Argentaria Polla

Argentaria Polla was an ancient Roman art patroness. On the anniversary of the death of her husband—the poet Lucan—likely between the years 90 and 92 CE, Martial and Statius—two other Roman writers—composed poems for a ceremony commemorating his birthday. It is likely that this event was organized by Polla, who also likely served as a patron for both authors. Statius, who describes Polla as "a pearl among wives", also explicitly mentions that she requested the birthday ode for Lucan. Martial, in another poem, refers to Polla as his "queen", which—according to the classicist Emily A. Hemelrijk—likely references her role as his patroness. Moreover, according to the philologist Peter White, it is likely that Polla was intensely involved with literary activity, as Statius describes Polla utilizing the adjective "docta", which White argues is unlikely to merely describe her relationship with the famous poet Lucan. The 5th-century CE author Sidonius Apollinaris implies that Polla may have aided Lucan in the creation of the Pharsalia, though White suggests that this story could easily be a later invention and denigrates the account as "sentimental fancy."