rome, and the mother of his two sons.^[1]

Biography

Tertulla had had a presumably childless marriage to one of Marcus Crassus' brothers before being widowed and subsequently married to him (either his elder brother Publius who died around 88 BC or his younger brother who died some time between 87 and 86 BC).^[2][3] This was highly unusual at the time in Rome but reflected well on her husband as it was considered dutiful and selfless.^[4] She and Crassus had two sons together, Marcus Licinius Crassus and Publius Licinius Crassus. Their marriage seems to have been a happy one despite her being a mistress of Julius Caesar.^[5] Crassus seems to have either not minded the affair or supported it as it may have helped his political position.^[4] He stayed faithful to her during their relationship.^[6] She may have also had other lovers outside of Caesar, as she had a reputation for infidelity. There were frequent jokes in Rome that one of her and Crassus' sons looked like a man by the name Axius from Reate.^[7]

Research

What family she came from is unknown,^[8][9] as the name Tertulla is a nickname for Tertia, the cognomen for a third daughter in Roman culture.^[10]

There has been speculation that this Tertulla may be the same as Junia Tertia,^[10] but this is highly unlikely to be the case since their ages and marriages seem to be incompatible, as well as the fact that Tertulla was a common nickname in Rome.^[11]

Cultural depictions

Tertulla appears as a character in

A fictionalized version of Tertulla appears in the television show Spartacus.^[19]

References