Lollia (wife of Aulus Gabinius)
Lollia was an Ancient Roman noblewoman. She was the wife of Roman general Aulus Gabinius. She was also a mistress of Julius Caesar.
Lollia | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Known for | Wife of Aulus Gabinius, mistress of Julius Caesar |
| Spouse(s) | Aulus Gabinius |
| Children | Aulus Gabinius Sisenna |
Biography
Lollia was a Plebeian of the gens Lollia.[1] She may have been a daughter of Marcus Lollius Palicanus, who was tribune of the plebs in 71 BC. Lollia married Aulus Gabinius and they had the son Aulus Gabinius Sisenna together.[2] Some time during their marriage she became a mistress of Julius Caesar.[3] Lollia does not seem to have suffered any loss of public image or marriage issues because of the affair.[4]
She and her husband are both mentioned in a letter from Cicero in which he implies that they both were sexually involved with the revolutionary Catiline, and that Gabinius might have pimped her out.[5]
Cultural depictions
Lollia appears in the historical novel Respublica: A Novel of Cicero's Roman Republic by Richard Braccia. In the book it is described by another character that Gabinus won Caesar's trust by letting him have sex with Lollia.[6] The affair is also depicted in the novel Lustrum by Robert Harris.[7]
See also
- List of Roman gentes
- Women in Rome
References
- Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, De Vita Caesarum, Caesar, 50.
- Aulus Gabinius Sisenna article at ancient library Archived September 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- Prudence J. Jones; Cleopatra: A Sourcebook - page: 49
- Susan Treggiari; Servilia and her Family - page: 108
- Susan Treggiari; Servilia and her Family - page: 104
- Richard Braccia; Respublica: A Novel of Cicero's Roman Republic - page: 452
- Robert Harris; Lustrum: (Cicero Trilogy 2) - page: 389
Further reading
- Pompey the Great: A Political Biography
- Richard S. Williams; The Role of "Amicitia" in the Career of A. Gabinius (Cos. 58)
- Rawson, Elizabeth (1991). Roman culture and society: collected papers. Clarendon Press.