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Femina Princeps:Livia in OvidsPoetry

Sanjaya Thakur ColoradoCollegeSanjaya.Thakur@Colo radoCollege.edu

I. Introduction1

When one mentions the name Livia, a certain image, influenced byRoman historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, comes to mind!t is of an over"#rotective and domineering mother, $hom they accuseof attem#ting to eliminate %ugustan heirs, and even her o$n husband,through a variety of insidious machinations, $ith the goal of #romotingher son and increasing her o$n influence& This im#ression of Livia'sani" mosity even e(tends to her relationshi# $ith her son, Tiberius)odern scholars have also used this image of Livia to evaluate *vid'sinclusion of Livia in his te(ts as +a mistake' Ronald Syme re#eatedly

dismisses *vid'streatment of Livia $ith such #hrases as, the fre-uentobtrusion of Livia cannot have been to the liking of the .rince#s

/%ugustus0 or of

1 2 The te(tual editions used are as follo$s3 Ars Amatoria, 4enney 15617 Tristia, Luck15687 Epistulae ex Ponto, Richmond 15597 Fasti, %lton, Wormell and Courtney, 1558 Thetranslations are my o$n

& 2 :or e(am#le3 Tac Ann 1;, 197 Suet Tib ;9";17 Dio ;81&;"6 Suet Cal &
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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her son?A>7 cf 1>E for a similar o#inion, $ith regard to Livia'sa##earance inPont.!!!1 *ther negative inter#retations include 4enney 156;3 >1">5 $ith regard to Tr !6?7 johnson1558 on e(ile #oems?7 Luisi and @errino &919 %lso com#are herbert"@ro$n's 155>3 1

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 188

as $ell :inally, in Tiberius' reign, ! sho$ ho$ *vid's Livia is areflection of her continued #ublic #resence during the #eriod, and thatthe #oet's characteriBation $as not an affront to Tiberius, as critics havecharged

II. Early images ofLivia

The history of Livia'siconogra#hy is e(tremely com#le(,but its inclu"sion in this #a#er is crucial to understanding ho$ *vid imagined theim#erial family6 arly in her relationshi# $ith %ugustus 558&7 jose#hus 1819 Livia's#atronage of

allied cities and their causes is mentioned by =rether 15>63 &"196 also cf @arrett &99&3 1EE"&98? Livia also offered financial su##ort for $omen in need3Dio ;E&E, 1&

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in the early first century %D, Livia took on even more im#ortance inthe ideology of succession, for she embodied the link bet$een the firstand secondprin)eps

% fe$ select and re#resentative artistic e(am#les, de#icting Livia as$ife and mother and as a leading figure in the domus, dating $ell#rior to*vid'se(ile, attest to her longstanding #resence in im#erial imagery *neof the most famous images of Livia occurs on the %ra .acis1& The senateordered the erection of the %ra .acis to celebrate %ugustus'return fromS#ain and =aul in 1< @C7 its #anels dis#lay some of the most im#or"tant scenes of official #ublic art from the middle of %ugustus' reign1

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in a suppli)atio $as not unusual7 ho$ever the #rominence that is givento Livia attests to her singular#osition1E Livia's#lace before many malemembers of the domus, including Tiberius and Drusus, sho$s herrelative status and im#ortance, and ho$ %ugustan ideology #resentedher #osi" tion to the Roman #ublic

!n addition to her role in the #rocession, Livia's image sharestraits $ith the female goddess on the east #anel, $ho is de#icted as anursing mother7 this is an early e(am#le of Livia's association $ith thedivine15 Though the de#ictions are not identical, visual similaritiessuch as hairstyle and facial features? $ould allo$ observers to read

Livia into the goddess figure, and vice"versa %ttesting to thesignificance of the monument, *vid himself mentions the %ra .acist$ice in the Fasti, its dedication on january 7 Rose 15583 #l &97 @artman15553 E&"E

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While other domus members $ere in line to be %ugustus'successors,Livia continued to a##ear as #art of im#erial statue grou#s, though ourevidence is #redominantly from the =reek east There, t$o grou#sasso" ciate her $ith %gri##a'schildren&> Livia remains a central figure inthese #ieces7 she acts as the mater-amilias of the %ugustanhousehold&; her #resence beside %ugustus became the acce#ted norm%nd as im#erial cult activity gre$, she too received cult $orshi#follo$ing the tradition set in the hellenistic#eriod&6

These e(am#les demonstrate Livia's involvement in state cult andindicate her #resence in the #ublic s#here, dating $ell before *vid's

e(ile and %ugustus'ado#tion of Tiberius Livia $as cast as the femalee-uiva" lent of her husband a #henomenon reinforced by her

association $ith numerous monumental building #rojects, discussedbelo$?, a model for all $omen, and mater-amilias to the Roman state!n addition, the #ro" cess of assimilation $ith the divine $as $ellunder$ay Livia's#resence in *vid's#oems, then, should not come asa sur#rise7 in fact, $e should look for echoes of her characteriBation inim#erial discourse in his #oems These $ill be noted in the sectionsthat follo$, along $ith innovations *vid made in #resenting Livia inhis #oems

