Atria Galla was a woman of ancient Rome related to various imperial intrigues by her husband, and reputed as "beautiful but low-born". [1] She was first the wife of Domitius Silus but eventually left him for his friend Gaius Calpurnius Piso, whom she later became the second wife of (after Piso's marriage to Livia Orestilla was terminated by the emperor Caligula). [2] She may have been the mother of Piso's son, Calpurnius Piso Galerianus, though he also may have been adopted.
Her husband Piso conspired against the emperor Nero in 66 CE, and most of what we know about her comes from an anecdote on the Pisonian conspiracy related by the writer Tacitus in his Annals , in which he describes Piso's wife as having no positive attributes other than her beauty, and that her history (of having left her previous husband for Piso) conferred a stain on Piso's reputation seemingly in line with his end as a traitor to the emperor. [3]
However he does also describe Piso as being very fond of her. Tacitus cites a rumor that Piso sought to align himself with Claudia Antonia, daughter of the late emperor Claudius, to secure his position should the conspiracy succeed, but dismisses this story because (among other reasons) he believed Piso loved Atria too much to publicly entangle himself with another woman. [1]
We do not know what happened to Atria after Piso's forced suicide for his participation in the conspiracy. Since no reprisals are described, it is believed that she was not herself persecuted for her husband's participation. [4]
In some older sources such as the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology this person is given the name "Arria Galla" or "Satria Galla", but these are incorrect.[ citation needed ]
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Gaius Calpurnius Piso was a Roman senator in the first century. He was the focal figure in the Pisonian conspiracy of AD 65, the most famous and wide-ranging plot against the throne of Emperor Nero.
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Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus (38–69) was a Roman nobleman who lived in the 1st century. His adoption by the Roman emperor Galba on 10 January 69 AD precipitated their joint murder by Otho, who had expected to be adopted instead. Otho then became the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.
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Antonius Natalis was an ancient Roman of the equestrian order who took part in the Pisonian conspiracy against Nero. As a conspirator, he provided Gaius Calpurnius Piso with secretive information regarding the emperor. After Flavius Scaevinus's freedman, Milichus, alerted Nero of Piso's conspiracy, Natalis, having met with Scaevinus that day, was suspected of being a part of the conspiracy. When he was questioned, Natalis disclosed information vital to the conspiracy, thereby avoiding punishment.
Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi was a Roman nobleman of consular rank who lived during the Roman Empire. Frugi's mother was an unnamed Roman woman, while his father was consul and governor Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi. Frugi's adoptive paternal grandfather was consul and general Marcus Licinius Crassus the Younger. Crassus was the grandson of triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus and the last known direct descendant of his grandfather. He had a daughter called Licinia who married the consul Lucius Calpurnius Piso; their son, Gaius Calpurnius Piso, was a conspirator against the Emperor Nero.
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The gens Atria was a Roman family, known primarily from two individuals who flourished during the middle years of the first century BC.
He was born Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso and was son of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, but after his father's death had to take the name Lucius Calpurnius Piso.
Subrius Flavus was a tribune of the Praetorian Guard who was heavily implicated in the Pisonian conspiracy against the Emperor Nero and was executed in 65 CE for his involvement.
The gens Domitia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The first of the gens to achieve prominence was Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, consul in 332 BC. His son, Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus Maximus, was consul in 283, and the first plebeian censor. The family produced several distinguished generals, and towards the end of the Republic, the Domitii were looked upon as one of the most illustrious gentes.
Lucius Calpurnius Piso was a Roman senator active in the first century AD. During the Year of Four Emperors he was governor of Africa and supported Vitellius. After the death of Vitellius he was killed by supporters of Vespasian.
The gens Satria was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in the first century BC, and under the early Empire, but none of them rose higher than the rank of praetor. Otherwise the Satrii are known largely from inscriptions.
Arria was a woman in ancient Rome of a prestigious family notable in political affairs -- though often on the bad side of the emperor -- throughout the first century CE.
Calpurnius Piso Galerianus was a man of the Calpurnia gens of ancient Rome who lived around the 1st century CE. He was the son of Gaius Calpurnius Piso. Gaius was married twice, to Livia Orestilla and later to Atria Galla, and it is unclear which of these women, if any, was Galerianus's biological mother.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Smith, William (1870). "Arria Galla". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . Vol. 1. p. 350.