Earth and Space News: Cleopatra marble head Villa Quintilii

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Thursday, April 6, 2023

Commodus Executed Quintilii Brothers and Confiscated Villa dei Quintili

Summary: In 182, Roman Emperor Commodus executed the Quintilii brothers and confiscated Villa dei Quintili, their vast Roman estate along Via Appia Antica.

In 182 CE, Roman Emperor Commodus executed the Quintilii brothers and confiscated Villa dei Quintili, their massive Roman residential complex located near Via Appia Antica's fifth milestone and recognized as findspots of a bust of one of the brothers and a marble head of Cleopatra.

The Villa of the Quintilii (Italian: Villa dei Quintili) was constructed for the Quintilii brothers, Sextus Quintilius Condianus and Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus, in the first half of the second century CE, according to conservation scientist Giusj Valentina Fichera and seven co-authors in "Limestone Provenance in Roman Lime-Volcanic Ash Mortars From the Villa dei Quintili, Rome," published in the February 2015 issue of Geoarchaeology. Construction took place during the reigns of Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian (page 81). Trajan (Caesar Nerva Traianus; born Sep. 18, 53 CE) reigned from Jan. 27, 98 CE until his death, Aug. 8, 117 CE. Trajan's successor, Hadrian (Caesar Traianus Hadrianus; born Jan. 24, 76 CE), reigned until his death July 10, 138 CE.

The Quintilii brothers pursued governmental careers during the reigns of Antoninus Pius (Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius; Sep. 19, 86-March 7, 161 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus; April 26, 121-March 17, 180 CE). Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius are respected as the second through fifth, respectively, of the "Five Good Emperors" in the Roman Empire's seven-member Nerva-Antonine dynasty (Sep. 18, 96-Dec. 31, 192 CE).

Condianus and Maximus impressed with their rapport and accomplishments. Their career included consulships in 151 CE and the governorship of western Greece's Achaea region in the northwestern Peloponnese peninsula from 170 to 175 CE.

"They had offered the most striking example ever seen of mutual affection; and at no time had they ever been separated, even in the offices they held. They had grown prosperous and exceedingly wealthy, and were wont to hold office together and to act as assistants to each other," observed Roman historian Lucius Cassius Dio (ca. 155-235 CE), known as Dio Cassius, in Roman History (Ῥωμαϊκη Ἱστορία, Historia Romana), his historical compendium of ancient Rome, written in Greek (Dio's Roman History, Vol. IX, (Book LXXIII.5, page 81).

Unfortunately, Commodus (Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus; Aug. 31, 161-Dec. 31, 192 CE), who succeeded his father, Marcus Aurelius, disfavored many, including the Quintilii brothers. "Commodus was guilty of many unseemly deeds, and killed a great many people. Many plots were formed by various people against Commodus, and he killed a great many, both men and women . . . ," reported Dio Cassius (Book LXXIII.4, page 77).

Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla "Lucilla" (March 7, 148 or 150-182 CE), Marcus Aurelius's second daughter, numbered among her brother's opponents. In 182 CE, she unsuccessfully strategized her brother's overthrow. As punishment, she was ". . . banished to the island of Capreae" [Capri, Sorrento Peninsula, southwestern Italy], where she subsequently was executed, according to Dio Cassius (Book LXXIII.4, page 79).

The Quintilli brothers numbered among the emperor's "many" executionees. "Commodus likewise killed the two Quintilii, Condianus and Maximus; for they had a great reputation for learning, military skill, brotherly accord, and wealth, and their notable talents led to the suspicion that, even if they were not planning any rebellion, they were nevertheless displeased with existing conditions. And thus, even as they had lived together, so they died together, along with the son of one of them. . . ." (Book LXXIII.5, page 81).

Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus's son allegedly escaped execution by faking his death and fleeing. Reports of his survival led to executions of lookalikes.

According to Dio Cassius's narration: "Sextus Condianus, the son of Maximus, who surpassed all others by reason both of his native ability and his training, when he heard that sentence of death had been pronounced against him, too, drank the blood of a hare (he was living in Syria at the time), after which he mounted a horse and purposely fell from it; then, as he vomited the blood, which was supposed to be his own, he was taken up, apparently on the point of death, and was carried to his room. He himself now disappeared, while a ram's body was placed in a coffin in his stead and burned. After this, constantly changing his appearance and clothing, he wandered about here and there. And when this story got out (for it is impossible that such matters should remain hidden very long), diligent search was made for him high and low. Many were punished in his stead on account of their resemblance to him, and many, too, who were alleged to have shared his confidence or to have sheltered him somewhere; and still more persons who had perhaps never even seen him were deprived of their property. But no one knows whether he was really slain, -- though a great number of heads purporting to be his were brought to Rome, -- or whether he made good his escape" (Book LXXIII.6, page 81).

He, or a lookalike, made an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim his father and uncle's estate after Commodus's assassination in 192 CE. The applicant's ignorance of Greek, contradictory to his father's assignments in Greece, induced Publius Helvius Pertinax (Aug. 1, 126-March 28, 193 CE), Commodus's successor, to reject the claim.

Dio Cassius wrote: "Some other man, however, after the death of Commodus boldly claimed to be Sextus and undertook to recover his wealth and rank. And he played the part bravely, though questioned much by many persons; yet when Pertinax asked him something about Grecian affairs, with which the real Sextus had been well acquainted, he showed the greatest embarrassment, being unable even to understand the question. Thus, though nature had made him like Condianus in appearance and practice had made him similar in other respects, yet he did not share in his learning" (Book LXXIII.6, pages 81-82).

The Villa of the Quintilii is acknowledged as the provenience of a marble head of Cleopatra that the Vatican Museum acquired during excavations conducted in 1783 to 1784 by papal inspector Venceslao Pezolli. German archaeologist Ludwig Curtius (Dec. 13, 1874-April 10, 1954) recognized the marble find as a portrayal of Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) in 1933 (Römische Mitteilungen, band 48: 182-192).

The Villa of the Quintilii also is pinpointed as the findspot for a bust of Sextus Quintilius Maximus, one of the property's executed co-owners. French archaeologist and art historian Henry d'Escamps (Nov. 27, 1815-Oct. 22, 1891) included the bust in his profiles of 108 Greek and Roman sculptures owned by Italian art collector Gianpietro Campana (June 6, 1808 or 1809-Oct. 10, 1880). D'Escamps noted the find's uniqueness as the only known bust of Maximus and suggested its preservation as due to burial by a faithful servant (Description des Marbres Antiques du Musée Campana à Rome, 1855, page 101).

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

"Restoration of the Villa of the Quintilii, on the Appian Way, by Canina," M.M. Ripley and W.J. Clarke, History of Rome, vol VI (1883), opposite page 454 (translation of "Restauration de la villa des Quintilii sur la via Appia, d'après Canina," V. Duruy, Histoire des Romains, Tome VI, page 17): Internet Archive Book Images, Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14593716209; Not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofromeofr06duru/page/454/mode/2up; Restricted Use, via BnF Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5945t/f21.item.texteImage

only known bust of Sextus Quintilius Maximus, unearthed during excavation of ruins of the villa of the Quintilii illustration by French illustrator and wood engraver Paul Sellier (Aug. 4, 1842-19??); Ripley and Clarke, History of Rome, page 453: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofromeofr06duru/page/453/mode/1up; Internet Archive Book Images, Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14593659960/; Restricted Use, via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5945t/f20.item.texteImage

For further information:

Alföldy, Géza. Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 260-262.

