Domitia (aunt of Messalina)

Domitia (died c. 59 AD) was a prominent Roman noblewoman during the early Roman Empire. She was the daughter of Antonia Major and Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul in 16 BC). This lineage made her the granddaughter of Emperor Augustus' sister, Octavia Minor, and Mark Antony. She was also the sister of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (father of Emperor Nero) and the aunt of Valeria Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius.

Little is definitively known about Domitia's life. Her familial connections placed her within the inner circles of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and likely afforded her significant influence and wealth. However, surviving historical sources primarily focus on the more scandalous and widely discussed figures of the imperial family, such as her niece Messalina.

Domitia's death is mentioned by Tacitus in the Annals (XIV.4). He describes her as dying around the same time as Junia Lepida and Mamercus Aemilius Scaurus. He characterizes these deaths as depriving Nero of individuals whose lives reflected poorly on him. While Tacitus does not explicitly accuse Nero of orchestrating Domitia's death, the implication is that her presence, perhaps due to her age or moral standing, served as an unwelcome reminder of earlier, perhaps more austere, Roman values that clashed with the increasingly libertine behavior of Nero's court. The exact circumstances of her death, however, remain unclear.