Sallustia Orbiana

Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta (fl. 220s), also known as Barbia Orbiana, was an Augusta of the Roman Empire and briefly the wife of Emperor Severus Alexander. She was known for her beauty, which was captured in multiple works of art. Following the execution of her father Seius Sallustius, she was exiled to North Africa, after only two years as empress.

Orbiana was born to influential Roman Senator Seius Sallustius in the early third century CE. In August 225, at about the age of 16 years, she wed Roman Emperor Severus Alexander in an arrangement organized by the emperor's mother, Julia Mamaea. After Orbiana was given the title of Augusta, Mamaea grew jealous, due to her desire for complete ownership of all feminine imperial titles, and the strong bond that developed between Orbiana and Severus. She treated Orbiana cruelly, forcing her to seek refuge with her father, Sallustius, who is believed to had been appointed as a Caesar. Sallustius consulted with the Praetorian Guard for protection of Orbiana, but the act was determined to be treasonous. In August 227, Sallustius was executed, and Orbiana was stripped of her title, divorced and exiled to the province of Libya in North Africa. Severus Alexander had the power to intervene, but chose not to. He and his mother later died during the usurpation by Maximinus Thrax in 235, ending the Severan dynasty.

A notable statue of Orbiana, represented as Venus Felix, was unearthed near the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The marble, now in the Belvedere Courtyard ('Cortile Belvedere' in Italian) of the Vatican Museums, was dedicated to the empress by her liberti; her freeman Helpidius and Sallustia, her freewoman. Besides a limited emission of coinage in bronze and silver, several Roman gold coins were minted with Orbiana's visage, including a coin which sold for £26.00 in 1897. She was the only wife of Severus to be featured on coins.

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