Ulpia Marciana (August 48 – 112) was the beloved elder sister of
Roman Emperor Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
and grandmother of empress
Vibia Sabina
Vibia Sabina (13 August 83–136/137) was a Roman Empress, wife and second cousin once removed to the Roman Emperor Hadrian. She was the daughter of Matidia (niece of Roman Emperor Trajan) and suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus.
Early li ...
the wife of
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...
. Upon her death her brother had her
deified.
Life
She was the eldest child born to Roman woman
Marcia and the Roman senator
Marcus Ulpius Traianus. Her second name ''Marciana'' she inherited from her mother's paternal ancestors. Her birthplace is unknown.
Marciana married
Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus
Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus (died 78) was a Roman Senator who lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century during the reign of Vespasian (r. 69–79).
Life
Patruinus came from a wealthy family of Vicetia (modern Vicenza, northern Ita ...
. Patruinus was a wealthy man, who served as a
praetor
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...
and later became a senator. He originally came from Vicetia (modern
Vicenza) in northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
). She bore Patruinus a daughter
Salonia Matidia
Salonia Matidia (4 July 68 – 23 December 119) was the daughter and only child of Ulpia Marciana and wealthy praetor Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus. Her maternal uncle was the Roman emperor Trajan. Trajan had no children and treated her like ...
, who was born on 4 July 68. Patruinus died in 78 and Marciana never remarried. After Patruinus' death, Marciana and Matidia went to live with Trajan and his wife.
After 105, her brother awarded her with the title of
Augusta. She was the first sister of a Roman Emperor to receive this title. Marciana did not accept this at first, but her sister-in-law, the Empress
Pompeia Plotina, insisted that she take the title. She thus became part of the official imperial iconography and her statue was placed together with Trajan's and Plotina's over the
Arches of Trajan in
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
. Marciana was very close to Trajan and Plotina.
Marciana would often travel with her brother and assist him in decision-making. Throughout the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
, Marciana was honored with monuments and inscriptions in her name. There are two towns that Trajan founded in her honor in the Roman Empire. The first town was called ''Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi'' (modern
Timgad,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
) and was founded around 100. This town was also named after the late parents of Marciana and Trajan. The other town was founded in 106 and was called
Marcianopolis (which is now a part of modern
Devnya,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
). Marciana died between 112 and 114 and was
deified by the Senate at Trajan's behest.
See also
*
Ulpia gens
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marciana, Ulpia
48 births
110s deaths
Ulpii
1st-century Roman women
2nd-century Roman women
Deified Roman women
Augustae