Imperial Women and the Evolution of Succession Ideologies in the Third Century
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School July 2020 Embodying the Empire: Imperial Women and the Evolution of Succession Ideologies in the Third Century Christina Hotalen University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons Scholar Commons Citation Hotalen, Christina, "Embodying the Empire: Imperial Women and the Evolution of Succession Ideologies in the Third Century" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/8452 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Embodying the Empire: Imperial Women and the Evolution of Succession Ideologies in the Third Century by Christina Hotalen A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Julie Langford, Ph.D. William Murray, Ph.D. Sheramy Bundrick, Ph.D. Matthew King, Ph.D. Alex Imrie, Ph.D. Date of Approval: July 2, 2020 Keywords: Numismatics, Epigraphy, Material Culture, Digital Humanities Copyright © 2020, Christina Hotalen ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is quite an understatement to say that it takes a village to write a dissertation. This was written during a global pandemic, civic unrest, and personal upheavals. However, to quote a dear friend, “non bellum, sed completum est.” I could not have ventured into and finished such a monumental undertaking, and at such a time, without my very own village. I would first like to thank Julie Langford, my advisor, mentor, and confidant, without whose support and guidance this dissertation would not be what it is today. Julie saw something in me five years ago that I clearly did not know I was capable of doing. She enthusiastically encouraged me to apply for my Ph.D and has been there offering the same support and enthusiasm since the very beginning. During the writing of this dissertation, she gave every draft, no matter how rough it was, careful review and attention. I recognize that this is something that not many professors do for their students. Julie’s commitment to me and my research has meant so much, and it has made me a better writer and scholar. Working on our publication was one of the best experiences I had in graduate school. I learned so much working closely together over the last few years. I cannot adequately express how much I appreciate everything Julie has done for me and the positive impact she has made on my life. I owe special thanks to William Murray, who meticulously read through this dissertation and gave me great suggestions on improving this project. Dr. Murray’s support and generosity in providing funding for my research trips have helped me throughout this dissertation process. Thanks to Dr. Murray, through the Ancient Studies Center, I was able to travel to Athens, Greece in the summer of 2018 and attend the National Hellenic Research Foundation’s numismatic seminar which was critical for my dissertation. I cannot thank Dr. Murray enough for his sage advice he has offered during my time in the graduate program. I would like to thank Sheramy Brundrick whose expertise in art history greatly shaped my third and final chapter to what it is now. I thank her for introducing me to new theories in looking at material culture. I also owe thanks to Matt King for his expertise on inscriptions and Alex Imrie for his expertise on all things Severan. I owe my deepest gratitude to Dave Thomas who served as my technical expert in this dissertation. Chapter Two would not be where it is today without Dave’s help. I also want to thank my friends and colleagues who have supported me and offered their assistance throughout my entire Ph.D. To my friends and colleagues at USF, Charles Harris, Michael “Mikey” Hall, Dawne Kennedy, Paul Dunder, Michelle Assaad, Shannon Bruffett, Stephen Webinga, Aaron Lewis, and Michael Wedebrock, I thank you all for your unwavering support throughout my entire time in graduate school. That you listened to me untangle these ideas, even if they were beyond the scope of your focus (only by a thousand years!), meant so much to me. I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Samuel Ronen, Melanie Ashton, Brittany Johnson, and so many others for their support over the last few years. Whether it was pulling me out of the house, sharing a drink, or just listening to me rant and decompress, you have all made a positive impact during this time. Lastly, I want to thank my family, who have been so supportive of me and my education. One particular moment has stuck with me more than others. I remember being upset after my first semester of graduate school because I received a less than satisfactory grade on a term paper. I was ready to quit graduate school after the first semester because I did not think I was apt enough to continue. My mother turned to me and she said, “Nothing good in life comes easy. You have to work hard and keep trying because if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.” I have constantly reminded myself of these words and look to my parents as a source of inspiration and what it means to work hard. I am deeply grateful for their support not only over the last few years but my entire life. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Foundation ....................................................................................................... 4 Competing Succession Ideologies: Dynastic ...................................................................... 8 Competing Succession Ideologies: Adoption ................................................................... 10 Competing Succession Ideologies: Military Prowess ....................................................... 13 Combining Succession Ideologies: The Tetrarchy ........................................................... 14 Ancient Literary Sources .................................................................................................. 16 Historiography on Imperial Women ................................................................................. 21 Material Culture and Digital Humanities .......................................................................... 25 Digital Humanities Methodology ..................................................................................... 27 Outline of the Chapters ..................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 1: Dynastic Propaganda ................................................................................................... 39 Family Metaphors to Describe Political Relationships ..................................................... 44 Faustina in Marcus Aurelius’ Advertisement ................................................................... 45 Phase 1: Julia Domna’s Coins: Legitimating Severus 193-196 ........................................ 49 Phase 2: Julia Domna’s Coins: Legitimating Dynastic Succession 196-211 ................... 53 Phase 3: Julia Domna’s Coins: Legitimating Caracalla 211-217 ..................................... 58 Late Severan Emperors and the Soldier Emperors ........................................................... 62 Otacilia Severa 244-249 .................................................................................................... 65 Galeria Valeria and Venus Victrix: 308-311 .................................................................... 69 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 74 Chapter 2: Responses to Imperial Propaganda ............................................................................. 78 Theoretical Foundation ..................................................................................................... 81 Methodology: Building the Database ............................................................................... 83 Phase 1: Julia Domna’s Inscriptions 195-197 ................................................................... 87 Phase 2: Julia Domna’s Inscriptions 198-211 ................................................................... 91 Phase 3: Julia Domna’s Inscriptions under Caracalla 212-217 ........................................ 96 Inscriptions Dedicated to Otacilia Severa ......................................................................... 99 Inscriptions Dedicated to Galeria Valeria ....................................................................... 106 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 108 i Chapter 3: Detecting the Feminine Voice ..................................................................................