In ancient Rome’s past, there lived a renowned lady named Cloelia. Cloelia was a Roman heroine who withstood valiantly against King Lars Porsena in 507 BC, during the early days of the newly founded Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC). The incident occurred before Roman historians began recording their findings, and the story may have evolved over the years by word of mouth. The heroine’s name comes from the Latin word “cluere,” which means “to have fame.” In 1908, a newly discovered asteroid, “661 Cloelia,” was named in her honor.
The Story of Cloelia
After the founding of the Roman Republic in 509 BC, the Tarquin dynasty fled to Etruscan territory, where they convinced the Clusian King Lars Porsena to join their cause and help them regain power in Rome.
During the Clusian-Roman conflict that began in 508 BC, Clusian King Lars Porsena besieged Rome. Even though he won the war at the outset because he took control of Janiculum Hill, the subsequent siege was very difficult.
After attacking and besieging Rome, Porsena decided to make peace after being suitably inspired by specific acts of Roman courage in defense of the city. The Romans were cornered, and they knew they had to negotiate an end to the fighting by giving up hostages, among them Cloelia.
Cloelia’s Bravery
Lars Porsena held her captive in 508 BC as part of a peace agreement between Rome and Clusium. However, Cloelia had no plans to stay. The clever Roman woman devised a cunning plan to escape from the guards’ surveillance and swim across the Tiber River to reach her city.
Today, the Tiber has a width of around 300 feet, a depth of about 12–18 feet, and a speed that often causes it to exceed its banks during periods of severe rainfall.
She first asked to take a bath in the river, and once she arrived at the bank, she acted like she was hesitating to expose herself in front of the guards. Cloelia then began to swim across the Tiber River, where the guards could not do anything to stop her. In other accounts, they swam under the enemy’s arrows.
Once she crossed the river and arrived in Rome, the Romans agreed to deliver her and other Roman women hostages she brought back in order to keep the peace with King Porsena.
To be Prized
Fearing a new siege, Cloelia returned to the Etruscan camp with the consul Publicola at her side. The members of the Tarquins made a fruitless effort to ambush her along the route. When they got back to the camp, the Etruscan king decided to free Cloelia because of her bravery. He also let her choose which hostages to take with her.
Cloelia specifically targeted women and children. According to the historian of a later time, Aurelius Victor (320–390 AD), it was her intention to protect them from embarrassment. In another telling, Porsena offered to free half of the hostages if she chose to do so, and the young boys were Cloelia’s priority because of her concern for their safety (an allusion to homosexual practices in the Etruscans).
According to some writings, Porsena came to marry her, admiring her courage and love for her country.
After the restoration of peace, a bronze monument of Cloelia riding a horse was constructed on the Via Sacra (“Secret Street”) by the Ancient Roman Senate to honor her exceptional bravery, also called as nova virtus at the time. This equestrian statue was actually a votive representation of a deity, most likely Venus.
Real Cloelia
Cloelia is both a real and mythical character; however, it is unclear whether she traveled to Rome and then came back to Porsena. The story presents two inconsistencies: Porsena was already married when he attacked Rome, and the Republic forbade the construction of equestrian monuments honoring the greatest historical figures.
Along with Roman statesman Cincinnatus (c. 519 – c. 430 BC), the figure of Cloelia stood for the principles of all Ancient Romans, including loyalty, bravery, humility, and subordination to honor. If her account is accurate, she was a real heroine who gave her life for her nation and showed what social power women could wield in ancient times.
Various Versions of Cloelia’s Story
Several writers, including Livy, Plutarch, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, recorded this event, and they employed different sources in their stories. This explains the discrepancies in their descriptions.
There are two conflicting accounts of how she managed to get away, and neither one is very convincing. Cloelia and the female prisoners, while their guards were distracted, swam over the Tiber and reached Roman territory, according to one account. In yet another telling, she rode a horse and swam over a river to save a group of Roman virgins who were being attacked.
Writings by the ancient Roman annalist Valerius Antias may have served as inspiration for Plutarch’s account of the incident. It’s also possible that political considerations impacted how the narrative was told. Plutarch’s story may be skewed in order to show a strong and respectable Roman lineage, while Livy’s version strengthens Roman pride. Dionysius’ version is the most detailed one.
