Maternal megalomania : Julia Domna and the imperial politics of motherhood / Julie Langford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Langford, Julie, 1967-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Julia Domna, Empress, consort of Severus, Lucius Septimius, Emperor of Rome, -217.

Julia Domna.

Julia Domna, Empress, consort of Severus, Lucius Septimius, Emperor of Rome, -217--Public opinion.

Public opinion.

Rome--History--Severans, 193-235.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

History.

Rome--Politics and government--30 B.C.-284 A.D.

Politics and government.

Motherhood--Political aspects--Rome.

Motherhood.

Imperialism--Social aspects--Rome.

Imperialism.

Ideology--Political aspects--Rome.

Ideology.

Political culture--Rome.

Political culture.

Popular culture--Rome.

Popular culture.

Public opinion--Rome.

Physical Description:

xi, 203 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013.

Summary:

How the maternal image of the empress Julia Domna helped the Roman empire rule. -- Ancient authors emphasize dramatic moments in the life of Julia Domna, wife of Roman emperor Septimius Severus (193-211). They accuse her of ambition unforgivable in a woman, of instigating civil war to place her sons on the throne, and of resorting to incest to maintain her hold on power. In imperial propaganda, however, Julia Domna was honored with unprecedented titles that celebrated her maternity, whether it was in the role of mother to her two sons (both future emperors) or as the metaphorical mother to the empire. Imperial propaganda even equated her to the great mother goddess, Cybele, endowing her with a public prominence well beyond that of earlier imperial women. Her visage could be found gracing everything from state-commissioned art to privately owned ivory dolls. In Maternal Megalomania, Julie Langford unmasks the maternal titles and honors of Julia Domna as a campaign on the part of the administration to garner support for Severus and his sons. Langford looks to numismatic, literary, and archaeological evidence to reconstruct the propaganda surrounding the empress. She explores how her image was tailored toward different populations, including the military, the Senate, and the people of Rome, and how these populations responded to propaganda about the empress. She employs Julia Domna as a case study to explore the creation of ideology between the emperor and its subjects.

Contents:

Introduction

Julia Domna, who?

Carving the niche : Methodologies and Evidence

Severan Dynastic Propaganda and Julia Domna

Pay no attention to the mother behind the screen, 193-195

Metaphorical Motherhood, 195-211

Mater Augustorum, Mater Senatus, Mater Patriae, 211-217

Putting Ducks into Rows

chapter 1. Not Your Momma : Problematizing Julia Domna as the Mater Castrorum

Women and the Military

Faustina Minor : The Mother of all Matres Castrorum

The Military and the Domus Augusta : All in the Family?

Severus and Mater Castrorum

Severus and the Military (and Julia Domna)

About Face!

Conclusion

chapter 2. Romancing Romans : Julia Domna and the Populus Romanus

The Nature of the Sources

The Princeps and the Plebs

The Roman Populace, Public Demonstrations and Divine Inspiration

Severan Propaganda and the Urban Plebs

Julia Domna in Severan Propaganda

Severus, the populus Romanus and the Collegia

And Julia Domna?

But what does it all mean?

chapter 3. Senatorial Savior : Julia Domna as Protectress

Natural Rivals : Imperial women and the Senate

Severus' Senate

Creating Consensus in the Senate : Wooing, Marginalizing and Exterminating

Negotiating Dynasty : Maternal Megalomania and Senatorial Subversions

Moderating Maternal Megalomania

Murder, Mayham and Rumor : Renegotiating Ideology

Conclusion: On the dangers of taking ideology too seriously

Appendix A: Hoard Details of the Severan Hoard Analysis Database

Appendix B: Frequency of coin types of Julia Domna in Hoards around the Mediterranean.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781421408477

1421408473

OCLC:

809926088