ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the patronage of Octavia Minor, the sister of Augustus. By placing the ancient written sources in conversation with the material culture associated with Octavia, a more nuanced picture of the oft-dismissed “good girl” of the late republican period will be shown. Following her marriage to Antony in 40 BCE, Octavia was the first mortal Roman woman to be featured on Roman coinage. In 35 BCE, Octavian granted his sister sacrosanctitas, which allowed statues of Octavia to be displayed in public. And in the mid-20s BCE she was the patroness of the Porticus Octaviae on the Campus Martius, an area of Rome traditionally associated with men and the military. Octavia was lauded as a “good” exemplum by her contemporaries, and the use of Octavia’s likeness repeatedly broke new ground in terms of the public imagery and patronage of and by Roman women. Her astute understanding and effective combination of traditional Roman values with Hellenistic culture helped transition the public role of women from the Roman republic to the Roman empire.