III. Livia in Ovidspre-exilicpoetry

Livia also #layed a role in various building #rojects, and it is inrelation to these monuments that *vid first includes her in his#oetry&8Thepor ti)us &i'iae $as located on the north slo#e of the *##ian hill onthe )li'ussuburbanus Livia is associated $ith the t$o building#rojects atthe same site7 the porti)us &i'iae and aedes Con)ordiae $ere bothdedicated in her name&E The #ortico $as dedicated in 8 @C as#art ofTiberius'trium#h,

Tiberius ):%, @oston 55195? that grants attributes of Fenus toLivia

&> 2 "%% 1E

&; 2 %nother e(am#le comes from .isaurum7 Livia, %ugustus and =aius $ere re#resented)useo *liveriano, .esaro? Whether this $as a statue grou# or not is debated7 see @artman 15553&& n &E

&6 2 4ornemann 15917 =rether 15>63 &&>7 also see Smith 15E8 and &91&

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 1E1

and the aedes Con)ordiae, located in its center, is generally assumed tohavebeen dedicated in the same year&5

!n book ! of the Ars Amatoria, amongst a list of locations $here onecould find $omen in Rome, *vid includes the #ortico of Livia3

nec tibi vitetur -uae#riscis s#arsatabellis #orticus auctoris Livia nomenhabet

nor should you avoid the #ortico $hich, inters#ersed$ith old #aintings, holds the name of its author,

Livia Ars Amatoria !81"8&?*vid'sfirst innovation $as to mention Liviaby name in his #oems

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.alatinus, as in the Ars ! #assage .eo#le kne$ $ho Livia $as7 herinclu" sion in *vid's#oems is merely reflective of the #rominence shehad attai" ned in %ugustan society and the #ublic #osition she held as amember of the domus and in Rome itself

!n the Fasti, in an entry celebrating the #atralia F!>83 1;"&; fordiscussions :or further commentary on the #assage see ne$lands155;3 &&6"&&5, &99&7 @archiesi15583 51"5&7 Little$ood &99&3 &95"&11, &9963 1E6"1E5 Dio ;;E&? re#orts that Tiberius and Livia co"dedicated the #ortico, but *viddoes not mention Tiberius herbert"@ro$n 155>3 1>;? and others eg ne$lands 155;3 88"8E?have argued that the su##ression of Tiberius'name indicates the#eriod in $hich *vid com#osed this

section of the Fasti" that #rior to his ado#tion by %ugustus *n the other hand, the #ortico isal$ays referred to as the porti)us &i'iae, not the porti)us &i'iae et Tiberii, so *vid may merely bereflecting %ugustan #ractice and convention :lory 15E>3 8"1>E !n associating )ater )atuta $ith Leucothea *vid follo$s Cicero Tus) 1&E, $./E, cf hyginusFab &, &&

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 1E S%nj%y%Th%4uR

Livia restituit, ne non imitata maritumesset et e( omni #arte secuta virum

Livia restored it, so that she might imitate her husbandand follo$ her s#ouse in every $ay Fasti F1;8"1;E?

%s in Ars Amatoria ! and the #rior Fasti entry cited, *vid namesLivia, but lines 1;8"1;E hel# to create an image of Livia as the femalee-uiva" lent to %ugustus Livia'sactivity here calls to mind the image of%ugustus refurbishing the city, and indeed foreshado$s %ugustus' o$nstatements about his restoration of tem#les %.". &9, lines that $ere

doubtless old ne$s to the citiBens of Rome even before %ugustus'

death? The brevity of the reference to the tem#le restituit? im#lies that*vid'sfocus is on the relationshi# bet$een %ugustus and Livia Livia isthe subject of the active verbs restituit and dedi)at7 thus *vid grants heragency in these #rojects yet she is still subordinate7 *vid states thatLivia imitates and follo$s her husband imitata, se)uta? The re#eatedreferences to %ugustus as husband maritum, 'irum? occu#y theem#hatic final#osition in both lines of the cou#let The litotes of ne nonstrengthens *vid's claims that Livia models her actions u#on those of%ugustus Ex omni parte e(tends Livia's charac" teriBation beyond therestoration theme, setting the stage for her to be the-emina prin)eps in alls#heres1 2 Wisso$a 151&3 &16"&15 *n the role of $omen in this cult activity see :antham &99&>& 2 :or e(am#le, herbert"@ro$n 155>3 11? identifies the Festal $ho

originally dedicated the tem#le of the @ona Dea as Licinia, the daughter of C Licinius Crassustribune of 1>;

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 1E;

is certainly valid to take the o##osite#ers#ective, namely that *vid $asundercutting Livia's official image, there is nothing overt to validatesuch a reading and thus ! believe there is no evidence to jum# to theconclusion that *vid $as attem#ting a negative #ortrayal Thealterations he made to each of the Fasti stories lead one to the o##ositeconclusion" that his versions of the stories make them more #alatableand congruous to im#e" rial themes of his day>>

IV. Livia in the epistles composed prior to ugustus

death

!n the Tristia andEpistulae ex Ponto *vid moves a$ay from associatingLivia $ith her #ublic monuments and focuses on her relationshi# $ithher husband and son She initially a##ears beside %ugustus as a modelfor #ro#er female behavior and a female figure to be emulated, andeventually a source for female #atronage Then, coinciding $ith