Benucci, Michele; and Susanna Sarti. "The Campana Museum of Ancient Marbles in Nineteenth-Century Photographs." Journal of the History of Collections, vol. 24, no. 1 (March 2011): 15-24.
Available @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275151091_The_Campana_Museum_of_ancient_marbles_in_nineteenth-century_photographs

Binns, Michael. "Roman Personal Names." Pompeii in Pictures > Roman Naming, Classes and Careers > Personal Names.
Available @ http://pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/r0/roman%20personal%20names.htm

BnF Data. "Henri Descamps (1815-1891). Pays: France. Langue: Français. Sexe: Masculin. Naissance: Pointe-à-Pître, 27-11-1815. Mort: Paris, 23-10-1891. Note: Archéologue, historien d'art. -- Inspecteur des beaux-arts. -- Ecrivit sous le pseudonyme de 'Macé Descartes' une histoire de l'île de Madagascar." BnF Data.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Data @ https://data.bnf.fr/en/14324877/henri_descamps/

BnF Data. "Paul Sellier (1842-19..?). Pays: France. Langue: Français. Sexe: Masculin. Naissance: 04-08-1842. Mort: 19.. Note: Dessinateur, ayant travaillé pour 'Le Magasin pittoresque', 'Le Tour du monde'. -- Graveur sur bois." BnF Data.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Data @ https://data.bnf.fr/fr/12172946/paul_sellier/

Broughton, T. (Thomas) Robert S. (Shannon). The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. Vol. I: 509 B.C.-100 B.C. Phillip H. De Lacy, ed., Philological Monographs, no. XV, vol. I. New York: The American Philological Association, 1951.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015009351001&view=1up&seq=9

Broughton, T. (Thomas) Robert S. (Shannon). The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. Vol. II: 99 B.C.-31 B.C. Phillip H. De Lacy, ed., Philological Monographs, no. XV, vol. II. New York: The American Philological Association, 1952.
Available via Purdue University @ https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rauhn/Hist_416/Hist419/T.%20Robert%20S.%20Broughton%20-%20The%20Magistrates%20of%20the%20Roman%20Republic%2099%20B.C.-31%20B.C.%20Vol.%202.%20(Philological%20Monographs)%20(1952,%20American%20Philological%20Association).pdf

Broughton, T. (Thomas) Robert S. (Shannon). Supplement to The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. Phillip H. De Lacy, ed., Philological Monographs, no. XV, vol. I. New York: The American Philological Association, 1960.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015009342562&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021

Campana, Giampietro (1858). Cataloghi del Museo Campana: Catalogo Della Classe 1-12. Rome: Johann Daniel Preißler, 1858.
Available via Bayerische Staatsbibliothek MDZ (Münchener Digitalisierungszentrum [Munich Digitization Center]) @ https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10221181?page=,1

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Tav. XXXII-Tav. XXXIV." La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume II Monumenti. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n161/mode/1up

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Tav. XXXII. Planta Della Villa Dei Quintili Situata Lungo La Via Appia Da Vicino Alla Colonna Del Quinto Miglio." La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume II Monumenti. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n161/mode/2up
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n162/mode/2up

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Tav. XXXIII. Veduta Delle Reliquie Della Parte Anteriore Della Villa Dei Quintilii. Peristilio Della Villa Dei Quintilii. Esposizione Dell'Intera Architettura Della Parte Anteriore Della Villa Dei Quintilii Ove Stava Il Templetto Di Ercole Il Vestibolo Ed Il Ninfeo." La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume II Monumenti. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n165/mode/2up
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n166/mode/2up

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Tav. XXXIV. Veduta Delle Reliquie Principali Della Villa Dei Quintilii. Sepoloro -- Le Stesse Reliquie Vedute Di Lato. Esposizione Dell'Intera Architettura Del Grande Atrio Della Villa Dei Quintilii Esistente Al Quinto Miglio Della Via Appia." La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume II Monumenti. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n169/mode/2up
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n169/mode/2up

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Tavola XXXII. La pianta generale della villa dei Quintilii . . . . Tavola XXXIV." Pages 21-23. La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume II Monumenti. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010290381/page/n24/mode/2up

Canina, L. (Luigi), Commendatore. "Villa dei Quintilii." Pages 133-139. La Prima Parte Della Via Appia Dalla Porta Capena a Boville: Descritta e Dimostrata con i Monumenti Superstiti. Volume I Descrizione. Sesta Parte: Tra il Quinto ed il Sesto Miglio: 123-144. Roma: Nello Stabil. Tipogr. di G. A. Bertinelli, 1853.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/laprimapartedell01cani/page/133/mode/2up

Curtius, Ludwig. "Ikonographische Beiträge zum Porträt der Römischen Republik und der Julisch-Claudischen Familie: IV Kleopatra VII. Philopator." Römische Mitteilungen, band 48 (1933): 182-192.

d'Escamps, Henry. "Sextus Quintilius Maximus. Buste en Marbre. Trouvé sur les Bords de la Voie Appienne. Ce buste est celui d'un personnage fort célèbre à Rome sous Commode, Sextus Quintilius Maximus, lequel avait acquis une grande réputation par sa science politique, son savoir dans l'art militaire et ses immenses richesses, qu'il employait noblement en encourageant les arts. Il avait un frère qui partageait ses talents et ses goûts et qui vécut auprès de lui, sans jamais s'en séparer, pendant une longue carrière de dignités et d'honneurs.
"C'est à Sextus Quintilius Maximus qu'appartenait la villa située sur la voie Appienne et que l'on nomme aujourd'hui Rome vieille ( Roma vecchia ). Le buste si précieux du musée Campana a été trouvé dans les fouilles faites en cet endroit. C'est le seul qu'on connaisse jusqu'ici.
"Après l'inique exécution de Quintilius et de son frère, ordonnée par Commode, leurs biens furent confisqués et passèrent dans le domaine. Il est à présumer que quelque serviteur fidèle parvint à y enfouir l'image de son ancien maître, qu'on a pu ainsi exhumer après tant de siècles.
"En dehors de l'intérêt iconographique, ce marbre a un véritable mérite d'exécution." Page 101. Description des Marbres Antiques du Musée Campana à Rome: Sculpture Grecque et Romaine. Paris: Typographie de Henri Plon. Imprimeur de l'Empereur, 1856.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k42464812/f281.item

d'Escamps, Henry. "Sextus Quintilius Maximus. Buste en Marbre. Trouvé sur les Bords de la Voie Appienne. Ce buste est celui d'un personnage fort célèbre à Rome sous Commode, Sextus Quintilius Maximus, lequel avait acquis une grande réputation par sa science politique, son savoir dans l'art militaire et ses immenses richesses, qu'il employait noblement en encourageant les arts. Il avait un frère qui partageait ses talents et ses goûts et qui vécut auprès de lui, sans jamais s'en séparer, pendant une longue carrière de dignités et d'honneurs.
"C'est à Sextus Quintilius Maximus qu'appartenait la villa située sur la voie Appienne et que l'on nomme aujourd'hui Rome vieille (Roma vecchia). Le buste si précieux du musée Campana a été trouvé dans les fouilles faites en cet endroit. C'est le seul qu'on connaisse jusqu'ici.
"Après l'inique exécution de Quintilius et de son frère, ordonnée par Commode, leurs biens furent confisqués et passèrent dans le domaine. Il est à présumer que quelque serviteur fidèle parvint à y enfouir l'image de son ancien maître, qu'on a pu ainsi exhumer après tant de siècles.
"En dehors de l'intérêt iconographique, ce marbre a un véritable mérite d'exécution." Page 101. Description des Marbres Antiques du Musée Campana à Rome: Sculpture Grecque et Romaine. Paris: Imprimerie de W. Remquet, Goupy et Cie, 1862.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84324494/f484.item.texteImage
Available via Google Books Read Free of Charge @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/dJ1xOZT_I_gC?hl=en&gbpv=1

de Font-Réaulx, Dominique. "Genèse d'un livre d'art: La Description des marbres antiques du musée Campana à Rome (1855-1862)." Revue de la BNF, no. 44 (2013/2): 5-17.
Available @ https://www.cairn.info/revue-de-la-bibliotheque-nationale-de-france-2013-2-page-5.htm

