Julia Domna

Julia Domna (170-217 CE) was born into a local aristocratic family in Syria. She married emperor Septimius Severus in 187 and bore him two sons in quick succession, Caracalla and Geta.

When Septimius Severus died she accompanied her sons to Rome where they became joint emperors, but rivalries between them continued, and Caracalla had Geta murdered. He died in his mothers arms, but Caracalla ordered her not to show mourning.

Later she followed Caracalla on his journeys, and when he was killed in 217, she refused to eat and died shortly after. She was buried in Hadrian’s Mausoleum.