Julia Balbilla (Ἰουλία Βαλβίλλα) Life Julia Balbilla was a 2nd-century CE Roman noblewoman and poet from the royal family of Commagene. As a companion to Empress Vibia Sabina, she accompanied the imperial court of Hadrian to Egypt in 130 CE [1][2].

Works Her sole surviving works are four elegiac epigrams inscribed on the Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, commemorating the statue’s famed “song” for Sabina [1][2][3].

Significance Balbilla is a rare example of a Roman imperial female poet whose work survives in situ. Her poems are stylistically significant for their deliberate use of the Aeolic dialect and allusions to Sappho, reflecting the learned archaism of the Second Sophistic. They provide valuable insight into courtly culture, elite travel, and the public literary role of aristocratic women [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8392 2. Perseus Digital Library: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0625%3Asection%3D1 3. ToposText: https://topostext.org/people/1410