The Wife of Orgiagon the Galatian

Fifteenth century map showing Galatia,
now a region of Turkey.

Chiomara was the wife of Orgiago, chieftain of the Tectosagi - one of three Galatian tribes during the Galatian War of 189 BC.

During this war Gnaeus Manlius Vulso had a victorious campaign against the Galatian Gauls. One of his centurions was put in charge of a group of captives. He saw a most beautiful woman amongst these captives and desired her very much. He approached her with propositions, however she would have nothing to do with him since she was already married. The centurion was outraged and raped her anyway at sword point.

Chiomara then plotted his death. One day when ransom was being paid for the prisoners, the centurion was counting the price for the amount agreed to for each prisoner. When Chiomara's turn came, with others in a group, she was freed of her chains while the centurion was busy counting the gold pieces and checking the weight. While he was busy in his task, she spoke in her native tongue (not known to the Romans) and ordered the servants to knock him down and slash off his head. They were all to eager to accommodate her wishes and at an opportune moment while he was alone they seized him and took him to the ground. They then proceeded to cut off his head and handed it over to Chiomara.

Later when she was able to rejoin her husband, since they had been separated during the battles of the war, she told him the situation and gave him the head of this centurion that did this deed.

The historian Livy said of this,

She confesses to her husband the violence done to her person and the vengeance exacted for her puditia, and, as the story goes, by the purity and dignity of her life in other respects maintained to the end the glory won by a deed that marked a true matron.

References

• Livy, Ab urbe condita libri xxxviii.12-14, 24.2-14,
• Valerius Maximus, Factorum at dictorum memorabilium libri VI.i, ext.2
• Polybius 22.21