%ugustan advertise" ment of Tiberius'status as heir, *vid uses Livia to

forge a bond bet$een %ugustus and Tiberius>;

@C? and e(ecuted in 11>G3 1>; incorrectlystates that this is Livia'sfirst a##earance in the official state cult7 she ignores Livia's#rior association$ith the %ra .acis % revie$er suggests *vid'sversion of the myth highlights the im#erial family'sability to ada#t their o$n narrative and#ersonae in official discourse

>< 2 *ne might also consider the selection of the cult and its tem#le by %ugustus forrefurbishment7 by associating @ona Dea $ith his family, he can be imagined to be cleaning u# itssome$hat troubled #ast

>> 2 Livia also a##ears, anonymously, at #etamorphoses FE

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IV.A Livia as Augustusspouse and partner

!n a letter #raising his $ife Tristia !6?, *vid attributes his $ife's#iety and devotion to the fact that she follo$s Livia'smodel conduct>6Dating to a #eriod after the e(#ulsion of the julias and the #assage of%ugustus' marital legislation, such a characteriBation of Livia no doubtfalls in line $ith her #ublic #ersona>83

femina seu#rince#s omnes tibi culta #er annoste docet e(em#lum coniugis essebonae,adsimilem-ue sui longa adsuetudine fecit,

grandia si#arvis adsimilare licetor the female prin)eps $orshi#ed by you through all theseyears teaches you to be the e(am#le of a good $ifeand has made you similar to her by long admiration,if it is fitting to liken great things to small Tristia !6&;"&E?

%s %ugustus $as a model for all Roman males, *vid e(#licitlydefines Livia as the role"model for *vid's $ife and all $omen *vidclaims that %ugustus is bettered by his marriage to Livia, and similarly*vid'slot $ill be im#roved if his $ife emulates Livia *vid does notrefer to Livia by name, but #resents her as the female e-uivalent to%ugustus7 she is the -emina prin)eps>E The term is eye"catching, asthere is no evidence Livia $as ever referred to as such else$here !t is ausage that brings Livia into the male s#here, for #rior to *vid,prin)eps e(clusively refers to male figures>5 So Livia, as *vid #resentsher, is a contradictory character *n the one hand, by making her thefemale version of %ugustus, he grants her an e-uality of status @ut*vid restricts her#o$er in this scene to the female s#here, and else$herehe casts her acting in deference to %ugustus *vid breaks from #ublic#ractice, as $e have evidence that she had contact $ith senators andforeign leaders;9 Though there are inherent

and .annonia that %ugustus advertises Tiberius'status on his coinage %D 19G11?, at $hich time*vid too ackno$ledges %ugustus'heir in his #oems

>6 2 Tristia ! dates to the first year of *vid's e(ile %D 53 Syme 158E3 1 and hinds15553 1

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dangers in casting a $oman as *vid does in that he grants Livia as#ecial status?, his choice reflects the great care he gave to hischaracteriBation, and his desire to define Livia in relation to other femalefigures, $hile dis" tinguishing her from them and defining her in relationto her husband;1 When read in the broader conte(t of her #ublic

#ersona, *vid's de#iction actually a##ears restricted, and is onesu##orted by the historical record7 Livia's #rominence here is notris-u;&

The Senatus Consultum de Cn. Pisone Patre serves as an im#ortantdocument for our understanding of#olitical language and relationshi#s,

and illustrates a senatorial ackno$ledgement of Livia's #o$er asinterces" sor, restricting her role to the female s#here, as in *vid;1? johnson 15583 >11">1&concurs, dra$ing attention to nullo pia -a)ta magistro &

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magnis-ue? erga cui"us-ue? ordinis hominesbeneficis, -uae, cum iure merito-ue?#lurumum #osse in eo, -uoda senatu #eteret, deberet,#aucissume uteretur eo, et#rinci#is nostri summaeerga matrem suam #ietati suffragandum indulgendum-ue?esse remitti-ue?#oenam .lancinae#lacere

%nd /Tiberius0 interceded on behalf of .lancina at the re-uest of hismother, and received veryjust reasons, made to him by her, as to $hy

his mother $anted to obtain these concessions7 the senate deemed thatbothjulia %ugusta, $ho $as most deserving of the re#ublic not onlybecause she gavebirth to our#rince#s,but also because of her manyand great kindnesses to men of every order although she rightly anddeservedly should have the greatest influence in $hat she re-uestedfrom the senate, she used it most s#aringly and the very greatdevotion of our #rince#s to his mother should be su##orted andindulged7 and it $as the #leasure /of the senate0 that the #unishment of.lancinabe remitted

Senatus Consultum de Cn.Pisone Patre lines 11

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%s in the Tristia ! #assage, in Tristia !! *vid's diction stressesLivia's marriage to %ugustus !n a #rayer for the health of %ugustusand his family, *vid mentions Livia immediately after %ugustus andshe is the only family member named;63

Livia sic tecum sociales com#leat annos,-uae, nisi te, nullo coniuge digna fuit,-uae si non esset, caelebs te vitadeceret, nulla-ue cui#osses esse marituserat

So may Livia fill her years in union $ith you,she $ho $as $orthy of no husband e(ce#tyou, if she did not live, a celibate life $ould fityou,and there $as no one else $hom you could marry Tristia !!161"16>?