Dillon, Matthew; and Lynda Garland. "2.4 Frontinus On Aqueducts 1.5: Rome's water supply . . . . In the consulship of Marcus Valerius Maximus and Publius Decius Mus (312 BC), the thirtieth year after the start of the Samnite War, the Appian aqueduct was brought into the city by Appius Claudius Crassus, the censor, who was later given the surname Caecus ('the blind'); he was also responsible for the construction of the Appian Way from the Capena gate up to the city of Capua." Ancient Rome: Social and Historical Documents From the Early Republic to the Death of Augustus, "2 The Public Face of Rome; The Infrastructure of the City: 2.1-2.4." Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World. Second edition. First published 2005. New York: Routledge, 2015.
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Rome/pL0BCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=roman+consuls+312+bce&pg=PT87&printsec=frontcover

Duruy, Victor. "Le sort des Quintilius frappa l'imagination des contemporains, quelque habitués et endurcis qu'ils fusent à ces scènes de meurtre: c'étaient deux frères, Troyens d'origine, renommés pour leurs richesses, leur savoir, leurs talents militaires, et qui ne c'étaient jamais séparés. Les princes, se plaisant à honorer cette amitié fraternelle, leur avaient fait courir ensemble la carrière des charges publiques: ils avaient été en même temps consuls, chefs di'armée et gouverneurs d'Achaïe, l'un servant de lieutenant à l'autre; ils signaient tous deux les dépêches, et Marc Aurèle sanctionnait cette illégalité touchante, en adressant à tous deux un rescrit qui se lit encore au Digeste. Commode les réunit aussi, mais dans la mort. On voit encore dans la campagne de Rome, les grandes ruines de leur palais qu'au moyen âge on appelait la Roma Vecchia. Dion raconte que, pour échapper, le fils de l'un d'eux, Condianus, avait répandu le bruit de sa mort. Simulant une chute de cheval, il s'était fair rapporter chez lui tout sanglant, et, tandis qu'un bélier brûlait à sa place sur le bûcher, il s'était enfui et caché. Plusieurs payèrent de la vie leur ressemblance avec le jeune Quintilius. Après la mort de Commode, un faux Condianus réclama le riche héritage. Il était fort au courant de l'histoire de sa prétendue famille et répondit pertinemment à toutes les questions. Mais Pertnax, vieux professeur de grammaire, s'étant avisé de lui parler grec, il se troubla, et l'on décida qu'un homme qui fasait des fautes dans la langue d'Homère ne pouvait être un Quintilius." Pages 15-20. Histoire des Romains Depuis les Temps les Plus Reculés Jusqu'à l'Invasion des Barbares. Tome VI: De l'Avènement de Commode à la Mort de Dioclétien. Graz, Austria: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1970.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5945t/f19.item.texteImage

Duruy, Victor. "Seul buste connu d'une des victimes de la tyrannie de Commode. Il a été trouvé dans les ruines de la villa des Quintilii sur la voie Appienne. Cf. Henry d'Escamps, Descript. des marbres du musée Campana, etc., no. 101. Paris, 1855." Pages 16. Histoire des Romains Depuis les Temps les Plus Reculés Jusqu'à l'Invasion des Barbares. Tome VI: De l'Avénement de Commode à la Mort de Dioclétien. Graz, Austria: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1970.
Available via BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Gallica @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5945t/f20.item.texteImage

Fichera, Giusj Valentina; Cristina Maria Belfiore; Mauro Francesco La Russa; Silvestro Antonio Ruffolo; Donatella Barca; Riccardo Frontoni; Giuliana Galli; and Antonino Pezzino. "Limestone Provenance in Roman Lime-Volcanic Ash Mortars From the Villa dei Quintili, Rome." Geoarchaeology: An International Journal, vol. 30 (February 2015): 79-99.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272165601_Limestone_Provenance_in_Roman_Lime-Volcanic_Ash_Mortars_from_the_Villa_dei_Quintili_Rome#pf3

Lucius Cassius Dio. "By certain charms and magic rites Hadrian would be relieved for a time of his dropsy, but would soon be filled with water again. . . . The emperor lamented bitterly the plight to which his malady and his helplessness had brought him, in that he was not able to make away with himself, though he still had the power, even when so near death, to destroy anybody else. Finally he abandoned his careful regiment and by indulging in unsuitable foods and drinks met his death, shouting aloud the popular saying: 'Many physicians have slain a king.'" Book LXIX.22-23, pages 462-465. Dio's Roman History, vol. VIII. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. London: William Heinemann Ltd; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, MCMXXV [1925].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory08cassuoft/page/463/mode/1up

Lucius Cassius Dio. "Commodus likewise killed the two Quintilii, Condianus and Maximus; for they had a great reputation for learning, military skill, brotherly accord, and wealth, and their notable talents led to the suspicion that, even if they were not planning any rebellion, they were nevertheless displeased with existing conditions. And thus, even as they had lived together, so they died together, along with the son of one of them. They had offered the most striking example ever seen of mutual affection; and at no time had they ever been separated, even in the offices they held. They had grown prosperous and exceedingly wealthy, and were wont to hold office together and to act as assistants to each other. Sextus Condianus, the son of Maximus, who surpassed all others by reason both of his native ability and his training, when he heard that sentence of death had been pronounced against him, too, drank the blood of a hare (he was living in Syria at the time), after which he mounted a horse and purposely fell from it; then, as he vomited the blood, which was supposed to be his own, he was taken up, apparently on the point of death, and was carried to his room. He himself now disappeared, while a ram's body was placed in a coffin in his stead and burned. After this, constantly changing his appearance and clothing, he wandered about here and there. And when this story got out (for it is impossible that such matters should remain hidden very long), diligent search was made for him high and low. Many were punished in his stead on account of their resemblance to him, and many, too, who were alleged to have shared his confidence or to have sheltered him somewhere; and still more persons who had perhaps never even seen him were deprived of their property. But no one knows whether he was really slain, -- though a great number of heads purporting to be his were brought to Rome, -- or whether he made good his escape. Some other man, however, after the death of Commodus boldly claimed to be Sextus and undertook to recover his wealth and rank. And he played the part bravely, though questioned much by many persons; yet when Pertinax asked him something about Grecian affairs, with which the real Sextus had been well acquainted, he showed the greatest embarrassment, being unable even to understand the question. Thus, though nature had made him like Condianus in appearance and practice had made him similar in other respects, yet he did not share in his learning." Book LXXIII.5-6, pages 80-83. Dio's Roman History, vol. IX. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. London: William Heinemann Ltd; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, MCMXXV [1925].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory09cassuoft/page/81/mode/1up

