Domitilla the Elder
The basics
Quick facts
A.K.A.
Flavia Domitilla the Elder
Gender:
Female
Family:
Father:
Flavius Liberalis
Spouse(s):
Vespasian
Children:
Titus
Domitian
The details
Biography
Introduction
Flavia Domitilla Major (Major, Latin for the elder) Flavia Domitilla the Elder or Domitilla the Elder (died before 69, perhaps c. 65) was the wife of the Roman Emperor Vespasian.
Life
Flavia Domitilla was born in Sabratha to Italian colonists who had moved there during the reign of Augustus. She was a daughter of Flavius Liberalis, a humble quaestor’s clerk. Before her marriage, she was a formal mistress to an African knight.
Roman denarius depicting Flavia Domitilla Minor
Vespasian married her around 38 AD. She was the mother of Domitilla the Younger and of the emperors Titus and Domitian. She died before Vespasian became emperor.
She was the grandmother of Saint Flavia Domitilla, daughter of Domitilla the Younger.