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Ceionia Fabia (flourished 2nd century) was a noble Roman woman and a member of the ruling Nerva–Antonine dynasty of the Roman Empire.

Life

Fabia was the first-born daughter to Lucius Aelius and Avidia. In 136, her father was adopted by Hadrian as heir to the throne.^[1] Fabia had three siblings: a sister Ceionia Plautia and two brothers: the Roman Emperor Lucius Verus who co-ruled with Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 169 and Gaius Avidius Ceionius Commodus. Her cognomen Fabia reveals that her father was related to the gens Fabia. However, whom she was named after from the gens Fabia is unknown. Fabia was born and raised in Rome.

Her maternal grandparents were the Roman Senator Gaius Avidius Nigrinus and the surmised but undocumented noblewoman Plautia. Although her adoptive paternal grandparents were the Roman Emperor Hadrian and Roman Empress Vibia Sabina, her biological paternal grandparents were the consul Lucius Ceionius Commodus and noblewoman named Plautia.

Sometime in 136 after Hadrian announced that her father was to be the Emperor's official heir, on the wishes of Hadrian, the emperor betrothed Fabia to Hadrian's great-nephew Marcus Aurelius. Although Fabia and Aurelius became engaged, the engagement did not survive Hadrian; immediately after the emperor's death, Antoninus Pius, Hadrian's second adopted son and the new emperor, approached Marcus and requested that his marriage arrangements be amended: Marcus' betrothal to Ceionia Fabia would be annulled, and he would be betrothed to Faustina, Antoninus' daughter, instead. Faustina's betrothal to Ceionia's brother Lucius Commodus would also have to be annulled. Marcus consented to Antoninus' proposal.^[2]

Fabia later married the nobleman Plautius Quintillus who came from a family of consular rank. During the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161), Quintillus served as an ordinary consul in 159. Fabia bore Quintillus a son called Marcus Peducaeus Plautius Quintillus who later married Annia Aurelia Fadilla, one of the daughters of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger.

Throughout the Roman Empire, various honorific inscriptions have survived being dedicated to Fabia and her family. These inscriptions honor Fabia as the mother of Marcus Peducaeus Plautius Quintillus; the sister of Roman Emperor Lucius Verus and the sister-in-law of Empress Lucilla (the second daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger, who was one of the sisters of Fadilla). According to an inscription found at Ephesus, Fabia was present when Lucius Verus married Lucilla.

It appears by 175 her husband had died. When Faustina the Younger had died in 175, Fabia was said to have attempted to interest Marcus Aurelius in a second marriage. However, Marcus Aurelius preferred to take a mistress, who was a daughter of one of Faustina's procurators.

Nerva–Antonine family tree

Q. Marcius Barea Soranus

Q. Marcius Barea Sura

Antonia Furnilla

M. Cocceius Nerva

Sergia Plautilla

P. Aelius Hadrianus

Titus
(r. 79–81)

Marcia Furnilla

Marcia

Trajanus Pater

Nerva
(r. 96–98)

Ulpia^[i]

Aelius Hadrianus Marullinus

Flavia^[ii]

Marciana^[iii]

C. Salonius Matidius^[iv]

Trajan
(r. 98–117)

Plotina

P. Acilius Attianus

P. Aelius Afer^[v]

Paulina Major^[vi]

Lucius Mindius (2)

Libo Rupilius Frugi (3)

Salonia Matidia^[vii]

L. Vibius Sabinus (1)^[viii]

Paulina Minor^[vi]

L. Julius Ursus Servianus^[ix]

Matidia Minor^[vii]

Sabina^[iii]

Hadrian^[v]^[x]^[vi] (r. 117–138)

Antinous^[xi]

C. Fuscus Salinator I

Julia Serviana Paulina

M. Annius Verus^[xii]

Rupilia Faustina^[xiii]^[xiv]

Boionia Procilla

Cn. Arrius Antoninus

L. Ceionius Commodus

Appia Severa

C. Fuscus Salinator II

L. Caesennius Paetus

Arria Antonina

Arria Fadilla^[xv]

T. Aurelius Fulvus

L. Caesennius Antoninus

L. Commodus

Plautia

unknown^[xvi]

C. Avidius Nigrinus

M. Annius Verus^[xiii]

Calvisia Domitia Lucilla^[xvii]

Fundania^[xviii]

M. Annius Libo^[xiii]

Faustina^[xv]

Antoninus Pius
(r. 138–161)^[xv]

L. Aelius Caesar^[xvi]

Avidia^[xvi]

Cornificia^[xiii]

Marcus Aurelius
(r. 161–180)^[xix]

Faustina Minor^[xix]

C. Avidius Cassius^[xx]^{[clarification needed]}

Aurelia Fadilla^[xv]

Lucius Verus
(r. 161–169)^[xvi] (1)

Ceionia Fabia^[xvi]

Plautius Quintillus^[xxi]

Q. Servilius Pudens

Ceionia Plautia^[xvi]

Cornificia Minor^[xxii]

M. Petronius Sura

Commodus
(r. 177–192)^[xix]

Fadilla^[xxii]

M. Annius Verus Caesar^[xix]

Ti. Claudius Pompeianus (2)

Lucilla^[xix]

M. Plautius Quintillus^[xvi]

Junius Licinius Balbus

Servilia Ceionia

Petronius Antoninus

L. Aurelius Agaclytus (2)

Aurelia Sabina^[xxii]

L. Antistius Burrus (1)

Plautius Quintillus

Plautia Servilla

C. Furius Sabinus Timesitheus

Antonia Gordiana

Junius Licinius Balbus?

