Curia

Curia or Turia or Thuria (ca. 60 BC – 5 BC) was a Roman woman who became famous for her bravery and devotion.

Life

She was the wife of Quintus Lucretius Vespillo for 40 years, whom she married sometime between 49 BC and 42 BC. She was from a wealthy family as was her husband. They had no children. She was so dedicated to her husband that when she couldn’t produce children, she offered to grant Quintus a divorce. He did not accept it and they remained married for the rest of their lives.

Turia was known for helping their female relatives who became of marrying age with financial assistance and other things as needed for their new marriage. These relatives otherwise would not have had these advantages that she provided the young brides.

Her loyalty and devotion to her husband was so rare that the other outlawed rebels who had been proscribed by the triumvirs found themselves in disagreeable places, barely managing to escape inconceivable tortures, while Lucretius was safe in their bedroom in the arms of his gracious wife. She even went to extraordinary means playing the role of a woman who lost her husband in a battlefield someplace and he never returned. She would dress in old ragged clothing and be in unkempt appearance. She even would put on a sad face with tearful eyes. This made everyone believe she lost her husband and he was nowhere to be found.

She is one of the three women mentioned by Valerius Maximus as examples of outstanding moral women. The other two were Tertia Aemilia and Sulpicia.

When Quintus Lucretius was proscribed by the triumvirs, his wife Turia hid him in her bedroom above the rafters. A single maidservant knew the secret. At great risk to herself, she kept him safe from imminent death.

Epitaph

The inscription called the Laudatio Turiae, in which a husband praises his wife, was traditionally assigned to Turia although it does not mention her name. This assignment is no longer generally accepted.