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GNEA SEIA HERENNIA SALLVSTIA BARBIA ORBIANA AVGVSTA: Roman Empress (225 - 227 A.D.)
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ORBIANA: HER STORY
by Andrew Iberius
Note to the reader: this article is not completed yet and it will be gradually developing along with this web site. In particular, there is a plenty of images lined up, they will be posted soon. Feel free to follow our progress and if you would have any questions, feel free to ask !
We don't know too many historical facts about Augusta Orbiana. In a concise form her story can be summarized in these words.
Her full name was Gnea Seia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana. She was a daughter of a senator Seius Sallustius, that explains two of her names Seia and Sallustia, given as derivatives from her father’s name, (old Roman tradition of naming children). In 225 A.D. she married Alexander Severus, the last Roman emperor of Severan dynasty. This marriage was devised by Alexanders’ mother, Julia Mamaea. Same year the Senate decreed Orbiana a title of Augusta. It could be a perfect marriage of a young and righteous emperor and beautiful princess, if not the intrusion of mother-in-law. Sounds familiar? Mamaea became jealous of Orbiana’s title of Augusta. Apparently old Empress preferred to keep all imperial titles for herself, so the Senate decreed her titles Mother of the Armies, of the Senate and of the State and, of course, Augusta, not to mention that by fact she was mother of young, brilliant and beloved emperor. Burned by jealousy, Mamaea treated her daughter-in-law so bad, that Orbiana was compelled to seek refuge in her father’s home. This didn't help the young Empress, so her father went to Praetorian camp, asking for protection. Sallustius’ move was viewed by Mamaea as a conspiracy to kill her son (we will discuss this event later). Under the lead of Mamaea, Senate condemned Sallustius to death. Orbiana, who was innocent, was punished by removal of her title, divorce and exile to Lybia.
 Augusta Orbiana, a photo robot based on multiple coin engravings (the original litograph image used for this portrait is from Ref. 1). Solarized picture of Orbiana's marble head from Louvre, Paris is reproduced in the top right corner of the page. |
Alexander, as an Emperor, had an absolute power, and essentially could turn down those orders, but he didn’t. There are reasons to believe that while Alexander loved his wife, he could not resist his mother, who brought him to his imperial throne and, furthermore, was leading him through his reign. How many times such lead paved a straight road to a catastrophe? So Alexander and his mother were not spared. In 235 A.D. Alexander and Mamaea were leading the army to pacify revolt in Gaul. Maximinus, a general of Alexander's army, who was born in poor herder's family in Pannonia [2] and was gradually promoted to his rank by Alexander, decided to take his chance to the throne. On March 19 the emperor's road camp near Moguntiacum (Maintz) was attacked by a band of Pannonian soldiers, led by Maximinus. Mamaea confronted the soldiers and tried to stop them, but they were not looking for a ransom. After mother and son were slain Maximinus was proclaimed an Emperor. |
According to the legend the last words of Alexander, who faced his assassins brandishing the swords soaked in his mother’s blood (they cut her into pieces in front of his tent) were that finally Mamaea’s covetousness has undone him [3].
That’s about the whole story of Orbiana, or is it? That is a question which can be asked almost about any person of antiquity. Yes, there are some uncertainties in this legend. So, let’s revisit the story and see for ourselves, how much all that makes sense. In order to review the known facts, we will be posting questions and see how far we can get with the answers.
How do we know this story, what are the sources? The reign of Alexander Severus was important enough to the history of Western world, not to be well documented by the historians of antiquity. So, the facts of his life and his virtues are described by Cassius Dio, Herodian, Zosimus, and Lampridius, Alexander's biographer. Neither of them mentions Orbiana as Alexander’s wife, or in any other capacity! As a result, modern scholars believed for a long time that Barbia Orbiana was a wife of Emperor Trajanus Decius, or, perhaps, of his younger son Hostilianus [3]. Now we know that Decius' wife was Herennia Etruscilla, while the story of their son, Hostilianus, who died from plague in age of under or about 20, is not known too well. Thus, the narrative about Orbiana given above is in a good agreement with Ref. 3, excepting that this reference, based primarily on account of Lampridius, in fact does not give a name of banished Empress. It provides some detail of her life, like the story about auctioned jewelry, and tells the sad tale of her father's demise with only difference that the name of rebellious senator was Varius Marcianus or Varius Macrinus [4] and not Seius Sallustius. Orbiana is mentioned as Alexander's wife though, but just mentioned in a reference to Zosimus notion that Alexander had 3 wives! So why do we believe that the story of banished Empress is the story of Orbiana?
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First, how do we know her name, or to be precise, all her names, if she was not mentioned by ancient historians? Her names were inscribed on monuments and coins (like one shown here). The legend on obverse of our coin goes SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, so only three names revealed (SALL apparently stands for abbreviated Sallustia). Some coins though, especially Greek coins of Orbiana, bear full list of her names [5]. So, her name was known for a while, but how she was associated with Alexander? Same way: the hypothesis that she was wife of Decius was disproved by discovery of brass medallion, bearing heads of Orbiana and Severus Alexander, as wife and husband [5,6]. Notably, among Roman coins of this type some show Julia Mamaea obverse: that's the |
The reverse of sestertius from front page. Picture shows Alexander (left) and Orbiana clasping hands, the legend says CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM. Out of 3 wifes of Alexander only Orbiana was honored by coins like this. Or, to be more precise, only Orbiana as Augusta appeared on any of Alexander's coins.
