Acme (enslaved woman)
Acme | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 5BCE |
Acme (Greek: Ἁκμή, romanized: Akmē, died 5 BCE) was a Jewish slave and personal maid in the service of the Empress Livia Drusilla, wife of Caesar Augustus.
Biography[edit]
Little is known about Acme's early life, other than she was a slave in the service of Empress Livia.[1] She comes to prominence later in life when she was embroiled in a family conflict between Herod the Great and his son Antipater, which took place during the final nine years of Herod's life.[1] Whilst Antipater was living in Rome, he recruited Acme to forge letters from Salome, his aunt and Herod's sister, to Empress Livia.[1]
Acme's part in the conspiracy was discovered when a letter between Antipater and Acme was intercepted. This letter described a plan to forge incriminating letters which would lead to the execution of Salome by Herod.[2] The purpose of the letters was to make Herod believe that Salome was conspiring against him by writing to important people in Rome.[1]
Herod denounced the events to Emperor Augustus and, as a result, Acme was executed in 5 BC.[3][1] Her death was reported to Herod by Caesar in a letter.[4] After her death, Augustus allowed Herod to decide on the fate of Antipater; on returning to Judea, he executed his son immediately, five days before his own death.[3]
Historiography[edit]
The story of Acme's role in the Herod's family feud is related by Titus Flavius Josephus in The Antiquities of the Jews and in The War of the Jews.[5] However there are discrepancies between how the story is related between the texts.[6] The execution of Acme is also used as evidence to date Herod's death more closely.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "ACME - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Knoblet, Jerry (2005). Herod the Great. University Press of America. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-7618-3087-0.
- ^ a b Lardner, Nathaniel (1838). The Works of Nathaniel Lardner, D.D. with a Life by Dr. Kippis ... W. Ball. pp. 360–1.
- ^ Henten, Jan Willem Van (January 1, 2010). "Ruler Or God? The Demolition Of Herod's Eagle". The New Testament and Early Christian Literature in Greco-Roman Context: 251–280. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004143043.i-465.75. ISBN 9789047407140. S2CID 261693588.
- ^ "Perseus Under Philologic: Joseph. AJ 17.144". perseus.uchicago.edu. Retrieved February 7, 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Kushnir-Stein, Alla. "Another Look at Josephus’ Evidence for the Date of Herod’s Death." Scripta Classica Israelica 14 (1995): 73-86.
- 5 BC deaths
- 0s BC in the Roman Empire
- Ancient Jewish women
- 1st-century BCE Jews
- Emperor's slaves and freedmen
- House slaves
- Executed writers
- Executed ancient Roman women
- 1st-century BC executions
- People executed for forgery
- Herod the Great
- Livia
- Women slaves
- 1st-century BC writers
- 1st-century BC women
- Salome I
- Maids