Livy
According to Livy, Cloelia was able to sneak out and swim over the Tiber to Rome, where she then gathered the other hostages and led them to freedom. After demanding her surrender, Porsena came to respect her valor and let her and the other half of the Roman prisoners go free.
Plutarch
Plutarch provides a different account. He makes Cloelia lead the prisoners over the Tiber on her horse. Roman King Lucius Tarquinius Superbus attacked Consul Publicola on their way from Rome, despite Rome’s promise to return the prisoners to Porsena’s camp.
After some intervention from Porsena’s son, Cloelia is revealed to be the mastermind behind the whole escape, and Porsena rewards her with a horse in a rich dress.
Dionysius
In Dionysius’ version, Cloelia suggests other maidens swim over the river to reach Rome while taking a bath in the river privately.
Despite Tarquinius’ accusations against the Romans for breaching their oaths, Rome agreed to return the maidens, and King Porsena agreed for the consul Valerius to bring the women back. Valerius and his group were on their way back with the maidens when Tarquinius and his son-in-law, Octavius Mamilius, wanted to ambush them.
Valerius was fortunate in that he made it back to the Tyrrhenian camp before the ambush was set up. This insidious attempt on the captives by the Tarquinii family during this ceasefire angered King Porsena. He reconciled with Mamilius and cut connections with the Tarquinii when they falsely accused the Romans of wrongdoing.
After establishing peace and goodwill with the Roman diplomats, Porsena freed all the captives and gave them the strategically important camp as a present. The Roman senate erected a bronze monument to Cloelia on Secret Street as a symbol of their gratitude after the end of the war.
Inspiration Behind the Story of Cloelia
Livy provides accounts of Cloelia’s contemporaries, including those of Horatius Cocles (who loses one eye) and Gaius Mucius Scaevola (who sacrifices his right hand), who fought in the same war. In fact, Porsena compares the heroine to Cocles and Scaevola for what she did.
However, almost all academics believe that the authors of the histories that Livy used as sources created these entirely fictional accounts.
According to scholars of comparative mythology, the Pandava brothers in the Indian tale of the Mahabharata are identical to the story of Cloelia. This tale is believed to have been compiled after 400 BC.
Cloelia, the rescuer of the Romans, would be like Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers, who negotiated their freedom from Prince Duryodhana.
Unlike the brothers, Cloelia rescues the maidens (and other Romans). But in other accounts, she still rescues the young boys (if they are her brothers).
The Three Functions
The ancient Roman heroine exemplifies what Georges Dumézil calls the “three Indo-European functions:” the sacred function, the warlike function, and the reproductive function.
She displays the first function via the allure she has over Lars Porsena, not only because of her bravery but also because of her body, which the Etruscan monarch protects from the Tarquins’ exploitation.
Her virtuous deeds and the virtuous gifts she obtains, especially the horse, serve the warrior role. When she rescues the women and children, she also serves a reproductive purpose.
Cloelia in Art
The main subject of many paintings of Cloelia, such as those by Rubens or Stella in the Louvre Museum or those by Beccafumi, is the valiant crossing of the Tiber as told by Livy.
Stella’s illustrations, however, show a maturing Cloelia who is practically lustful while her friends bathe naively. Cloelia’s character encapsulates a paradox since she offends Lars Porsena by running away from him, but she also arouses his desire, and it is this desire that provides meaning to her exploit.
Pietro Metastasio’s “Il trionfo di Clelia” (1762) opera includes her. In the 1961 Italian film Le Vergini di Roma, the actress Sylvia Syms portrayed the Roman heroine.
Madeleine de Scudery’s Cloelia, histoire romaine (“Clelia, Roman history”) is a classic book that was published between the years 1654 and 1660 and is widely regarded as a defining work of precious literature.
She weaves together actual and imaginary individuals, events, and places from Roman history as recorded by historians like Livy for her book. The story has many dialogues about love, friendship, and social interactions, as well as adventure and political intrigue.