Coniugis, maritus, so)iales and )aelebs introduce the idea of com#a"nionshi# The treatment from the #ers#ective of both individuals furtherserves to bind the cou#le together7 *vid begins $ith %ugustus in theaccusative, te...te...te 161"16

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IV.B Livia, positioned between Augustus and

Tiberius

Livia does not a##ear in Tristia !!!, but does in Tristia !F $here *vidmoves from stressing Livia'smarital relationshi# to %ugustus to her rolelinking Tiberius to %ugustus;E Tiberius' a##earance in *vid's#oems follo$s coin issues, the #ublication of his victory in .annonia,and the announcement of his command in =ermany after the Fariandisaster;5 %lthough %ugustus ado#ted Tiberius in %D >, Tiberiuss#ent the vast majority of the time in the years that follo$edcam#aigning on the nor" thern frontier and received little attention inofficial #ro#aganda until the events mentioned just above Soon after,Tiberius did a##ear and *vid included him in his #oems beginningat Tr !!16;? Whether *vid needed to associate Tiberius $ith Liviais $orth consideration .revious#otential heirs $ere related to %ugustusbyblood Tiberius differed in that Livia $as his link to %ugustus Livia's#lace in characteriBing Tiberius as the singular choice to succeed%ugustus is im#ortant7 she $as the only constant besides %ugustus tosurvive through this #eriod %s #lans for succession evolved and#olitical changes trans#ired, *vid tailored his language a##ro#riately,using Livia to integrate Tiberius into the e(isting imagery and discourse

alongside familiar individuals Since Tiberius'$ife julia had been e(iled,no female figure e(ce#t Livia could associate him $ith %ugustus

During this #eriod %ugustus' health $as declining and the succession$as looming7 *vid like %ugustan #ro#aganda? uses Livia to su##ortTiberius'authority and claim to the #rinci#ate69

!n Tristia !F& *vid antici#ates Tiberius' trium#h over =ermany%t the outset of the #oem, *vid imagines a future victory sacrifice bythe male members of the im#erial house and follo$s $ith Livia andother female members of the household involved in the#re#arations forTiberius'trium#hant arrival3

cum-ue bonis nuribus #ro sos#ite Livia natomunera det meritis, sae#e datura, deis7et #ariter matres et -uae sine crimine

castos #er#etua servant virginitatefocos61

$ith her good daughters"in"la$ for her son'ssafety may Livia

;E 2 Syme 158E3 1, >65">89, dated to %D 19G1169 2 *n %ugustus'declining health in this #eriod see SuetAug E1"E&7 .ettinger &91&3 196"

198, 1

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give gifts to the deserving gods, as she often $ill give them7and like$ise the mothers and those $ho, $ithout stain on theircharacter, guard the chaste hearths in#er#etual virginity Tristia !F&11"1>?

*f all the family members *vid includes, he refers only to Livia byname This#assage makes e(#licit Livia'srole as mother and connectionbet$een %ugustus and Tiberius $uribus and nato 11? immediatelyconte(tualiBe Livia'smaternal role, but *vid does not sim#ly com#letethe image there The second line of the cou#let describes Livia'sbehavior in $orshi#ing the gods for Tiberius' health !n calling for

fello$ mothers of Rome to follo$ this behavior, these lines recast Livia's

role as exemplum differently from ho$ she is #ortrayed in the Tristia! #assage6& Liviabecomes a model for maternal behavior, in additionto marital behavior, even as she re#rises a role she #layed #reviously instate affairs !n looking for$ard, *vid looks back to Tiberius' earliertrium#h of 8 @C, recycling images, but u#dating the charactersinvolved6 The interte(t illustrates ho$ *vid ada#"ted language and #revious #resentations of the im#erial family to deve"lo#ments $hich trans#ired during the latter#art of %ugustus'reign *vidcarefully selected his model, for the conte(ts of the t$o #oems aresimilar, in that in both a victorious general is returning from the field6;horace's #ro(imity to %ugustus lets one assume that his #ortrayal andcharacteri" Bation of Livia therein $ere $ell"received and, thus,

objections to *vid's similar #resentation of Livia should be dismissed*vid de#icts almost the same action in Tristia !F& as in horace's#oem,

and the echoes are clear, des#ite slight differences in vocabulary !nhorace, Livia rejoices in her husband'sdeeds, $hile in *vid she rejoicesin Tiberius'3

6& 2 Pariter matres 1

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unico gaudens mulier marito#rodeat iustis o#erata divis,et soror cari ducis etdecorae su##lice vitta

virginum matres iuvenum-ue nu#ersos#itum vos, o #ueri et #uellaenon virum e(#ertae, male nominatis#arcite verbis

Let the $ife rejoicing in her incom#arable husbandadvance #erforming due ritual to the just gods,and the sister of the dear leader, and, adorned$ith a su##liant fillet,

the mothers of young $omen and young menrecently saved you, oboys and girls$ho have not had a husband, s#are using$ords of ill omen hor Carm !!!1>;"1&?

