A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

OCTAVIA. OCTAVIA GENS. 5
busch der Ri;miscllen Altertiisler, vol. i. pp. 6083. The daughter of the emperor Clandiius, by A
his third wife, the notorious Valeria Messalina, ~)2'i; ta
was born about A. n. 42; since Tacitus, speaking -.r
of her death in A. D. 62, says that she was then'
in the twentieth year of her age. (Tac. Ann. xiv. \iX
64.) She was called Octavia after her great grandmother, the sister of Augustus [No. 2]. As early
as the year 48, Octavia was betrothed by Claudius
to L. Silanus, a youth of distinguished family and COIN OF OCTAVIA, THE WIFE OF NERO.
much beloved by the people; but Agrippina, who
had secured the affections of the weak-minded OCTA'VIA GENS, celebrated in history on
Claudius, resolved to prevent the marriage, in account of the emperor Augustus belonging to it.
order that Octavia might marry her own son It was a plebeian gens, and is not mentioned till
Domitius, afterwards the emperor Nero. She had the year B. C. 230, when Cn. Octavius Rufus obno difficulty in rendering Silanus an object of tained the quaestorship. This Cu. Octavius left two
suspicion to Claudius; and as Silanus saw that he sons, Cneius and Caius. The descendants of Cneius
was doomed, lie put an end to his life at the held many of the higher magistracies, and his son
beginning of the following year (A. D. 49), on the obtained the consulship in B. C. 165; but the
very day on which Claudius was married to descendants of Caius, from whom the emperor
Agrippina. Octavia was now betrothed to the Augustus sprang, did not rise to any importance,
young Domitius, but the marriage did not take but continued simple equites, and the first of them,
place till A. D. 53, the year before the death of who was enrolled among the senators, was the
Claudius, when Nero, as he was now called, having father of Augustus. The gens originally came
been adopted by Claudius, was only sixteen years from the Volscian town of Velitrae, where there
of age, and Octavia but eleven. (Tac. Ann. xii. was a street in the most frequented part of the
58.) Suetonius, with less probability, places the town, and likewise an altar, both bearing the
m1a:lrritge still earlier (Arer. 7). Nero from the name of Octavius (Suet. Alqg. 1, 2; Vell. Pat.
first never liked his wife, and soon after his suc- ii. 59; Dion Cass. xlv. 1). This is all that can
cession ceased to pay her any attention. He was be related with certainty respecting the history of
first captivated by a freedwoman of the name of this gens; but as it became the fashion towards
Acte, who shortly after had to give way to Poppaea the end of the republic for the Roman nobles to
Sabina, the wife of Otho, who was afterwards trace their origin to the gods and to the heroes of
emperor. Of the latter he was so enamoured that olden time, it was natural that a family, which
he resolved to recognize her as his legal wife; and became connected with the Julia gens, and from
accordingly in A. nD. 62 he divorced Octavia on the which the emperor Augustus sprang, should have
alleged ground of sterility, and in sixteen days an ancient and noble origin assigned to it. Accordafter married Poppaea. But Poppaea, not satisfied ingly, we read in Suetonius (Aug. 2) that the
with obtaining the place of Octavia, induced one of members of this gens received the Roman franchise
the servants of the latter to accuse her of adultery from Tarquinius Priscus, and were enrolled among
with a slave; but most of her slaves when put to the patricians by his successor Servius Tullins;
the torture persisted in maintaining the innocence that they afterwards passed over to the plebeians,
of their mistress. Notwithstanding this she was and that Julius Caesar a long while afterwards conordered to leave the city and retire to Campalia, ferred the patrician rank upon them again. There
where she was placed under the surveillance of is nothing imiprobable in this statement by itself;
soldiers; but in consequence ofthe complaints and but since neither Livy nor Dionysius make any
murmurs of the people, Nero recalled her to Rome. mention of the Octavii, when they speak of Velitrae,
The people celebrated her return with the most it is evident that they did not believe the tale; and
unllbounded joy, which, however, only sealed her since, nmoreover, the Octavii are nowhere mentioned
ruin. Poppsea again worked upon the passions in history till the latter half of the third century
and the fears of her husband; Anicetus was in- before the Christian aera, we may safely reject the
dticed to confess that he had been the paramour of early origin of the gens. The name of Octavius,
Octavia; and the unhappy girl was thereupon however, was widely spread in Latium, and is
removed to the little island of Pandataria, where found at a very early time, of which we have an
she was shortly after put to death. The scene of example in the case of Octavius Mamilius, to whom
her death is painted by the masterly hand of Tarquiniss Superbu sgave his daughter in marrialge.
TacitUs. She feared to die; and as her terror was The name was evidently derived from the praenonmesl
so great that the blood would not flow from her Octavus, just as from Quintus, Sextus, and Sepveins after they were opened, she was carried into timus, camie the gentile names of Quintius, Sexa bath and stifled by the vapour. It is even added tius, and Septimius. In the tinles of the republic
that her head was cut off and sent to Rome to none of the Octavii, who were descended from
glut the vengeance of Poppaea. Her untimely end Cn. Octavius Rufus, bore any cognomen with
excited general commiseration. (Tac. Ann. xi. 32, the exception of Rufus, and even this surname
xii. 2-9, 58, xiii. 12, xiv. 60-64; Suet. Clazud. 27, is rarely mentioned. The stemma on page 7.
ANer. 7, 35; Dion Cass. Ix. 31, 33, lxi. 7, lxii. 13.) exhibits all the descendants of Cn. Octasvius
Octsavia is the heroine of a tragedy, found among Rufus. The descendants of the emperor Aslthle works of Seneca, but the author of which gustus by his daughter Julia are given in Vol. I.
was more probably Curiatius Maternus. See p. 430, and a list of the descendants of his sister
OcSaviau P:raetexta. Curiatio Materno vindicat. Octavia is annexed here; so that the two togesdlidit 1. Ritter, Bonnae, 1843. ther present a complete view of the imperial
B3