Julia (daughter of Tigranes VI of Armenia)
Encyclopedia
Julia was a Herodian Princess
who lived in the 1st century and possibly in the 2nd century in the Roman Empire
.
She was of Jewish
, Nabataean
, Edomite
, Greek
, Armenian
and Persian ancestry
. She was the daughter of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia
and his wife Opgalli. Her father in the spring of 58 was crowned as King of Armenia by Roman Emperor
Nero
in Rome
and ruled there until 63. Julia had a brother called Gaius Julius Alexander
, who was the Roman Client King of the Kingdom of Cetis. The Kingdom of Cetis was a small region in Cilicia
.
Her paternal grandparents were the Judean Prince Alexander
and his unnamed wife. Through her father, Julia was the great, granddaughter of Cappadocia
n Princess Glaphyra
and Judean Prince Alexander
. Julia was the great, great granddaughter of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
, King of Judea Herod the Great
and his wife Mariamne
. Julia along with her brother and father were last the known descendants of the Kings of Cappadocia.
Little is known on Julia’s life. She was an apostate
to Judaism
. It is unlikely that Julia attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics. Julia at an unknown date married a Roman Senator
called Marcus Plancius Varus
. Varus was a prominent and wealthy Roman, who came from a distinguish family in Galatia
and his family owned large estates in Galatia. Varus served as a Proconsul
in Bithynia
and later in Pontus
during the reign of Roman Emperor
Vespasian
who ruled in the Roman Empire 69-79.
After Varus finished his time serving as a Proconsul, Varus and Julia settled and lived in Perga
the capital of the Roman province
of Pamphylia
. Julia became a priestess and served in the temple of the Ancient Greek Goddess Artemis
in Perga. Artemis was the most important Goddess in Perga.
Julia bore Varus two children who were:
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
who lived in the 1st century and possibly in the 2nd century in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
She was of Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Nabataean
Nabataeans
Thamudi3.jpgThe Nabataeans, also Nabateans , were ancient peoples of southern Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus , gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea...
, Edomite
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
, Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Persian ancestry
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. She was the daughter of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI, also known as Tigran VI or by his Roman name Gaius Julius Tigranes was a Herodian Prince and served as a Roman Client King of Armenia in the 1st century....
and his wife Opgalli. Her father in the spring of 58 was crowned as King of Armenia by Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and ruled there until 63. Julia had a brother called Gaius Julius Alexander
Gaius Julius Alexander
Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince that lived in the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire.Alexander was of Jewish, Nabataean, Edomite, Greek, Armenian and Persian ancestry. He was the son of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia and his wife Opgalli...
, who was the Roman Client King of the Kingdom of Cetis. The Kingdom of Cetis was a small region in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
.
Her paternal grandparents were the Judean Prince Alexander
Alexander (grandson of Herod the Great)
Alexander, also known by his Roman name Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince.Alexander was the second born son of Alexander and Glaphyra. His oldest brother was called Tigranes and had a younger unnamed sister. His father Alexander was a Judean Prince, of Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite...
and his unnamed wife. Through her father, Julia was the great, granddaughter of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
n Princess Glaphyra
Glaphyra
Glaphyra was an Anatolian Princess from Cappadocia and through marriage was related to the Herodian Dynasty. -Family and early life:Glaphyra was a royal princess of Greek, Armenian and Persian descent. Her father was the Roman ally king Archelaus of Cappadocia, her only natural sibling was her...
and Judean Prince Alexander
Alexander, son of Herod
Alexander, son of Herod was born about 35 BC; died about 7 BC. His mother was the Hasmonean princess Mariamne.The unfortunate fate which persistently pursued the Hasmonean house overtook this prince also. As heir presumptive to the throne by right of descent on his mother's side, he was sent to...
. Julia was the great, great granddaughter of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
, King of Judea Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
and his wife Mariamne
Mariamne (second wife of Herod)
Mariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus...
. Julia along with her brother and father were last the known descendants of the Kings of Cappadocia.
Little is known on Julia’s life. She was an apostate
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. It is unlikely that Julia attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics. Julia at an unknown date married a Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
called Marcus Plancius Varus
Marcus Plancius Varus
Marcus Plancius Varus was an Anatolian Roman noble who lived in the 1st century in the Roman Empire. His paternal ancestors were originally from Latium in Central Italy. They had immigrated to Anatolia in the time of the late Roman Republic. Varus came from a local, wealthy family who were...
. Varus was a prominent and wealthy Roman, who came from a distinguish family in Galatia
Galatia
Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
and his family owned large estates in Galatia. Varus served as a Proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
in Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
and later in Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
during the reign of Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
who ruled in the Roman Empire 69-79.
After Varus finished his time serving as a Proconsul, Varus and Julia settled and lived in Perga
Perga
Perga was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia and the capital of Pamphylia, now in Antalya province on the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Today it is a large site of ancient ruins east of Antalya on the coastal plain. Located there is an acropolis dating back to the Bronze Age...
the capital of the Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Pamphylia
Pamphylia
In ancient geography, Pamphylia was the region in the south of Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus . It was bounded on the north by Pisidia and was therefore a country of small extent, having a coast-line of only about 75 miles with a breadth of...
. Julia became a priestess and served in the temple of the Ancient Greek Goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
in Perga. Artemis was the most important Goddess in Perga.
Julia bore Varus two children who were:
- Son, Gaius Plancius VarusGaius Plancius VarusGaius Plancius Varus was a Roman who lived between the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire. Varus was the son of Roman Senator, Proconsul Marcus Plancius Varus and the Herodian Princess Julia. His sister was Plancia Magna and was the maternal uncle to Gaius Julius Plancius Varus Cornutus...
, who became a Roman Senator and served as a consul during the reign of Roman Emperor HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
, who reigned 117-138. Gaius like his father became a prominent patron and prominent citizen in Perga. - Daughter, Plancia MagnaPlancia MagnaPlancia Magna was a prominent woman from Anatolia who lived between the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire.-Ancestry, family, and early life:...
. Plancia Magna married a man of Roman Senatorial rankRoman SenateThe Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
from Perga, a local citizen called Gaius Julius Cornutus TertullusGaius Julius Cornutus TertullusThere were two Romans of Senatorial rank with the name Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries in the Roman Empire...
. Cornutus Tertullus and Plancia Magna had a son called Gaius Julius Plancius Varus CornutusGaius Julius Plancius Varus CornutusGaius Julius Plancius Varus Cornutus was a man of Roman Senatorial rank who lived in the Roman Empire in the 2nd century.Cornutus was the son and only child of Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus and Plancia Magna. His paternal grandparents were the Proconsul and Suffect Consul Gaius Julius Cornutus...
, who was Julia and her husband’s only grandchild. Plancia Magna like her father and brother became a prominent patron and prominent citizen in Perga.
Sources
- http://www.iznik.bel.tr/bld-gov/eng/eistkapi.htm
- http://www.serifyenen.com/heritage_Summer2005.asp
- acsearch.info ancient coin search engine: Kings of Armenia