Furia Sabina Tranquillina

Gordian III
(r. 238–244)

(1) = 1st spouse
(2) = 2nd spouse
(3) = 3rd spouse
  Reddish-purple indicates emperor of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty
  lighter purple indicates designated imperial heir of said dynasty who never reigned
  grey indicates unsuccessful imperial aspirants
  bluish-purple indicates emperors of other dynasties
dashed lines indicate adoption; dotted lines indicate love affairs/unmarried relationships
Small Caps = posthumously deified (Augusti, Augustae, or other)

Notes:

Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.

^ Sister of Trajan's father: Giacosa (1977), p. 7.
^ Giacosa (1977), p. 8.
^ ^a ^b Levick (2014), p. 161.
^ Husband of Ulpia Marciana: Levick (2014), p. 161.
^ ^a ^b Giacosa (1977), p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c DIR contributor (Herbert W. Benario, 2000), "Hadrian".
^ ^a ^b Giacosa (1977), p. 9.
^ Husband of Salonia Matidia: Levick (2014), p. 161.
^ Smith (1870), "Julius Servianus".
^ Smith (1870), "Hadrian", pp. 319–322.
^ Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p. 99 and passim; deification: Lamber (1984), pp. 2–5, etc.
^ Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Levick (2014), p. 163.
^ It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Levick (2014), p. 162.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Levick (2014), p. 164.
^ Wife of M. Annius Verus: Giacosa (1977), p. 10.
^ Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Giacosa (1977), p. 10.
^ The epitomator of Cassius Dio (72.22) gives the story that Faustina the Elder promised to marry Avidius Cassius. This is also echoed in HA "Marcus Aurelius" 24.
^ Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164.
^ ^a ^b ^c Levick (2014), p. 117.

References:

DIR contributors (2000). "De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families". Retrieved 2015-04-14.
Giacosa, Giorgio (1977). Women of the Caesars: Their Lives and Portraits on Coins. Translated by R. Ross Holloway. Milan: Edizioni Arte e Moneta. ISBN 0-8390-0193-2.
Lambert, Royston (1984). Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-15708-2.
Levick, Barbara (2014). Faustina I and II: Imperial Women of the Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537941-9.
Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Notes

^ Lucius Aelius was given the title of Caesar, but because he died before Hadrian, he never assumed the throne.
^ HA Marcus 6.2; Verus 2.3–4; Birley, Marcus Aurelius, 53–54.

Sources

From Tiberius to the Antonines: a history of the Roman Empire AD 14–192, by Albino Garzetti, 1974
Cassio Dione e l'impero romano da Nerva ad Antonino Pio: alla luce dei nuovi by Guido Migliorati, 2003 – Italian Historical Secondary Source
The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 11 By Alan K. Bowman, Peter Garnsey, Dominic Rathbone Limited preview - Edition: 2 - Item notes: v. 11 – 2000
Marcus Aurelius, by Anthony Richard Birley, Routledge, 2000
http://www.roman-emperors.org/lverus.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20130525075850/http://www.roman-empire.net/highpoint/marcaurelius.html

[3] Sister of Trajan's father: Giacosa (1977), p. 7.

[giac8-4] Giacosa (1977), p. 8.

[lev161-5] Levick (2014), p. 161.

[6] Husband of Ulpia Marciana: Levick (2014), p. 161.

[giac7-7] Giacosa (1977), p. 7.

[DIR_hadrian-8] DIR contributor (Herbert W. Benario, 2000), "Hadrian".

[giac9-9] Giacosa (1977), p. 9.

[10] Husband of Salonia Matidia: Levick (2014), p. 161.

[Smith_Servianus-11] Smith (1870), "Julius Servianus".

[Smith_1870a_p._319-12] Smith (1870), "Hadrian", pp. 319–322.

[13] Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p. 99 and passim; deification: Lamber (1984), pp. 2–5, etc.

[14] Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163.

[lev163-15] Levick (2014), p. 163.

[16] It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman.

[lev162-17] Levick (2014), p. 162.

[lev164-18] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Levick (2014), p. 164.

[19] Wife of M. Annius Verus: Giacosa (1977), p. 10.

[20] Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163.

[giac10-21] Giacosa (1977), p. 10.

[22] The epitomator of Cassius Dio (72.22) gives the story that Faustina the Elder promised to marry Avidius Cassius. This is also echoed in HA "Marcus Aurelius" 24.

[23] Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164.

[lev117-24] Levick (2014), p. 117.

[1] Lucius Aelius was given the title of Caesar, but because he died before Hadrian, he never assumed the throne.

[2] HA Marcus 6.2; Verus 2.3–4; Birley, Marcus Aurelius, 53–54.

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