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way to treat mother-in-law! One of such coins was sold at Sotheby's in 1897 for £26.00 [6]! Finally, the coins carry Orbiana's title, Augusta (see "AVG" at the one on our front page) - therefore, most likely she was that wife of Alexander Severus, who had the title, and so, fell victim of old Empress jealousy. Another wife of Alexander, Memmia, apparently never carried the title [3,4]. As for the third wife - she is just unknown and her very existance is put under question [4]. So, what kind of evidence show these coins of Orbiana? First, Orbiana was the only wife of Alexander, ever shown on any coins, which tells that she was apparently the most beloved of Alexander's wifes [4]. And, second, as the only known Alexander's wife with the title of Augusta, Orbiana most likely is the banished Empress. |
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Second question, who was Orbiana's father: Varius Marcianus [3], Varius Macrinus [4], or Seius Sallustius? The name hints on the last one, but, perhaps, Marcianus or Macrinus were just his other names [4]? Please, do not expect the certain answer here, at first, let's just think about his rebellion. We have to admit that running for help to Praetorian camp was a very bad idea, especially in the eyes of Julia Mamaea. Why? Because that's how she got her imperial power when her sister, Julia Soaemias and nephew Elagabalus were slain by Praetorian guards on March 11, 222 and the reign of the empire passed to her son Alexander and herself (Elagabalus appointed Alexander as his heir and that sealed his fate). Moreover, before Mamaea's nephew Elagabalus (a.k.a. Heliogabalus) became an emperor, the imperial throne was occupied for 14 months by usurper Marcus Opellius Macrinus (no relationship to Orbiana), who took power also by a coup while being a prefect of Praetorian guard. On April 8, 217 Macrinus killed Mamaea's cousin,
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Caracalla and cause the suicide of Julia Domna, her aunt. Thus, the mothers of Severan dynasty stayed close to their sons, and died with them: Julia Domna and Caracalla, Julia Soaemias and Elagabalus, Julia Mamaea and Alexander. Even more in common, all three mother-son duocracies were finished by their own soldiers, whose sole purpose was to protect them! (Or fight on their side, like it was in case of Mamaea and Alexander.) So, seeking protection in Praetorian camp in year of 227 was a dangerous idea. Even the fact that Orbiana was the only Augusta out of three Alexander's wifes hints on the possibility that her father indeed had an influence on the Senate and, perhaps, the whole plot was contemplated quite ahead of time - perhaps before the marriage, which could happen as early as in 224 A.D. [7]. |
Julia Mamaea and Alexander Severus, mother and son, who ruled Rome together and died together (the original litograph images used for this picture are from Ref. 1).
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Another factor, which could have an effect on the whole event were actual dates of preceded assasinations. Year 227 carried a black mark for Mamaea, and surely, Mamaea was aware of this omen. Let's take a look at the assasination dates: 217 (Caracalla - Domna) - 222 (Soaemias - Elagabalus) - 227 looked like this time it was coming for Mamaea - Alexander: the fatal years were separated by five year periods. And even the dates were close too: April 8 - March 11 - ? [8]. Mamaea was surely aware of those numbers. Dying from a natural cause was a rare gift of destiny for a Roman emperor [9], and Mamaea had more than enough reasons for being superstitious. And prepared. Truly, she and her son survived the coup of 227, they won eight more years to live. It is also worth noting that the assasination of 335 happened on March 19.
More facts about Seius Sallustius, Memmia and place of Orbiana's exile will be posted soon
REFERENCES AND COMMENTS
[1] Roman Imperial Profiles Enlarged From Coins, by J. E. Lee, London, Longmans, Green and Co, 1874, p. 76-78.
[3] Pannonia according to Ref. 3, other possible places of Maximinus origin are Thracia and Moesia. Maximinus started his military career under Septimius Severus, but he was promoted to General rank by Alexender. Remarkably, the death of Alexander and reign of Maximinus opened the so-called crisis of 3rd century. Maximinus himself was the first barbarian to become Roman emperor (his father was Goth). During 3 years of his reign Maximinus never set foot in Rome.
[3] The Roman Empresses, or the History of the Lives and Secret Intrigues of the Wives of the Twelve Caesars in Two Volumes, by Jacques Roergas de Serviez, Bysse Molesworth, London, The Walpole Press, 1849, Vol. 2, pp. 145 – 157.
[4] The Life of Alexander Severus, by R.V. Nind Hopkins, Cambridge at the University Press, 1907, 56 - 58.
[5] Imperial Greek Coins, The Gentleman's Magazine by Sylvanus Urban, Vol. III, William Pickering, John Bowyer Nichols and Son, 1835, 26.
[6] The English Illustrated Magazine, Our London Letter, Vol. XVII, The Illustrated London News, Limited, 1897, p. 224.
[7] Hopkins (Ref.2) attributes second "liberalitas" of Alexander in 224 A.D. to possible marriage to Orbiana, pp. 157,158.
[8] Question mark is posted here for the actual date of coup d'etat attempt of 227, A.I..
[9] Mentioned above Hostilianus is a rare example of this exception, but he died young.
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