Livia #erforms a ritual in horace, as she does for Tiberius inTristia !F& ustis operata di'is 6? #arallels munera meritis deis Tr.!F&1&? *vid transfers sospitum 19? solely to Tiberius in Tristia !F&

line 11?, $hereash

orace uses it to refer to all Roman soldiers The#oems illustrate the changing dynamics of the im#erial family7 *ctaviaa##ears in horace line >? and neither she nor Livia are named *vid's#oem e(tends the domus to the younger generation Drusus and=ermanicus and their $ives Livilla and %gri##ina bonis nuribus? buthe only directly names Livia

)ost im#ortantly, the #assage #rovides insight into ho$ another#oet handled %ugustus' and Livia's marital history7 Livia $as#regnant $ith Ti Claudius nero'schild at the time of her divorce, andgave birth just three days before her marriage to %ugustus )any havecriti-ued *vid's re#eated em#hasis on their marriage, and his

descri#tion of Livia as %ugustus'one true #artner, but horacerefers totheir marriage in line ; of his (de nisbet and Rudd do not inter#retuni)o line ;? as a synonym of uni'ira, but it does conjure u# the imageof a singular relationshi# $hich *vid re#eatedly mentions66 horace's#oem and his #ro(imity to theim#erial family indicate that such terms could be used $ithout a##arentoffense68 Thus, *vid's re#eated #resentation of Livia as ane(em#lary

66 2n

isbetand Rudd &99>3 1E

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 15;;";6?

The offering of incense to the Caesars recalls Tristia !&19

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The vocabulary of the#assage also a##ears to calm fears about the future7in)olumnis im#lies safety from bodily injury and by e(tension for theRoman state8&

IV.C The in!uen"e o he!!enisti" !iterature and i#agery

!t should go $ithout saying that third century @C hellenisticcourt#oets, such as Theocritus and Callimachus, $ho com#osed in the courtof the .tolemies in %le(andria, gy#t, not only e(erted great influence on%ugustan #oets in terms of style and#oetics,but also #rovided a #oliticalvocabulary describing kingshi# and succession, a subject generally foreign

to earlier Roman literature Catullus, $riting a generation before *vid,translated Callimachus'Lock of @erenice for Catullus a mark of aes"thetic loyalty .ro#ertius refers to himself as the RomanCallimachusA, and the >th book of his #oems is modeled onCallimachus' Aetia :or horace, Firgil and *vid, hellenistic #oetsinfluenced their literary con" ce#tions of the#rinci#ate The influence ofhellenistic#oets u#on *vid has been noted, but sur#risingly little hasbeen $ritten in relation to the e(ile #oems8

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy 15;

#lar for all $omen QI X' O [JONI V J [MJHZMJNIK MMO_HI G [M[M`]ZNU]J\ ho$ outstanding among $omen of sense $as reno$ned@ereniceA, "

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redditus est nobis Caesar cum Caesare nu#er,-uos mihi misisti, )a(ime Cotta, dei7ut-ue tuum munus numerum, -uem debet, haberet,est ibi Caesaribus Livia iuncta suis

% Caesar $ith a Caesar $as recently receivedby me,gods $hom you sent to me, Cotta )a(imus,and that your gift has the number it ought,Livia is there ne(t to her Caesars Epistulae exPonto !!E1">?

*vid names Livia and she acts as the agent $ho links %ugustus and

Tiberius they are defined by suis The #arallelism bet$een %ugustusand Tiberius is the focus of the initial cou#let, but Livia is revealed tobe #laced bet$een the #air Line < es#ecially numerum +uem debet?validates her #rominent status The fact that, $ithout her, the familyand triad $ould be incom#lete testifies to a status that *vid cannot beinventing, and again recalls scul#tural grou#sE9 Later in the #oem *vidrefers again to Livia in the midst of a#rayer for %ugustus3

#er-ue tori sociam, -uae #ar tibi sola re#erta est,et cui maiestas non onerosa tua est,

and by the com#anion of your bed, $ho alone has been found e-ual to

you, and to $hom your majesty is not a burden Epistulae exPonto !!E&5"

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sic tibi mature fraterni funeris ultor#ur#ureus niveis filius instet e-uis

you also, s#ouse fitting a great husband,acce#t su##liant#rayers $ith a gentle earSo may your husband be safe, so may your grandsons along $ith their children,and $ith your good daughters"in"la$ the granddaughters they #roduce7so may Drusus, $hom fierce =ermany took fromyou, be the only one of your children to fall7so may your son, avenger of hisbrother'sdeathclad in #ur#le soon drive the sno$"$hitehorses Epistulae exPonto !!E>

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15E S%nj%y%Th%4uR

With your li#s you must #ray to the $ife of Caesar, 11>she $ho is outstanding in her virtue, lest venerable old agecrush our age in#raise of chastity3$ho, having thebeauty of Fenus, the character ofjunoalone has been found $orthy of the divine couch11E but the female prin)eps, $ho #roves that :ortune has the1&;#o$er of sight and has borne the false charge of blindnessthan $hom the $orld has nothing on earth morefamed from the sun'srising to its setting e(ce#t CaesarEpistulae exPonto !!!111>"11E,1&;"1&E?

