Marcia (mistress of Commodus)

Mistress of Roman emperor Commodus (died 193)

Marcia Aurelia Ceionia Demetrias (died 193) was the alleged mistress (182–193) and one of the assassins of Roman Emperor Commodus. Marcia was likely to have been the daughter of Marcus Aurelius Sabinianus Euhodius, a freedman of the co emperor Lucius Verus.

Before Marcia was Commodus' mistress, she was the lover and mistress of one of his cousins, Senator Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus, and subsequently a wife of his servant Eclectus. Marcia had Christian sympathies and persuaded Commodus to adopt a policy in favor of Christians, and kept close relations with Pope Victor I. Despite the fact that Marcia was not Commodus' legal wife, he treated her like one and was thus greatly influenced by her. The inscription found in Anagnia testifies that the local city council decided to build a monument, commemorating particularly the restoration of baths on her account. Marcia took it from him, thinking she was protecting a document from potentially being ruined, and in horror saw her name at the top of the list. According to Herodian, she cried out, "Well done, indeed, Commodus. This is fine return for the kindness and affection I have lavished on you and for the drunken insults which I have endured from you all these years. A fuddled drunkard is not going to get the better of a sober woman".

Cassius Dio, Roman history, The Loeb classical library; 454–455. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1961/69, p. 73f., 6–7. Herodian, The Loeb classical library; 454–455. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, [1969/70, 16.2 3 to 17.9 11. .

Champlin, Edward (Summer 1979). Notes on the Heirs of Commodus. The American Journal of Philology 100: 288–306. Gage, J. Revue des etudes latines. Paris, France: Societe d'edition "Les belles lettres", 1923. Lightman, Marjorie and Benjamin Lightman. Biographical dictionary of ancient Greek and Roman women: notable women from Sappho to Helena. New York: Facts On File, 2000. Page 157. Roos, A. G. (1915). Herodian's Method of Composition. The Journal of Roman Studies 5: 191–202. Salisbury, Joyce E. Encyclopedia of women in the ancient world. Santa Barbara, California: Abc Clio, 2001. Pages 205–207.