Lucius Cassius Dio. "Trajan was preparing to make a fresh expedition into Mesopotamia, but, as his malady began to afflict him sorely, he set out, intending to sail to Italy, leaving Publius Aelius Hadrian with the army in Syria. . . . Trajan himself suspected that his sickness was due to poison that had been administered to him; but some state that it was because the blood, which descends every year into the lower parts of the body, was in his case checked in its flow. He had also suffered a stroke, so that a portion of his body was paralyzed, and he was dropsical all over. On coming to Selinus in Cilicia, which we also call Traianopolis, he suddenly expired, after reigning nineteen years, six months and fifteen days." Book LXVIII.33, pages 422-423. Dio's Roman History, vol. VIII. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. London: William Heinemann Ltd; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, MCMXXV [1925].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory08cassuoft/page/422/mode/1up

Lucius Cassius Dio. "When the Scythian situation once more demanded his attention, it caused him to give his son a wife, Crispina, sooner than he wished. For the Quintilii had been unable to end the war, although there were two of them and they possessed great shrewdness, courage and experience; and consequently the rulers themselves were forced to take the field. Marcus also asked the senate for money from the public treasury, not because such funds were not already at the emperor's disposal, but because he was wont to declare that all the funds, both these and others, belonged to the senate and to the people. . . ." Book LXXII.33, pages 56-57. Dio's Roman History, vol. IX. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. First printed 1927. Reprinted 1955. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA: Harvard Universty Press, MCMLV [1955].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory09cassuoft/page/56/mode/2up

Macchioni, Phyllis. "LIFE: The Quintili Brothers." This Italian Life. Feb. 21, 2016.
Available @ http://thisitalianlife.blogspot.com/2016/02/life-quintili-brothers.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beware the Ides of March: The Assassination of Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 3, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/beware-ides-of-march-assassination-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beware the Ides of March Meal: Caesar or Brutus Salad, Cleopatra's Dulcis Coccora, Caesar Cocktail." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/beware-ides-of-march-meal-caesar-or.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Commissioned Gilt Statue of Cleopatra for Venus Genetrix Temple." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 22, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/caesar-commissioned-gilt-statue-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Salad Recipe: Named for Chef Cesare Cardini, Not Julius Caesar. Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/caesar-salad-recipe-named-for-chef.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesarion Sought to Refuge in India But Was Lured Away To Be Murdered." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/caesarion-sought-to-refuge-in-india-but.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra Had Planned Flight From Egypt But Nabateans Burned Her Ships." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/cleopatra-had-planned-flight-from-egypt.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra or Caesarion Could Have Refuged in Five Ports in Western India." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 8, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/cleopatra-or-caesarion-could-have.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra Painting in Pompeii May Copy Statue in Venus Genetrix Temple." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 29, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/cleopatra-painting-in-pompeii-may-copy.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Julius Caesar's Birth Quintilis 12/13 Became July in Julian Calendar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, July 21, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/07/julius-caesars-birth-quintilis-1213.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Mother and Child Fresco in Pompeii May Depict Cleopatra With Caesarion." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 15, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/mother-and-child-fresco-in-pompeii-may.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Quintilii Marble Head May Copy Cleopatra Statue in Temple of Venus." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/quintilii-marble-head-may-copy.html

M.L. "Villa of Quintilii." Rome and Art. Jan. 28, 2021.
Available @ https://www.romeandart.eu/en/art-villa-quintilii.html

Paris, Rita, ed. Via Appia: The Villa of the Quintili. Milano: Electa; Roma: Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, 2000.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/viaappiavillaofq0000unse/

Ripley, M.M.; and W.J. Clarke, trans.; Rev. J.P. Mahaffy, ed. "The fate of the Quintilii struck the imagination of contemporaries, habituated and hardened as they were to scenes of murder: they were two brothers of Trojan origin, famous for their wealth, learning, and military talents, and they were inseparable. The preceding Emperors, taking pleasure in honoring this fraternal friendship, had caused them to pass through the career of public duties together. They had been consuls, heads of armies, and governors of Achaia, one serving as lieutenant to the other; they both signed despatches, and Marcus Aurelius sanctioned this affectionate illegality, addressing to the two a rescript which may still be read in the Digest. Commodus also united them, but in death. There still exist on the Appian Way the great ruins of their palace, called in the Middle Ages Roma Vecchia. Dion relates that, to save his life, the son of one of them, Condianus, had caused it to be reported that he was dead. Feigning to fall from his his horse, he had himself brought home covered with blood, and while a ram was burned in his stead on the funeral pile, he made his escape and concealed himself. Many paid with their lives for their resemblance to the young Quintilius. After the death of Commodus a pretended Condianus claimed the rich inheritance. He was extremely well informed in the history of the Quintilii, and answered all questions pertinently. But Pertinax, formerly a teacher of grammar, confused the claimant by addressing him in Greek; whereupon it was decided that a man not versed in the language of Homer could not be a Quintilius." Page 455. History of Rome, and of the Roman People, From Its Origin to the Invasion of the Barbarians by Victor Duruy. Vo. VI. Boston: C.F. Jewett Publishing Company, 1883.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofromeofr06duru/page/455/mode/1up

Ripley, M.M.; and W.J. Clarke, trans.; Rev. J.P. Mahaffy, ed. "The only bust known of any of the victims of Commodus. It was found in the ruins of the village of the Quintilii, on the Appian Way. Cf. Henry d'Escamps, Descript. des marbres du Musée Campana, etc., No. 101. Paris, 1855." Page 453. History of Rome, and of the Roman People, From Its Origin to the Invasion of the Barbarians by Victor Duruy. Vo. VI. Boston: C.F. Jewett Publishing Company, 1883.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofromeofr06duru/page/452/mode/2up

Sarti, Susanna. Giovanni Pietro Campana (1808-1880): The Man and His Collection. Studies in the History of Collections series, vol. II. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2001.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Villa of Quintilii Marble Head of Cleopatra Models Melon Hairstyle

Summary: A Villa of Quintilii marble head of Cleopatra models the melon hairstyle associated with the Ancient Greek, Egypt-based state, the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Side view of Villa of the Quintilii's marble head of Cleopatra shows melon hairstyle's characteristic segmented, braided rows gathered in bun at nape of neck; Museo Gregoriano Profano (Gregoriano Profano Museum), lower floor of Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums); Friday, May 9, 2008, 14:12: Sergey Sosnovskiy (Ancientrome), CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

A Villa of Quintilii marble head of Cleopatra models the melon hairstyle associated with queens of ancient Egypt's Macedonian Greek-ruled Ptolemaic Kingdom.

The carefully arranged coiffure depicted on the marble head of Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) entailed sectioning all hair shafts, backward from the forehead to the ends, into braided rows for gathering into a low bun, usually at the nape of the neck. The resemblance of the hairstyle's segmented sections to lengthwise ridged-melon rinds occasioned its designation as melonenfrisur ("melon hairstyle") by German scholars, according to American scholar of Ancient Roman art and architecture Diana E.E. (Elizabeth Edelman) Kleiner (born Sep. 18, 1947) in Cleopatra and Rome (Chapter 9, page 135), published in autumn 2005.

