Acme (, died 5 BCE) was a Jewish slave and personal maid in the service of the Empress

Livia Drusilla Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

, wife of Caesar Augustus.

Biography

Little is known about Acme's early life, other than she was a slave in the service of Empress Livia. She comes to prominence later in life when she was embroiled in a family conflict between

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renova ...

and his son Antipater, which took place during the final nine years of Herod's life. Whilst Antipater was living in Rome, he recruited Acme to forge letters from Salome, his aunt and Herod's sister, to Empress Livia. Acme's part in the conspiracy was discovered when a letter between Antipater and Acme was intercepted. This letter described plan to forge incriminating letters which would lead to the execution of Salome by Herod. The purpose of the letters was to make Herod believe that Salome was conspiring against him by writing to important people in Rome. Herod denounced the events to Emperor Augustus and, as a result, Acme was executed in 5 BC. Her death was reported to Herod by Caesar in a letter. After her death, Augustus allowed Herod to decide on the fate of Antipater; on returning to Judea, he executed his son immediately, five days before his own death.

Historiography

The story of Acme's role in the Herod's family feud is related by

Titus Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

in ''

The Antiquities of the Jews ''Antiquities of the Jews'' ( la, Antiquitates Iudaicae; el, Ἰουδαϊκὴ ἀρχαιολογία, ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the re ...

'' and in '' The War of the Jews.'' However there are discrepancies between how the story is related between the texts.Kushnir-Stein, Alla
"Another Look at Josephus’ Evidence for the Date of Herod’s Death."
''Scripta Classica Israelica'' 14 (1995): 73-86. The execution of Acme is also used as evidence to date Herod's death more closely.

References

{{authority control 5 BC deaths 0s BC in the Roman Empire Ancient Jewish women 1st-century BCE Jews Emperor's slaves and freedmen House slaves Executed writers Executed ancient Roman women 1st-century BC executions People executed for forgery Herod the Great Livia Women slaves

Biography

Historiography

See also

References