The Severan Augustae as Mistresses of the World

The article examines two statue dedications mentioning Julia Domna and Julia Maesa from Histria (Moesia Inferior) and one mentioning Julia Mamaea from Augusta Traiana (Thrace). These texts are particularly noteworthy in that they credit Domna and Maesa with the title "Fortune of the inhabited world" and Mamaea with that of "Mistress of the inhabited world". We do not know of other iscriptions attesting to titles like these, which the dedicators created by mixing the rather customary epithets of "Fortune" and "Mistress" with the title "Master of the inhabited world" often bestowed upon emperors. The reason behind such creativity is probably twofold: inter-city rivalries became particularly intense during the first decades of the III century; at the same time, the influcence which imperial women could exercise over the emperors became extremely evident, mostly thanks to the fact that their (young) sons and grandsons were sitting on the throne.