Melon hairstyling in the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαϊκὴ βασιλεία, Ptolemaike basileia; Latin: Regnum Ptolemaicum) dated to the founding of the Ancient Greek state in 305 BCE by Ptolemy I Soter (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaios Soter "Ptolemy the Savior"; Latin: Ptolemy I Soter; ca. 367-282 BC), Macedonian Greek bodyguard and general in the entourage of Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon; Ancient Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; Latin: Alexander Magnus; July 20/21, 356-June 10/11, 323 BC). With the intricate melonic hairstyle, Cleopatra evoked a queenly look popularized since Ptolemy I and thereby established herself as "more traditionalist than trendsetter," explained Diana Kleiner in "Cleopatra Worked Her Power Hair," her interview with Discovery Communications senior correspondent Jennifer Viegas, published March 13, 2006.

Arsinoe II and Berenice II were depicted with the iconic hairstyle, according to American independent ancient history scholar and retired education technologist Mary Harrsch in "Melon hairstyles and mummy masks of the Roman Period," posted Dec. 28, 2020, on The Roman Times section of her Ancient Times website. Arsinoe II (Ancient Greek: Ἀρσινόη, Arsinoe; 316-ca. 270/268 BCE) was the first daughter of Ptolemy I and his second queen, Berenice I (Ancient Greek: Βερενίκη, Berenike; ca. 340-ca. 279/268 BCE). Berenice II (Ancient Greek: Βερενίκη Ευεργέτις, Berenike Euergetis, "Berenice the Benefactress"; Latin: Berenice II Euergetis I; ca. 267/266-221 BCE) became queen through her marriage to Ptolemy III Euergetes (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης, Ptolemaios Euergetes, "Ptolemy the Benefactor"; Latin: Ptolemaeus III Euergetes I; ca. 284/280-ca. 222 BCE), third Ptolemaic ruler and Ptolemy I's grandson. Berenice II namesakes Coma Berenices -- Berenice's Hair constellation.

Cleopatra coin, minted ca. 51-30 BCE, with (obverse) melon-hairstyled Cleopatra and (reverse) inscription ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ arching over thunderbolt-perching eagle: Otto Nickl, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Self-portrait coins struck by Cleopatra consistently depicted her in right profile, with a "prominent nose" and with a royal diadem adorning her melon coiffure on the obverse, according to American archaeologist and Ohio State University emeritus professor of classics Duane W. Roller (born Oct. 7, 1946) in Cleopatra: Biography (Appendix 6. The Iconography of Cleopatra VII, page 179), published in 2011. Also, the reverse of all of her coinage included the inscription of ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ("Queen Cleopatra").

The Villa of Quintilii marble head is regarded "more or less universally" as the "one undisputed Cleopatra," according to British archaeologist and Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley (born Feb. 25, 1960) in Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt (Chapter Two, page 60), published in 2008. The marble head was discovered by Venceslao Pezolli during his 1783-1784 excavations at the Villa of the Quintilii, according to ancient art curators Carlos A. Picón and Seán Hemingway in the Catalogue (page 303) for "Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World," exhibited Monday, April 18, through Sunday, July 17, 2016, at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The marble head was added in 1784 to the collections of the Vatican Museum (Musei Vaticani), according to the museum's online catalogue (inventory number MV.38511.0.0). Its inventory record dates the marble find to 47 to 44 BCE, therefore, contemporaneous with Cleopatra's lifetime and with her Roman stayovers.

The Villa of the Quintilii (Italian: Villa dei Quintili; Latin: Villa Quintiliana) lies in ruins at the fifth milestone of the Via Appia Antica ("Old or Ancient Appian Way"), south of central Rome. The extensive residential complex was built in the first half of the second century CE for brothers Sextus Quintilius Condianus (Italian: Sesto Quintilio Condiano) and Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus (Italian: Sesto Quintilio Valerio Massimo). Governmental positions held by the brothers includes consulships in 151 CE, during the emperorship (March 7, 161-March 17, 180) of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (April 26, 121-March 17, 180 CE).

In 182 CE, Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus (Aug. 31, 161-Dec. 31, 192 CE), son and successor (March 17/18, 180-Dec. 31, 192 CE) of Quintilii-admirer Marcus Aurelius, imperially confiscated the Villa of the Quintilii. The last of the seven Roman emperors of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty (96-192 CE) had the brothers executed as supposed conspirators in a failed assassination and coup strategized by Commodus's older sister, Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla "Lucilla" (March 7, 148 or 150-182 CE).

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

back view of Villa of the Quintilii's marble head of melon-hairstyled Cleopatra; Museo Gregoriano Profano (Gregoriano Profano Museum), lower floor of Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums); Friday, May 9, 2008, 14:13: Sergey Sosnovskiy (Ancientrome), CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cleopatra_VII,_Marble,_40-30_BC,_Vatican_Museums_006.jpg

For further information:

Catalogo Musei Vaticani. "Inventario: MV.38511.0.0. Descrizione: Testa ritratto di Cleopatra VII, pertinente a una statua eseguita probabilmente quando la regina era ospite di Cesare a Roma. Il diadema regale a fascia poteva essere rivestito da una lamina in bronzo dorato e completato da un ureo, anch'esso in metallo. Datazione: 47-44 a.C. a.C. Materia: marmo pario. Misure: cm 39 x 20 x 20. Provenienza: da Roma, Villa dei Quintili, scavi 1784. Collocazione: SCV > Edificio Paolino > Museo Gregoriano Profano > Settore 4 -- Aurai." Musei Vaticani > Collections > Online Catalogue > Consult the Catalogue.
Available @ https://catalogo.museivaticani.va/index.php/Detail/objects/MV.38511.0.0

El-Daly, Okasha. Egyptology: The Missing Millennium; Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings. London, United Kingdom: UCL Press; Portland, Oregon: Cavendish Publishing; Coogee, Australia: Cavendish Publishing (Australia) Pty Ltd., 2005.

El-Daly, Okasha. "The Virtuous Scholar: Queen Cleopatra in Medieval Moslem/Arab Writings." In: Susan Walker and Sally-Anne Ashton, eds., Cleopatra Reassessed. British Museum Occasional Paper, no. 103 (Dec. 1, 2003): 51-56.

Frontoni, R. (Riccardo); G. (Giuliana) Galli; C. (Carmela) Lalli; and A. (Antonella) Rotondi. "Quintiliorum Praedium (652)." Pages 279-294. Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae Suburbium, volume quarto M-Q. Roma: Edizioni Quasar di Severino Tognon, 2006.
https://archive.org/details/lexicon-topographicum-urbis-romae-suburbium-4-m-q-2006/Lexicon%20Topographicum%20Urbis%20Romae%20-%20Suburbium%204%20-%20M-Q%20%282006%29/page/279/mode/1up

Frontoni, R. (Riccardo); G. (Giuliana) Galli; C. (Carmela) Lalli; and A. (Antonella) Rotondi. "Figs. 281 Quintiliorum Praedium-302 Quintiliorum Praedium." Pages 452-463. Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae Suburbium, volume quarto M-Q. Roma: Edizioni Quasar di Severino Tognon, 2006.
https://archive.org/details/lexicon-topographicum-urbis-romae-suburbium-4-m-q-2006/Lexicon%20Topographicum%20Urbis%20Romae%20-%20Suburbium%204%20-%20M-Q%20%282006%29/page/452/mode/1up

Harrsch, Mary. "Mary Harrsch." LinkedIn.
Available via LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-harrsch-b6a7a018

Harrsch, Mary. "Melon hairstyles and mummy masks of the Roman Period." Ancient Times > Passionate About History > Roman Times. Monday, Dec. 28, 2020.
Available @ https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2020/12/melon-hairstyles-and-mummy-masks-of.html

Kleiner, Diana E.E. "Chapter 9 'Queen of Kings': Cleopatra Thea Neotera." Pages 135-146. Cleopatra and Rome. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Sep. 23, 2005.