*vid returns to the language of Tristia !6 cf )ulta, &;?, and onceagain she is -emina prin)epsE& @ut no$ Livia must be #rayed topre)anda,11>? and is $orthy digna, 11E? of a divine 1)aelesti, 11E? couchE;?, and to #rostrate herself before her immortalfeet ad non mortalis pedes, 1;9? *vid states that Livia $ill be $ella$are of her o$n #o$er before a co$ering )rs naso sentiet illa G temaiestatempertimuisse suam, 1;;"1;6?

%s the #oem closes *vid instructs his $ife to #ray cfpre)anda, 11>?to the Augustum numen, and that of Tiberius andLiviaE63

e -uibus ante omnis %ugustum numen adora#rogeniem-ue #iam#artici#em-ue tori

:rom them, and above all, $orshi# the s#irit of%ugustus, his #ious son and she $ho shares his bed

Epistulae exPonto !!!11616 rightly note that *vid sets his

characteriBation of Livia against a frame$ork of negative #aradigms The list including suchfigures as Scylla, Circe and )edusa? does further a #arallel to %ugustus, as he too ins#ires a$eand fear in *vid, just as Livia does, in some sense, for his $ife We might also think of Livia"junoin the conte(t of the %ugustan literature, for e(am#le in the Aeneid, $here the #arallel $ould be-uite ominous ho$ever, *vid's direct com#arisons to juno and Festa are far more reverentialand reflect as#ects of her character #romoted by %ugustan ideology for further discussion seeLarosa &91< ad loc? Colakis 15E8 has argued that Livia comes across unfavorably as an elegiacmistress in the #oem

E6 2 notethe symmetry $ithpre)anda, 11> and that *vid instructs his $ife only to #ray tothe numen of %ugustus, not the numina of all three figures he is dra$ing a distinction here

bet$een the status of %ugustus and that of Livia and Tiberius *n #rayer to Livia as #art of localcult activity cf C& !

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EE 2 *vid still has ros ackno$ledge his error at !!!

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EE 2 *vid still has ros ackno$ledge his error at !!!

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;;&>, ;;E& !t is the same trium#h *vid recalls in his imagined trium#h in Tr !F&

&99 S%nj%y%Th%4uR

Like$ise, in the follo$ing#oem,Pont !!!>, $hich *vid addresses toRufinus, he in-uires on the status of his +trium#h' #oemE5 near theend of the #oem *vid #redicts that another trium#h over the Rhinea$aits EE?7 in #resenting the u#coming trium#h *vid de#ictsevents from Livia's#oint of vie$3

-uid cessas currum #om#am-ue#arare trium#his,Livia dant nullas iam tibibella moras#erfida damnatas =ermania #roicit hastasiam #ondus dices omen habere meumcrede, brevi-ue fides aderit geminabit honoremfilius, et iunctis, ut #rius, ibit e-uis

Why do you hesitate to#re#are a chariot and#rocession for a trium#h,Livia %lready the $ars grant you no delayTreacherous =ermany casts do$n its accursed s#earsSome day soon you $ill say that my omen has$eight@elieve it, and in a little $hile its fulfillment $illbe near at hand your son$ill double his honor and $ill #roceed, asbefore, $ith yoked horsesEpistulae exPonto !!!>5;"199?

*vid addresses Livia directly The scene again takes us back to Livia'searlier #ublic a##earance in Tiberius'trium#h of 8 @C and is another

illustration of *vid u#dating a #ast image59 Utprius confirms this refe"renceTime and again *vid reaches back to the #ast and attem#ts to su#e"

rim#ose #rior events over current affairs This#ractice results in genericdescri#tions of imagined trium#hs, but also #rovides evidence that *vidrelied on u#dates gathered through #ersonal corres#ondence toconfirm his characteriBation of Livia and the im#erial family

V. Livia in the reign of !i"erius

%s ! stated at thebeginning of this #a#er, the general tendency among

scholars has been to criticiBe *vid's inclusion and characteriBation ofLivia ! have sho$n that *vid'sLivia reflects her#resence and im#ortance

in %ugustus' reign !n this section ! argue that the same is true for#oems $ritten during the reign of Tiberius Scholars have based theirnegative inter#retations of *vid's Livia in Tiberian"era te(ts on thesu##osed ani" mosity bet$een Tiberius and Livia %ncient historians dostress Tiberius' rejection of the honors decreed to Livia follo$ing%ugustus'death,but

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;;&>, ;;E& !t is the same trium#h *vid recalls in his imagined trium#h in Tr !F&

E5 2 =enerally agreed to bePont. !!1 See Syme 158E3 E

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy &91

Tiberius'actions must be #laced in conte(t51 heturned do$n honorsfor himself, such as the titlepater patriae and the re"naming of hisbirthmonth, november hisbehavior $ith regard to Livia must be vie$ed as#art of his #olicy to maintain %ugustan #recedent5& Tiberius did notremove Livia from the #ublic s#here !n fact, Livia remained a #ublicfigure in Rome, no$ as the $ido$ of a divinity and the mother of the

prin)eps ! have #reviously discussed her#resence in the SCPP %ugustus'$ill granted Livia the title julia %ugusta and one"third of %ugustus'#ro#erty57 Dio ;81&>";7 cf Suet Tib ;9&"

