Ennia ThrasyllaLightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 (about 15Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.261 – 38,Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196 Ennia in Greek , Ennia Thrasylla in Greek ) was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century AD in the Roman Empire.Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113

Family background Ennia was of Latin, Greek, Armenian and Median descent. She was the daughter and known child of Lucius Ennius from his unnamed wife,Levick, Tiberius: The Politician, p.p.137&230Genealogy of daughter of Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus & Aka II of Commagene at rootsweb and perhaps had a brother called Lucius Ennius who was the father of Lucius Ennius Ferox, a Roman soldier who served during the reign of the Roman emperor VespasianColeman-Norton, Ancient Roman Statutes, p.151-2 from 69 until 79.

Her father, Lucius Ennius, was a Latin Roman eques,Levick, Tiberius: The Politician, p.p.137&230Tacitus, Annals, Book III, 70 who originally may have come from the Roman province of Creta et Cyrenaica, as he was a contemporary to the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius who ruled from 14 until 37. Lucius Ennius was a relative of Quintus Ennius, a Poet who lived during the Roman Republic, and Manius Ennius, a Roman Soldier who served with Germanicus in 14 on the Rhine River.

The unnamed wife of Ennius who was the mother of Ennia, was a Roman noblewoman from Alexandria, in the Roman Province of Egypt who was of Greek, Armenian and Median descent. She was the daughter and oldest child, born to Thrasyllus of Mendes and his wife, Aka II of Commagene.Levick, Tiberius: The Politician, p.p.137&230Genealogy of daughter of Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus & Aka II of Commagene at rootsweb Thrasyllus was an Egyptian Greek Grammarian and Literary Commentator who served as the astrologer and became the personal friend of the Roman emperor Tiberius,Holden, A History of Horoscopic Astrology, p.26 while Aka II was a Princess of Armenian, Greek and Median descent from the Kingdom of Commagene.Beck, Beck on Mithraism: Collected Works With New Essays, p.42-3 Her maternal uncle was Tiberius Claudius Balbilus,Royal genealogy of Aka II of Commagene at rootsweb hence was a paternal cousin to Claudia Capitolina who would later marry into the Kingdom of Commagene.

As Ennia by birth, her nomen is Ennius while her cognomen Thrasylla is the female name of the ancient Greek name Thrasyllus.The name derives from the Greek thrasy – meaning bold She inherited the cognomen Thrasylla from her maternal grandfather, as evidently she is a granddaughter of Thrasyllus.Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 Little is known of her early life and life prior to marriage.

Marriage and imperial connections By 31, Ennia married the Roman Vigiles Prefect Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro,Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 also known as Naevius Sutorius Macro or simply Macro.Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196 After the downfall and death of the Praetorian Prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus in Rome in 31, Macro was appointed by Tiberius to replace Sejanus.Levick, Tiberius: The Politician, p.137 Macro, now being the head Praetorian prefect of the Praetorian Guard in Rome, had become very ambitiousBunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196 in his role. Through his position, Ennia and Macro began to have considerable influence.

As Ennia's husband being Prefect wielded considerable influence, this led to Ennia and Macro befriending and coming into favor with Tiberius' great-nephew and heir, Caligula. In 34, Caligula lost his first wife Junia Claudilla during childbirth,Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.34 and at some time after that he began a relationship with Ennia. The precise circumstances of Ennia and Caligula's affair are obscure.Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.34 Ennia's affair with Caligula occurred on the island of Capri, where her grandfather presidedLevick, Tiberius: The Politician, p.137 with Tiberius.Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 Caligula developed a close sexual relationship with EnniaAdams, The Roman Emperor: Gaius 'Caligula' and His Hellenistic Aspirations, p.136 in which she became one of Caligula's mistresses.Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.44

Suetonius states that Caligula seduced Ennia; however, Tacitus states that Macro induced Ennia to pretend to love Caligula. Ennia and Macro worked together as a team to assure their future positionLightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 and sources vary as to Macro's role in and the possible approval of Ennia having an affair with Caligula to ensure that Macro remained in favor with him.Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.338

After Ennia and Caligula's affair in Capri in 34, he swore to marry Ennia if he became Emperor, putting his oath in writing. Caligula may have done this to secure the support of Macro and to expand the sphere of influence for Macro and Ennia.Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 Caligula's interaction between Ennia and Macro benefited him immensely by helping him succeed Tiberius as Roman emperor, when the latter died in early 37.

Caligula ruled as Roman emperor from 37 until 41. Ennia and Macro proved very instrumental in the early days of Caligula's reign.Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196 For his support of Caligula, Macro was appointed by Caligula as the Prefect of Egypt.Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, p.113 In 38, when Ennia and Macro with their children were leaving the Italian mainland to head to Egypt for Macro to serve his prefectship, they fell out of favor with Caligula.Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196 Before their departure, they were given an imperial order to kill themselves.Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, p.196Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.242 Macro was able to leave enough money to provide an amphitheatre for his home town of Alba Fucens.Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power, p.79

In popular culture 1968 - Wanda Ventham in the British TV series The Caesars. 1979 – Adriana Asti in the theatrical film Caligula.

Notes

References

Sources

Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome P. Robinson Coleman-Norton & F. Card Bourne, Ancient Roman Statutes, The Lawbook Exchange Limited, 1961 B. Levick, Tiberius: The Politician, Routledge, 1999 A.A. Barrett, Caligula: The Corruption of Power (Google eBook), Routledge, 2002 M. Zimmerman, G. Schmeling, H. Hofmann, S. Harrison & C. Panayotakis (eds.), Ancient Narrative, Barkhuis, 2002 R. Beck, Beck on Mithraism: Collected Works With New Essays, Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2004 J.H. Holden, A History of Horoscopic Astrology, American Federation of Astrology, 2006 G.W. Adams, The Roman Emperor: Gaius 'Caligula' and His Hellenistic Aspirations, Universal-Publishers, 2007 M. Lightman & B. Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, Infobase Publishing, 2008 M. Bunson, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, Infobase Publishing, 2009 Genealogy of daughter of Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus & Aka II of Commagene at rootsweb Royal genealogy of Aka II of Commagene at rootsweb