Kleiner, Diana E.E. "Chapter 17 Princesses and Power Hair." Pages 242-250. Cleopatra and Rome. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Sep. 23, 2005.

Marriner, Derdriu. "On March 15, 44 BCE, Cleopatra Was in Caesar's Villa at Horti Caesaris." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 23, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/03/on-march-15-44-bce-cleopatra-was-in.html

McDaniel, Spencer Alexander. "What Did Cleopatra Really Look Like?" Tales of Times Forgotten. Jan. 8, 2020.
Available @ https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/01/08/what-did-cleopatra-really-look-like/

Picón, Carlos A.; and Seán Hemingway, eds. "253. Portrait of Kleopatra VII ("Cleopatra")." Catalogue: The Hellenistic Kingdoms and Rome, pages 302-303. Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. New York NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Work, 2016.
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pergamon_and_the_Hellenistic_Kingdoms_of/Vr3WCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Venceslao+Pezolli&pg=PA303

Roller, Duane W. "Appendices: 6. The Iconography of Cleopatra VI." Cleopatra: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Tyldesley, Joyce. "17. . . Antikemsammlung, Berlin, the Louvre, Paris, . . . and the Cherchell Museum, Algeria. . . ." Page 246. Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt. Notes: Chapter 2: Queen of Egypt, pages 244-247. London: Profile Books Ltd., 2008.
Available @ https://ia803005.us.archive.org/24/items/EgyptianLibrary_49/CleopatraLastQueenOfEgypt.pdf

Tyldesley, Joyce. Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt. London: Profile Books Ltd., 2008.
Available @ https://archive.org/details/cleopatralastque0000tyld

Tyldesley, Joyce. "Today just one Hellenistic head . . ." Page 60. Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt. Chapter Two: Queen of Egypt, pages 41-69. London: Profile Books Ltd., 2008.
Available @ https://archive.org/details/cleopatralastque0000tyld/page/60/mode/1up

Viegas, Jennifer. "Cleopatra Scientist, Not Seductress." Discovery News, Dec. 14, 2004. Inia Lurun Blogspot, Thursday, June 25, 2009.
Available @ http://inia-lurun.blogspot.com/2009/06/cleopatra-scientist-not-seductress.html

Viegas, Jennifer. "Cleopatra Worked Her Power Hair." Discovery News, March 13, 2006. LiveJournal Anthropologist, March 18, 2006.
Available via Discovery News @ https://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060313/cleopatra_his.html?source=rss
Available via LiveJournal Anthropologist @ https://anthropologist.livejournal.com/864181.html

Viegas, Jennifer. "Jennifer Viegas." LinkedIn.
Available via LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferviegas

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Quintilii Marble Head May Copy Cleopatra Statue in Temple of Venus

Summary: A Villa of the Quintilii marble head may copy the Cleopatra statue in the Temple of Venus Genetrix located in Rome's Forum of Caesar (Forum Caesaris).

Identified as portraying Cleopatra, a Villa of the Quintilii marble head may copy the Cleopatra statue in the Temple of Venus Genetrix that Julius Caesar dedicated in his new forum, Forum Iulium, in Rome in 46 BCE.

The Villa of the Quintilii (Italian: Villa dei Quintili) is sited at the fifth milestone of the Via Appia Antica ("Old or Ancient Appian Way"). In its greatest span of 362 miles (582 kilometers), the ancient Roman road linked central Rome's Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) with the port of Brindisi in southeast Italy's heel, according to Encyclopedia Britannica's online "Appian Way" entry. The road's construction began in 312 BCE, during the consulships of Marcus Valerius Maximus and Publius Decius Mus (died 295 BCE), according to classics professors Matthew Dillon and Lynda Garland in Ancient Rome: Social and Historical Documents From the Early Republic to the Death of Augustus (2.4).

The Villa of the Quintilii occupies an approximately rectangular property with an east-to-west stretch between Via Appia Nuova ("New Appian Way") and Via Appia Antica. Construction of Via Nuova Appia, which parallels the older road, originated with the late 18th-century papacy (Feb. 15, 1775-1799) of Pius VI (born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi; Dec. 25, 1717-Aug. 29, 1799).

The construction of the Villa of the Quintilii dates to the first half of the second century CE, according to conservation scientist Giusj Valentina Fichera and seven co-authors in "Limestone Provenance in Roman Lime-Volcanic Ash Mortars From the Villa dei Quintili, Rome," published in the February 2015 issue of Geoarchaeology. The residential complex was built during the Roman emperorships of Trajan and Hadrian (page 81). Caesar Nerva Traianus "Trajan" (Sep. 18, 53-Aug. 8, 117 CE) began his reign Jan. 27, 98 BCE, upon the death of his predecessor, Nerva (Marcus Cocceius Nerva; Nov. 8, 30-Jan. 27, 98 CE). Nerva, Trajan and Trajan's successor, Hadrian (Caesar Traianus Hadrianus; Jan. 24, 76-July 10, 138 CE), are recognized as the first, second and third, respectively, of the "Five Good Emperors" in the Roman Empire's seven-member Nerva-Antonine dynasty.

The Villa of the Quintili was home for Sextus Quintilius Condianus (Italian: Sesto Quintilio Condiano) and his brother, Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus (Italian: Sesto Quintilio Valerio Massimo). The brothers held government positions during the reigns of the fourth and fifth "Five Good Emperors," Antoninus Pius (Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius; Sep. 19, 86-March 7, 161 CE) and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (April 26, 121-March 17, 180 CE). The Quintilii brothers served as consuls in 151 CE, during Marcus Aurelius's emperorship.

The Quintilii brothers lost their property to imperial confiscation and also their lives in 182 CE. Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus (Aug. 31, 161-Dec. 31, 192 CE), who succeeded his father, Marcus Aurelius, had the brothers executed as purported conspirators in the failed assassination and coup orchestrated by Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla "Lucilla" (March 7, 148 or 150-182 CE), Marcus Aurelius's second daughter.

A marble head with a diadem and a melon hairstyle of braided rows gathered into a nape neck bun numbered among sculptures retrieved by Venceslao Pezolli during his 1783-1784 excavations at the Villa of the Quintilli, according to ancient art curators Carlos A. Picón and Seán Hemingway in the Catalogue (page 303) published in conjunction with "Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World," exhibited Monday, April 18, through Sunday, July 17, 2016, at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The marble head was added to the collections of the Vatican Museum (Musei Vaticani) in 1784, according to the museum's online catalogue (inventory number MV.38511.0.0). Its inventory record dates the marble portrait to 47 to 44 BCE.