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&9& S%nj%y%Th%4uR

Livia's a##earances in the first book of the Fasti revised duringTiberius' reign? offer a starting #oint to challenge the assertion thatTiberius $ould have found *vid's Livia un#leasingA58 !n these#assages january 11th and 16th? *vid refers to Livia only by her ne$title and stresses her status as a mother We also must consider Livia'sinclusion in the Fasti in light of the fact that =ermanicus is thededicatee of the revised #oem Though Livia $as =ermanicus'grandmother, *vid does not #resent her as such, as the follo$ingcitations make clear *vid only mentions Livia in association $ithTiberius and never inde#endently *vid #rominently names Livia as

he did in relation to %ugustus and Tiberius in %ugustan"era #oems?,but uses only her ne$ nomenclature and a##ears to tread carefully innot giving her too much inde#endence *vid's characteriBation shouldbe ackno$ledged as his attem#t to reflect current discourse rather thanto antagoniBe Tiberius

*vid concludes his entry for the Carmentalia january 11th? $ithCarmentis, the mother of vander, #ro#hesying Livia'sdiviniBation5E3

ut-ue ego #er#etuis olim sacrabor in aris,sic %ugusta novum !ulia numen erit

and as ! one day $illbe sacrificed to at eternal altars,so julia %ugusta $illbe a ne$ divinity Fasti ! ;

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy &9 S%nj%y%Th%4uR

advantageous in some $ay see discussion of the #ortico in section threeabove? !n the second line of the cou#let *vid casts Livia as jove's$ife, juno The cou#let combines images seen Epistulae ex Ponto !!!1$here *vid associates Livia $ith the same #air of goddesses and usessimilar language to refer to her marriage19E :or a second time *vid#laces Livia after Tiberius in an entry, though in this case ane(#lanation #resents itself, for january 18th $as the anniversary of themarriage of Livia and %ugustus195 Line 6;9 alludes to that event @ut*vid subtly refers to the marriage anniversary7 the characteriBation ofLivia as alone 1sola? $orthy of %ugustus' betrothal reintroduces the

recurring issue of the circums" tances surrounding their marriage#erha#s a clue as to $hy *vid did not devote more detail to thefollo$ing anniversary?119 %lso, the marriage anniversary itself $as no$solely a Livian anniversary, so the subtle allu" sion is an a#t tribute111

Livia's#lace in the revisedbook ! is selective, but not e(cessive *vid#resents Livia in this book only $hen associated $ith Tiberius !t issigni" ficant that *vid does not mark the t$o #urely LivianAanniversaries in the month7 Livia receives no ackno$ledgement on herbirthday january1;7 ne$lands155;3

>>">87 herbert"@ro$n155>3 16&"18&111 2 *vid does not mention the&udiPalatini, held in honor of %ugustus, $hich began on

january 18th7 though $e do not kno$ the date of their foundation

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FE#$AP%$CEPS3 L!F!% !n*F!D'S .*TRy &9;

in %ugustus'$ill, that Livia has no$ become the#riestess of his cult !naddition, he refers to both Tiberius and Livia as numina11&3

stant #artier natus-ue #ius coniun(-ue sacerdosnumina iam facto non leviora deo

@oth the #ious son and the#riestess $ife stand sideby sidedivinities no less than he $ho has no$ been made a godEpistulae exPonto !F5198"19E?

Tiberius and Livia are no$ side by side pariter?, reflecting Livia'scontinued, eminent status and Tiberius' rise to prin)eps %ll three ofLivia's roles mother, $ife, and no$ #riestess are enca#sulated in oneline7 she has been transformed from-emina prin)eps to )oniunxsa)erdos

Livia's final a##earance in the e(ile e#istles is in Epistulae exPonto !F1

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&96 S%nj%y%Th%4uR

right to sit $ith the#riestesses of Festa in the theatre11;, and she isasso" ciated $ith the shrine to Festa relocated by %ugustus to the.alatine116

VI. #onclusion

%s the hierarchy of the im#erial family $as e(tended to becomethat of the state, Livia's role $ithin the %ugustan domus e(#andedbeyond the limes of the actual home %ugustus $as pater patriae andprin)eps of the state and Livia $as its mater patriae a title $e areinformed the senate attem#ted to grant her?, and in *vid's #oemsshe is -eminaprin)eps Livia #layed a #rominent role in family de#ictionsand in the narrative of succession, becoming the symbol for #ro#er,dignified female behavior, es#ecially follo$ing the affairs of thejulias118 With Tiberius' ado#tion and subse-uent succession to the#rinci#ate, she became mater in another, more literal, sense She alsogained more #o$er as the other %ugustan $omen ceased to be viableo#tions for #atronage Though she does not a##ear in %ugustus'%es"estae, the honors granted her in his $ill illus" trate that %ugustusenvisioned a continued role for Livia in the #ublic s#here During thereign of Tiberius Livia #ersonified the bond bet$een %ugustus and

