Category:Antalya Museum Julia Soaemias

Julia Soaemias, 3nd century AD, Found in 1968 at the Monumental Nymphaeum of Septimus Severus. H. 1.70 m. Perge Julia Soaemias Bassiana was the mother of the Emperor Elegabalus. After the death of her nephew Caracalla she moved back to her homeland Emesa (nowadays: Homs), Syria. There she and her mother used their influence to get her son Elegabalus nominated as emperor. She and her son were fanatic worshippers of the sun-god Elagabalus. (Wikipedia: Elagabalus was initially venerated at Emesa in Syria. The name is the Latinised form of the Syriac Ilāh hag-Gabal, which derives from Ilāh "god" and gabal "mountain" (compare Arabic: جبل‎ jabal), resulting in "the God of the Mountain" the Emesene manifestation of the deity. The cult of the deity spread to other parts of the Roman Empire in the second century. For example, a dedication has been found as far away as Woerden, in the modern-day Netherlands.) She and her son were murdered in Rome in 222 AD. The statue was discovered at the same place and time as that of her aunt, Julia Domna and of Emperor Septimus Severus. It is in good condition. She is portrayed as an adult woman. The style is that of the middle 2nd century BC, but the statue is dated as from the 3rd century. Supposedly it shows her Semitic facial features. Source: Sculptures of the Museum in Antalya p. 94