The Quintilii marble head was identified as a portrait of Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) by German archaeologist Ludwig Curtius (Dec. 13, 1874-April 10, 1954) in "Ikonographische Beiträge zum Porträt der Römischen Republik und der Julisch-Claudischen Familie: IV Kleopatra VII. Philopator," published in 1933 in Römische Mitteilungen (band 48: 182-192). A raised scar on the left cheek suggested for Curtius the remnant of a sculpture of Cupid, Roman goddess Venus's son. The lost Cupid and the interpretation of the diadem's front bump as a jewel possibilitized the Quintilii marble head as a replica of the lost statue of Cleopatra commissioned by Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or 13, 100-March 15, 44 BCE) for the Temple of Venus Genetrix (Venus the Mother; Venus the Ancestress) that he located in his new forum, Forum Iulium (Forum of the Iulius; Julius Caesar's paternal gens Iulia lineage), popularly known as Forum Caesaris (Forum of Caesar), in Rome. Caesar held a joint dedication of the forum and the temple on Sep. 26, 46 BCE.

A hidden mother with child wall painting in Pompeii's House of Marcus Fabius Rufus (Marco Fabio Rufo) offers support for Curtius's association of the Quintilii marble head with the Temple of Venus Genetrix's lost Cleopatra statue, according to archaeologist Susan Walker (born Sep. 11, 1948) in "Cleopatra in Pompeii?", published in the November 2008 issue of Papers of the British School at Rome (page 40). The Pompeii painting portrays Cleopatra with her and Caesar's son, Ptolemy XV Caesar Philopator Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Καῖσαρ Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Kaisar Philopator Philometor, "Ptolemy Caesar, Beloved of his Father, Beloved of his Mother"; 47-30 BCE), known as Caesarion (Ancient Greek: Καισαρίων, Kaisarion, "Little Caesar"), posing as Venus with Cupid, according to Walker's reading of the painting (pages 35, 39-40).

Curtius's findings of concordance between the Quintilii marble head and the Forum Iulium's lost Cleopatra statue and Walker's "points of correspondence" between Cleopatra's face in the Pompeii painting and in the Quintilii marble head suggest the lost statue as the inspiration for the Quintilii marble head (page 40).

A ginger tabby pauses before the bath house complex, comprising caldarium (room with bath of hot water) and frigidarium (room with bath of cold water), on the grounds of Rome's Villa of the Quintilii; Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2021: Pat.no54, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

Villa of the Quintilii's marble head of Cleopatra is displayed in Museo Gregoriano Profano (Gregoriano Profano Museum), which is located on the lower floor of Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums); Friday, May 9, 2008, 14:12: Sergey Sosnovskiy (Ancientrome), CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cleopatra_VII,_Marble,_40-30_BC,_Vatican_Museums_004.jpg; Sergey Sosnovskiy, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Ancientrome.ru @ http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=6364

Ashby, Th. (Thomas). "La Villa dei Quintilii." Ausonia: Rivista della Società Italiana di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte, anno IV MCMIX [1909], fascicolo I: 48-88.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/ausoniarivistade34soci/page/n507/mode/1up

Bellomo, M. (Mariangela); and S. (Salvatore) D'Agostino. "Excavation, Restoration and Conservation of Archaeological Sites -- Villa dei Quintili on the Appia Antica in Rome." WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, vol. 42 (1999): 451-460.
Available via WIT Press @ https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/STR99/STR99044FU.pdf

Bignamini, Ilaria; and Amanda Claridge. "55. . . . Venceslao Pezzoli employed only four to ten workmen in his larger scale excavations on the site of the Villa dei Quintili in 1788-90 (U. Schädler, "Dallo scavo al museo di Pio VI nella Villa dei Quintili', Bollettino monumenti, musei e gallerie pontificie 16 (1996), 296 n. 32)." Page 241. "The Tomb of Claudia Semne and Excavations in Eighteenth-Century Rome." Papers of the British School at Rome, vol. 66 (1998): 215-244.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/40310981

The British Museum. "Coin Sabina Augusta Veneri Genetrice." The British Museum > Collection.
Available @ https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_R-12360

Catalogo Musei Vaticani. "Inventario: MV.179.0.0. Description: Statua acefala femminile da modelli della fine V-inizi IV sec. a.C., integrata come Cerere, integrata con il calco di una testa di Cleopatra (inv. 38511). Datazione: prima metà II sec. d.C. Materia: marmo bianco. Misure: h cm 179. Periodo acquisizione: 1784. Tipo acquisizione: venduta da Ferdinando Lisandroni. Provenienza: da Roma, scavi Venceslao Pezolli nella Villa dei Quintili sulla via Appia ("Roma Vecchia"), 1783-1784; la provenienza dallo scavo alla Tomba di Nerone sulla via Cassia (Visconti) è errata. Location: SCV > Museo Pio Clementino > Sala a Croce Greca > 21." Musei Vaticani > Collections > Online Catalogue > Consult the Catalogue.
Available @ https://catalogo.museivaticani.va/index.php/Detail/objects/MV.179.0.0

Catalogo Musei Vaticani. "Inventario: MV.38511.0.0. Descrizione: Testa ritratto di Cleopatra VII, pertinente a una statua eseguita probabilmente quando la regina era ospite di Cesare a Roma. Il diadema regale a fascia poteva essere rivestito da una lamina in bronzo doratoe completato da un ureo, anch'esso in metallo. Datazione: 47-44 a.C. a.C. Materia: marmo pario. Misure: cm 39 x 20 x 20. Provenienza: da Roma, Villa dei Quintili, scavi 1784. Collocazione: SCV > Edificio Paolino > Museo Gregoriano Profano > Settore 4 -- Aurai." Musei Vaticani > Collections > Online Catalogue > Consult the Catalogue.
Available @ https://catalogo.museivaticani.va/index.php/Detail/objects/MV.38511.0.0

Collins, Jeffrey. ". . . . Among the best documented are the extensive papal campaigns at the Villa dei Quintili (so-called Roma Vecchia) on via Appia. conducted by Venceslao Pezzoli in 1983-4 and 1788-92. Pezzoli conducted eighteen such excavations in the space of a single decade, and the records kept at Roma Vecchia are allowing modern historians of archeology to reconstruct the origin and destination of works whose provence has often been lost. . . ." Page 166. Papacy and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Rome: Pius VI and the Arts. Chapter Four: The Gods' Abode, pages 132-.
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Papacy_and_Politics_in_Eighteenth_Centur/SxDYM3cnSpwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=venceslao+pezzoli&pg=PA166&printsec=frontcover

Corvinus, Messalla (Laurens Dragstra). "Commodus: The Years 186-190." Corvinus > Roman history > From Commodus to the Crisis of the Third Century (180-238). Dec. 20, 2015.
Available @ https://corvinus.nl/2015/12/20/the-annalist-the-years-186-190/

de Grummond, Nancy Thomson, ed. "Clement XIV (Giovanni Vincenzo Ganganelli: 1705-74) . . . . commissioner of antiquities (*Commissario delle Antichità), G.B. *Visconti . . . . initiated systematic campaigns of excavation directed by the sculptor and restorer Gaspare Sibilla and with Venceslao Pezolli as inspector, in order to acquire further material." Page 291. An Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology. New York NY: Routledge, 1996.
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_the_History_of_Classical/LeE4CQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Venceslao+Pezolli&pg=PA291&printsec=frontcover

Elderkin, G.W. (George Wicker). "The Venus Genetrix of Arcesilaus." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 42, no. 3 (July-September 1938): 371-374.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/499346