Tiberius and associated the latter $ith a #o#ular and vene" rablefigure11E %s a result of her status and Tiberius'need to em#hasiBe hislegitimacy, Livia remained a significant #resence in the #ublic s#here,and in *vid's#oems she is eventually #ortrayed as a )oniunxsa)erdos

*vid balances innovation $ith traditional female stereoty#es in hischaracteriBation of Livia he refers to Livia by name, breaking from a

#oetic tradition $hich had never #reviously named her115 @ut herestricts Livia's#o$er to the female s#here, having only his $ife directlya##eal to her, and #ortraying Livia as a conduit to %ugustus We mustackno$ledge and consider the novelty of Livia's #osition in stateideology Livia had only received limited #oetic treatment #rior to *vid,

and in the majority of %ugustan #oetry females had been elegiacmistresses or enemies of the state *vid, then, had to #resent a female#ossessing#o$er in a #ositive

11; 2 TacAnn >16>116 2 *ne should also remember that the Festals carried out annual rituals at the %ra

.acis, $hich $as dedicated on Livia'sbirthday Festals eventually oversa$ Livia's cult after herdeificationby Claudius !n Pont.!!!1 *vid first com#ared Livia to Festa, and also referenced Livia's

pudi)itia 116? *vid stresses Livia's motherhood and pudi)itia here and in her other a##earancesa characteristic Tiberius' $ife julia did not #ossess?7 the re#eated em#hasis on Livia's characterdra$s attention to the female vacancy by Tiberius'side and serves to fill that void $ith a figure $horemained faithful to her husband, son and state

118 2 .urcell 15E67 Severy &99

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light !n including and characteriBing Livia in his #oems, *vid $as ableto rely on im#erial discourse for direction, as $ell as on Rome's longtra" dition of idealiBing certain feminine traits and $omen'srole $ithinthe household This #a#er has demonstrated that theories es#ousing*vid's overem#hasis of Livia are misguided !f these theories $erecorrect, $e $ould e(#ect there to be a declining #resence of Livia'simage in #ublic discourse and over the course of *vid's #oemsTiberius' actions, such as the dedication of objects $ith his mother andher a##earances on Tiberian coinage, demonstrate that, $ere there anyanimosity bet$een the #air, Tiberius $ent to great lengths officially to

disguise it % far more likely scenario not only ackno$ledges herinfluence and #ublic #osition, but also Tiberius' maintenance of her#resence to firmly establish continuity and authority in his #rinci#ate

$or%s #ited%lton D , Wormell and Courtney eds?, 1558?, Publius ('idius

$aso!Fastorum&ibri Sex >th ed?, Lei#Big@arbantani S, &911?, Callimachus on 4ings and 4ingshi#A, in @ %costa"hughes, L Lehnus and S Ste#hens eds?, 6rill7s Companion toCallima)hus, Leiden,## 18E"&99

@archiesi %, 1558?, The Poet and the Prin)e8 ('id and Augustan/is)ourse,@erkeleyGLos %ngeles

@archiesi %, &996?, Women on To#3 Livia and %ndromacheA, in R =ibson,S =reen and % R Sharrock eds?, The Art o- &o'e8 6imillennial Essayson ('id7sArs Amatoria and%emedia Amoris, *(ford, ## 56"1&9

@archiesi %, &911?, Roman CallimachusA, in @ %costa"hughes,L Lehnus andS Ste#hens eds?,6rill7sCompanion to Callima)hus, Leiden, ## ;11";

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&9E S%nj%y%Th%4uR

Coarelli :, 158>?, "uida ar)heologi)a di%oma, FeronaColakis ), 15E8?, *vid as prae)eptor amoris in Epistulae Ex Ponto

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=reen S j, &99>?, ('idFasti 6?, Livia and the !m#erial CultA,A4P 683 &&&"&;&

=riffin ), 1558?, The Senate'sStoryA, 4%S E83 &>5"&6?, /ieFrauen des r@mis)hen aiserhauses und ihre Ehrungen imgrie)his)hen (sten anhand epigraphis)her und numismatis)her Beugnisse 'on&i'ia bis Sabina, Saarbrken

hanell4, 1569?, Das *#fer des %ugustus an der %ra .acisA, (p%om &3

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&19 S%nj%y%Th%4uR

ur augusteis)hen &iteratur und ihren Trans-ormationen. Fests)hri-t -Gr Ulri)hS)hmiter sum >= "eburtstag, =ttingen, ## 65"E9

4unst C, &99E?,&i'ia8 #a)ht undntrigen am *o- des Augustus, Stuttgart4uttner % L, 155;?,/ynasty andEmpire in theAge o-Augustus8 the Case o-the

6os)oreale )ups, @erkeleyGLos %ngeles

La Rocca , 15E

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.ollacco L, 1569G1?, La festa della .ace nell'%ra .acisA,Atti5en 1153 69;"6>&

.ollini j, 158E?, Studies inAugustan I*istori)alJrelie-s, .hD diss, universityofCalifornia, @erkeley

.ollini j, 155

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&1& S%nj%y%Th%4uR

Scullard h h, 15E1?,Festi'als and Ceremonies o- the %oman %epubli), LondonSevery @, &99

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anker ., 15EE?, The Po:er o- mages in the Age o- Augustus, % Sha#iro

Trans?, %nn %rbor

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