Octavia Minor: The Sister of Augustus Who Helped Birth the Roman Empire

"Octavia Minor (circa 69 BCE to 11 BCE) was a Roman noblewoman who rose to prominence during the early years of the Roman Empire. The sister of Emperor Augustus (reign 27 BCE to 14 CE) and wife of Mark Antony (83 BCE to 30 BCE), she was known and respected throughout the Roman world for exemplifying traditional Roman virtues, and she became one of the first matriarchs of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. Family & Early Life Octavia was born in the town of Nola in southern Italy, probably around 69 BCE - some scholars suggest that she was born a little later, with Katrina Moore offering 66 BCE as a potential birth year."

"She was a member of the gens Octavia, a noble plebeian family of modest origin. According to the historian Suetonius, the family was granted Roman citizenship by Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome. During the era of the Roman Republic, they did not achieve anything of note until 230 BCE when a member of the family attained the office of questor. Since then, several Octavii reached high political offices. Still, at the time of Octavia's birth, they remained a relatively obscure family."

"As a young woman, Octavia was viewed as a pawn to advance the political interests of her family. Her father, Gaius Octavius, was an up-and-coming politician whose career promised to put the family on the map. By the time of her birth, he had already served as military tribune and questor, beginning his climb up the political ladder; in time, he would also reach the office of and serve as proconsul of Macedonia, a respectable career for a novus homo (literally, 'new man', the Roman term for the first man of a family to reach the Roman Senate)."

Octavia Minor was born in Nola around 69 BCE and became a prominent Roman noblewoman and one of the first matriarchs of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the sister of Augustus and the wife of Mark Antony, noted for exemplifying traditional Roman virtues and earning widespread respect. She belonged to the gens Octavia, a plebeian family of modest origin whose ancestors received Roman citizenship from Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. The family gained political standing over generations, and at her birth they were rising but still relatively obscure. Her father Gaius Octavius pursued a successful senatorial and provincial career that advanced the family's status.

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