Frontoni, Riccardo. "S. Maria Nova."Il Complesso Residenziale." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 45-46.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Frontoni, Riccardo; and Giuliana Galli. "Il Complesso Residenziale." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 9-26.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Frontoni, Riccardo; and Giuliana Galli. "Xystus (Area R-H) Cisterne (Aree G E P) Grande Ninfeo (Area H)." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 27-39.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Frontoni, Riccardo; Giuliana Galli; and Rita Paris. "L'Antiquarium." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 43-44.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Frontoni, Riccardo; Giuliana Galli; Rita Paris; and Antonella Rotondi. "Roma 1985-2011. Tutela e Valorizzazione Della Villa dei Quintili." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 1-48.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Galli, Giuliana. "Le Anfore da Trasporto." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 40-42.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Grossi, Olindo. "The Forum of Julius Caesar and the Temple of Venus Genetrix." Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, vol. 13 (1936): 215-220+2.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238590

Grossi-Gondi, F. (Felice). "Qualora poi il nostro cippo ricordasse appunto uno dei due famosi fratelli Quintili, proprietari di questa villa, convien dire che, non facendosi quivi cenno nel cursus honorum del consolato di Massimo, l'iscrizione è anteriore al 151. In quest'anno infatti tanto Massimo che Condiano furono consoli. Indi governarono insieme la Grecia (verso il 173 d.C.), l'Illirico (177 d. C.). Seguirono Marco Aurelio in Oriente (175-176 d. C.), ed ebbero anche qualche vittoria contro gli Alemanni. Nelle controversie che ebbe Atene con Erode Attico i Quintili tennero per quella. Verso il 183 vennero entrambi fatti uccidere da Commodo. . . ." La Villa dei Quintili e la Villa di Mondragone, Chapter II, page 40. Le Ville Tusculane Nell'Epoca Classica e Dopo Il Rinascimento. Roma: Tip. Dell'Unione Cooperativa Editrice, 1901.
Available via Forgotten Books @ https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/readbook/LaVilladeiQuintilielaVilladiMondragone_11088102#55
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/levilletusculane00gros/page/n59/mode/1up

Hansson, Ulf R. "Bovillae Rediscovered and Removed: Antiquarians and Treasure Hunters South of Rome in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries." In: P. Hatlie and D. Berry, eds., Ancient Bovillae: History, Art, and Archaeology of a Lost City in the Roman Hinterland. Ann Arbor MI: University of Michigan Press, 2022.
Available via Academia @ https://www.academia.edu/25723314/Bovillae_Rediscovered_and_Removed_Antiquarians_and_Treasure_Hunters_South_of_Rome_in_the_Eighteenth_and_Nineteenth_Centuries

Hengel, Livia. "A Brief History Of Via Appia Antica, Rome's Oldest Road." Culture Trip > Europe > Italy > Lazio > Rome > Things To Do. Oct. 15, 2016.
Available @ https://theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/a-brief-history-of-via-appia-antica-romes-oldest-road/

Jane Sancinito, PhD @JaneSancinito. "Broke: Low ponytail Woke: Imitating the style of Roman Empress Sabina Augusta." Twitter. Nov. 8, 2019.
Available @ https://twitter.com/JaneSancinito/status/1192833603773714432

Lucius Cassius Dio. ". . . . Thus Cleopatra, though defeated and captured, was nevertheless glorified, inasmuch as her adornments repose as decorations in our temples and she herself is seen in gold in the shrine of Venus." Book LI.22, pages 62-65. Dio's Roman History, vol. VI. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. First printed 1917. Reprinted 1955. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA Harvard University Press, MCMLV [1955].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory06cassuoft/page/62/mode/1up

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Salad Recipe: Named for Chef Cesare Cardini, Not Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/caesar-salad-recipe-named-for-chef.html

Paris, Rita. "La Via Appia." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 4-5.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Picón, Carlos A.; and Seán Hemingway, eds. "253. Portrait of Kleopatra VII ("Cleopatra")." Catalogue: The Hellenistic Kingdoms and Rome, page 302-303. Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. New York NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Work, 2016.
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pergamon_and_the_Hellenistic_Kingdoms_of/Vr3WCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Venceslao+Pezolli&pg=PA303

Platner, Samuel Ball; and Thomas Ashby. "Forum Iulium." Pages 225-227. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome > F. Completed and revised by Thomas Ashby. London : Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford, 1929
Available via Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (Heidelberg University Library) @ https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/platner1929/0277/image,info
Available via Tufts University Perseus Digital Library @ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0054:id=forum-iulium
Available via The University of Chicago Library @ http://www3.lib.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/eos/eos_page.pl?DPI=100&callnum=DG16.P72&object=257

Ricci, Adreina. La Villa dei Quintili: Fonti Scritte e Fonti Figurate. Roma: Lithos, 1998.

Richardson, Lawrence. "The temple of Venus Genetrix stood at the far end. . . ." Pages 166-167. A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. 1992.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/newtopographical0000rich/page/166/mode/1up

Rotondi, Antonella. "La Villa dei Quintili e I Suoi Antichi Proprietari." Forma Urbis, anno XVII, no. 2 (febbraio 2012): 6-8.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261884555_Roma_1985-2011_Tutela_e_valorizzazione_della_Villa_dei_Quintili

Sierra, Pietro. "Statua femminile restaurata come Igia, con testa ritratto di Agrippina non pertinente (Tav.VIII, 25). Statua e testa rinvenute assieme negli scavi da Pezzolli prima del 178. Luogo di conservazione: Musei Vaticani, inv. 558. Restauri: restaurata da Lisandroni nel 1784. Materiale: statua: marmo giallo; testa: marmo giallo con venatura grigia. Misure: alt. statua maggiore del naturale, con plinto alt. 1,89. La statua e la testa pure se non pertinente, furono ritrovate insieme ad un ‟altra statua femminile e al ritratto nei Musei Vaticani. Considerando questo soggetto diffuso in età claudia si ritiene che siauna rielaborazione di un modello del V secolo a.C." Page 54. La Villa dei Quintili: scavi e scopertelungo il V miglio della Via Appia. Rome: Dielle Editore, 2015.
Available via Academia @ https://www.academia.edu/5496615/La_Villa_dei_Quintili

Ulrich, Roger B. "Julius Caesar and the Creation of the Forum Iulium." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 97, no. 1 (January 1993): 49-80.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/505839

Waldstein, Charles. "Pasiteles and Arkesilaos, the Venus Genetrix and the Venus of the Esquiline." The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts, vol. III, nos. 1 and 2 (June 1887): 1-13.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/496373#metadata_info_tab_contents

White, Horace, trans. "Chap.XV.102. . . . He erected the temple to Venus, his ancestress, as he had vowed to do when he was about to begin the battle of Pharsalus, and he laid out ground around the temple which he intended to be a forum for the Roman people, not for buying and selling, but a meeting-place for the transaction of public business, like the public squares of the Persians, where the people assemble to seek justice or to learn the laws. He placed a beautiful image of Cleopatra by the side of the goddess, which stands there to this day. . . ." Pages 414-417. Appian's Roman History: The Civil Wars. In four volumes. Volume III. Book II: 229-515. First printed 1913. Reprinted 1933, 1958, 1964. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., MCMLXIV (1964).
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/appiansromanhist0000appi_s3m0/page/414/mode/1up
Available via Tufts University Perseus Digital Library @ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0232%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D15%3Asection%3D102